FIRSTENERGY FOUNDATION
For more than a century, FirstEnergy has been committed to improving the quality of life where our customers and employees live and work. In support of this effort, the FirstEnergy Foundation invests in nonprofit organizations to enable positive changes that strengthen the communities we serve.
The Foundation's priorities range from supporting key safety initiatives and promoting workforce and economic development to improving social and cultural aspects of our region. As an overarching giving priority in line with our companywide focus on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI), the Foundation also supports organizations and initiatives that serve diverse populations and enhance inclusion.
FOUNDATION VISION
To invest in transformative organizations that enhance the vitality, sustainability and diversity of the communities we serve.
GIVING PRIORITIES
Giving Priorities in Action
- In New Jersey, the Foundation's grant to America's Grow-a-Row (The Fresh Produce Initiative) will help improve quality of life and increase access to nutritious fresh produce for people suffering from food insecurity and related health issues. Located within our JCP&L service area, this program serves low- to moderate-income individuals and families of all backgrounds and ethnicities in rural, suburban and urban areas.
- In Pennsylvania, the Foundation is promoting workforce development in Berks County and Reading with a two-year grant to help move Latinos out of poverty through occupational training, adult basic education, employment services and case management support. Awarded to Berks Latino Workforce Development Corp. in our Met-Ed service area, the grant will bolster programs that help participants to obtain role-based training and advanced certifications. Additional support efforts include high school equivalency, soft skills, job readiness, professional development and college readiness in addition to helping bridge the gap of English as a second language.
Investing With Purpose
FirstEnergy Foundation recently completed its Investing with Purpose initiative. Funded by the FirstEnergy Foundation Investing with Purpose was developed in response to the COVID pandemic, which created health, financial and educational hardships for customers across FirstEnergy's footprint, and in response to the events of 2020 that highlighted racial and social injustices impacting our nation. With those issues in mind, the Foundation identified philanthropic opportunities through nonprofit organizations across its service territory that are responding to needs of vulnerable populations.
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The Investing with Purpose initiative represents an additional commitment on top of the company's annual charitable giving, which averages approximately $10 million per year. The Foundation presented Investing with Purpose grants to organizations that support initiatives in four key areas:
- Health & Safety – Approximately $1 million was presented to organizations that provide food and shelter, disaster relief, protective equipment, financial assistance, health screenings and other important services to underserved populations and to those active in the fight against COVID. Recipients include hospitals, youth organizations, shelters and other organizations across FirstEnergy's footprint.
- Workforce Development – To assist those impacted by job loss and to continue to foster a viable workforce in the community, approximately $993,000 was presented to organizations working to enhance job training, mentorship and opportunities for non-traditional workers. Grant recipients include organizations such as technical schools and programs, disability services, economic development agencies and job resource programs.
- Education – The Foundation granted nearly $682,000 to organizations supporting learning initiatives, including resources for parents and teachers, and to those who are working to combat the challenge of the digital divide. Recipients include schools, libraries and community education programs, among others.
- Social Justice – Approximately $448,200 was granted to social justice organizations that help advance multicultural awareness, equality and inclusion. Grants were provided to both national and local nonprofits actively assisting minority business development, LGBTQ cultural programming and other important causes, including a donation to The Tri-State Diversity Council to conduct unconscious bias training and assist formerly incarcerated individuals with training to return to the workplace in Ohio, Pennsylvania and New Jersey.
For a full list of Investing With Purpose grant recipients, visit the FirstEnergy Foundation on the company's website.
CORPORATE GIVING
Our corporate giving strategy focuses on initiatives that parallel our business interests while helping our communities and the people who live in them achieve greater success.
We are committed to building productive relationships to address areas of need in our communities. Whether directed to the United Way or local foodbanks, our corporate contributions and philanthropic outreach support organizations and projects dedicated to improving the environmental, economic, social, educational and cultural aspects of our communities.
The FirstEnergy community has long supported United Way in its efforts to improve the health and socio-economic well-being of our communities. In 2021, employee contributions and Foundation matching gifts to United Way agencies totaled more than $2.6 million. |
Our company and employees care deeply about food insecurity in our communities. Every March, our employees organize fundraising competitions and events to support local food banks and community pantries. In 2021, they raised over $338,000, including a $100,000 Foundation donation; the equivalent of nearly 2.4 million meals for food pantries in our service area. |
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The FirstEnergy Foundation's Employee Matching Gifts program supports employee contributions to qualifying educational, cultural, youth, civic and health and human services organizations. In 2021, the Foundation donated more than $230,000 to match employee contributions and expanded to include charitable contributions raised by FirstEnergy Employee Business Resource Groups (EBRGs) for qualifying charitable organizations. |
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In-kind donations are also top of mind, especially following an extreme weather event. Staging sites for FirstEnergy operations during storm response often become distribution sites for excess food and supplies at the conclusion of a storm. Food, beverages, paper products and other supplies are donated to area foodbanks, community pantries and other social service agencies to aid customers as they recover following a storm. |
EMPLOYEE VOLUNTEERISM
Our employees donate their time and talents in our communities – from volunteering at local food pantries and building affordable, energy-efficient homes to raising funds for quality health and social services organizations.
We are committed to supporting our employees' efforts through a robust Employee Volunteer Program, which includes:
- Volunteer Time Off (VTO): Our VTO policy provides employees with 16 hours of additional paid time off per calendar year to volunteer within their communities.
- Community Impact Portal: This user-friendly platform automatically sends volunteer opportunities and reminders to employees based on their geographic area; provides dashboards that track employees' volunteer hours and giving pledges; and makes it easier to find volunteer opportunities and donate to non-profit organizations of their choice.
Our company leadership is also invested in donating their time to advance the well-being of our communities. In the fall of 2020, we launched Powering our Communities with Purpose with Business Volunteers Unlimited, a nonprofit that helps connect business professionals with nonprofit organizations in northeast Ohio.
We've set a goal for 75% senior leadership participation on nonprofit boards and 25% executive team involvement on diverse or multicultural nonprofit boards by 2025.
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
We support the long-term economic health of the communities we serve through development initiatives that create jobs, support local suppliers and attract new businesses throughout our service area.
Our strategy is built on developing and maintaining relationships with economic development partners at state, regional, national and international levels. Coupled with our economic development expertise, these relationships help us to retain and attract businesses to our service territory, encourage investment in the areas we serve and provide value-added services and support to help our communities thrive.
Our Economic Development team's services include providing key economic indicator data to our regional partners and conducting local demographic research and economic impact studies. We also offer relocation services to companies considering moving to our region, promote urban revitalization and workforce development, and sponsor community readiness programs.
Additionally, the Economic Development website acts as a self-service hub, enabling our customers to access the information they need quickly, conveniently and intuitively. This feature aligns with FirstEnergy's goal to enhance customers' interactions with our digital media as part of our best-in-class customer experience.
Our Economic Development team also serves customers and communities by helping to promote business development and job growth across our service area. Building on our strong economic development track record, we strive to create $25 billion in cumulative economic impact across our service area from 2020 to 2025.
In 2022, FirstEnergy was once again recognized by Site Selection magazine as one of the nation's leading utilities in promoting economic development from 2018-2021. Through these efforts, we continue to advance economic development across our service area - helping to attract 21,820 new jobs and $5.4 billion in third-party corporate facility investment in 2021.
Building on our strong economic development track record, we strive to create $25 billion in cumulative economic impact across our service area from 2020 to 2025.
PUBLIC SAFETY
Our commitment to safety extends beyond our employees and into the communities we serve. Our Public Safety group develops and manages programs that promote safety for those who may come near FirstEnergy's power lines or equipment.
For example, our Stop.Look.Live. public safety outreach campaign teaches people to stay safe around electricity by following three simple steps to avoid dangerous accidental contact with electrical equipment:
- STOP what you're doing to consider your personal safety before working or playing around power lines or electrical equipment.
- LOOK around for potential hazards and ways you might come into contact with electrical equipment and identify a way to avoid the hazard.
- LIVE and prevent serious injury or death by taking precautions to avoid accidental contact with electrical equipment.
The multi-faceted outreach campaign combines conventional advertising, including creative radio spots and billboard messages, with digital advertising on streaming services and social media platforms. Stop.Look.Live. reflects our proactive companywide approach to safety and helps customers and community members identify and avoid potentially dangerous situations.
In addition to the advertising campaign, we have robust direct mail, email and web-based educational resource programs that target school-age kids, first responders and our most at-risk contractors, including heavy equipment operators, excavators, tree trimmers and other contractors who often work near or around energized electrical equipment. We also send bill inserts to customers containing tips on how to stay safe around downed power lines and high-voltage transmission lines, and in other potentially dangerous scenarios.
As part of our outreach efforts, we also have a fleet of Live Wire Electrical Safety trailers, which we use to hold in-person demonstrations that show community members the potential dangers that exist around energized electrical equipment. In addition, FirstEnergy employee volunteers will bring electrical safety education into grade school classrooms through our Live Wire Safety School program.
For more information, visit our public safety website.
Drone Safety Campaign
With the growing number of drones now hovering in the skies above our service territory, FirstEnergy's Public Safety group is working to increase awareness about the potential dangers of flying near energized electrical equipment. We recently launched an educational outreach campaign – featuring an array of social media ads across a variety of platforms – that targets adolescents aged 12 to 18 and their parents with tips for operating unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) safely.
The campaign, which started in July of 2022 and runs through January 2023, is divided into three waves that were strategically developed for each time of year. The campaign starts with The Drone Safety Zone video game, which offers engaging ways for kids and adults to learn general drone safety information. Toward the holidays, outreach will focus on parents by encouraging them to teach kids how to operate new drones safely. In the final phase of the campaign, we plan to provide important tips for unboxing and operating a new drone safely, along with instructions for downloading The Drone Safety Zone video game.
We also understand that accidents can happen, so the campaign will remind operators to contact FirstEnergy if their drone gets caught in power lines or crashes into a utility pole or substation. We emphasize that operators should never attempt to retrieve drones themselves and instruct them to call FirstEnergy, so we can return the drone safely to them.
We continue to develop and improve our public safety outreach efforts to help protect human life and reduce exposure to potential life-changing events for anyone who may come near FirstEnergy lines or equipment. For more information, please see our public safety website.
LIVE WIRE SAFETY TRAILERS
As part of our Stop. Look. Live public safety outreach program, we help educate and prepare first responders and other members of the community who may come near our electrical lines and equipment. To enhance this educational program, we rolled out a new fleet of Live Wire Electrical Safety trailers to show how electrical hazards are encountered and handled safely in the field.
A new fleet of trailers are available to each of our 10 operating companies and will be used in programs across our service territory. The 24-foot trailers are fitted with power lines, transformers and other electric conductors as well as metal items, such as ladders and car doors that could come in contact with energized equipment.
