ATLANTA, Dec. 21, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- This weekend, leaders from Georgia Power announced a series of historic grants from The Georgia Power Foundation to UNCF to support HBCUs across the state. Over the next five years, the Foundation will award $500,000 in grants to assist the UNCF in its mission to provide equal access to college education through a robust and nationally-recognized pipeline of under-represented students. UNCF's goal is to increase the total number of African American college graduates by focusing on activities that ensure more students are college-ready, enrolled in college and on track to graduate.
Over the past decade, Georgia Power and the Georgia Power Foundation have contributed $1.2 million in support of UNCF through initiatives focused on education, youth scholarships and STEM.
"We are grateful to the Mayor's office for continuing to present this annual event to raise funds and visibility for the important work of UNCF and, on behalf of Georgia Power, we are happy to be able to expand our support of this impactful organization," said Bentina Terry, senior vice president of Regional External Affairs and Community Engagement at Georgia Power and co-chair of this year's UNCF Mayor's Masked Ball Atlanta. "We believe that a quality education and uplifting and mentoring the next generation of Georgians through our time and resources is key to ensuring our city and our state remain a thriving place to live, work and serve."
"For nearly 80 years, UNCF has helped more than one million students earn college degrees. None of this would be possible without partners like this year's supporting sponsor, Georgia Power," said Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms. "They are a tremendous community ally, and I am grateful for Georgia Power's significant contribution towards the education of students enrolled in HBCUs across the state."
The new 5-year commitment follows a recent announcement by Southern Company of $10 million in grants to provide Historically Black College and University (HBCU) students with incentives to use their talents to drive economic development in the communities that surround their campuses through internships, leadership development and innovation to support career readiness. This is part of a broader $50 million multi-year initiative by Southern Company to provide scholarships, internships, leadership development, access to technology and innovation to support career readiness for students attending select HBCUs within the Southern Company system's service footprint. Of that original commitment, $40 million has been pledged to date – including a $25 million founding partnership with Apple to launch the Propel Center; a new digital learning hub; business incubator; and global innovation headquarters in Atlanta for HBCU students; $5 million to increase access to technology for HBCU students and the newest grants announced today.
Georgia Power's Social Justice Commitment
Georgia Power, along with the Georgia Power Foundation, have committed to invest $87 million throughout 2021-2025 to continue advancing racial equity and social justice efforts in Georgia. This funding will support initiatives focused on education equity, criminal justice equity, economic empowerment, and energy justice. The company's investment is part of the overall commitment by Southern Company and its charitable foundations to invest a combined $225 million over five years to support these efforts. This financial commitment is a key component of Southern Company's Moving to Racial Equity framework to help guide and further define its actions and commitments around racial equity work.
About Georgia Power
Georgia Power is the largest electric subsidiary of Southern Company (NYSE: SO), America's premier energy company. Value, Reliability, Customer Service and Stewardship are the cornerstones of the Company's promise to 2.6 million customers in all but four of Georgia's 159 counties. Committed to delivering clean, safe, reliable and affordable energy at rates below the national average, Georgia Power maintains a diverse, innovative generation mix that includes nuclear, coal and natural gas, as well as renewables such as solar, hydroelectric and wind. Georgia Power focuses on delivering world-class service to its customers every day and the Company is recognized by J.D. Power as an industry leader in customer satisfaction. For more information, visit www.GeorgiaPower.com and connect with the Company on Facebook (Facebook.com/GeorgiaPower), Twitter (Twitter.com/GeorgiaPower) and Instagram (Instagram.com/ga_power).
SOURCE Georgia Power
