- Community Support
- Employee Engagement
Community Support
Day in and day out, we work proudly within our communities to make a difference. Southern Company and our subsidiaries weave together financial grants, philanthropic programs, community board leadership and employee volunteerism to create positive momentum in communities where we serve, live and play. Our support is broad-based spanning education, health and human services, civic and community, environment, economic development and arts and culture. Social justice and equity considerations are at the forefront of our efforts.
We have a strong philanthropic commitment to our communities which is executed through several private foundations and corporate giving efforts across our subsidiaries. In 2021 we invested approximately $110 million in grants, sponsorships, and impact investments across our territories.
The $225 million commitment we made as part of our Move to Equity initiative related to social justice and racial justice is consistent with our history of dedicating financial resources to our communities. In 2021 we invested $66 million toward these efforts. In addition to the sizeable HBCU commitments highlighted in our 2021 Transformation Report, Southern Company Services, Southern Company and Southern Company Gas Foundations invested more than $10 million in the EIP’s Elevate Future Fund, a venture capital fund supporting entrepreneurs of color developing new technologies, products and services for the energy sector. We further supported entrepreneurship in underrepresented groups by investing in Startup Runway and the Georgia Small Business Capital Fund, which helped to support over 1,000 small businesses, most owned by low and moderate income BIPOC founders.
In 2021, Southern Company and its operating companies’ charitable giving totaled approximately $110 million, including giving to social justice-related initiatives of $66 million.
Employee Engagement
Hundreds of our employees serve externally in our communities every day. From Chambers of Commerce, development authorities and Rotary Clubs to national and local philanthropic boards of organizations such as Communities in Schools, Boys and Girls Clubs, and 100 Black Men of America, we are involved in creating better tomorrows for our neighbors.
In addition to leadership roles, thousands of employees and retirees across our subsidiaries volunteer their time to support and improve our communities. Through organizations such as Alabama Power Service Organization (APSO), Citizens of Georgia Power, Energizers, Ambassadors and others, they invest over 200,000 hours of volunteer service annually.
Community volunteerism examples:
- Dozens of projects take place across our service territories to commemorate Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.
- Our volunteers beautify parks and waterways to connect people to nature during Earth Day service projects and throughout of the year.
- We fill thousands of backpacks with school supplies annually to help underserved children prepare for school.
- Hundreds of families are sponsored during the holiday season to make sure all family members can enjoy the holidays with good food and presents.
- Our volunteers also build playgrounds, assemble bikes for children with special needs, plant trees, engage in reading programs and support First Robotics teams.
- We support the volunteer efforts of major organizations such as United Way and the Salvation Army.
- We partner with organizations with a mission to combat hunger and food deserts.
Our employees also make financial contributions to thousands of non-profits in our communities through company-led programs. For example, in Georgia, our Georgia Power and Southern Company employees and retirees make donations via Club of Hearts, a non-profit 501(c)(3) corporation organized in 1953. These Georgia-based employees contribute around $1M annually.