2021 Transformation Report: Moving to Equity - Flipbook - Page 15
Southern Company and our charitable
foundations are committing $225
million over five years to advance
racial equity and social justice in our
communities. We will be vocal and
clear about our racial equity beliefs
and align our volunteering, giving and
community investment strategies to
four key pillars we have prioritized
for impact: education equity, criminal
justice equity, economic empowerment and energy justice.
We will support organizations that
move the needle.
To maximize our impact and influence,
we will look for opportunities across our
companies and foundations for collective
giving while becoming actively involved
in non-profit organizations through
increased volunteering and board leadership. We will allocate our commitments
as follows:
» $100 million will promote education
equity through direct community investments, scholarships for underrepresented
groups and investment in HBCUs.
» $50 million will go to organizations
that address criminal justice inequities,
such as those working to lower criminalization rates, support transition and re-entry into society, create prearrest diversion
programs and reduce racial profiling.
» $50 million will support economic
empowerment through grants and investments. We will invest in communities to
build social and economic opportunities for
Black-owned businesses and individuals.
» $25 million to energy justice to
invest in supporting customers and
communities related to energy equity,
a Just Transition and environmental justice. We will invest in a Just Transition to
our Net Zero future, including job training
and economic support toward communities impacted by transition. Through
these efforts, we will strive to ensure the
benefits and impact of our business flow
equitably to all our customers.
» Mentor program with a commitment
to provide 5,000 employee mentors
within the communities we serve.
We will be more intentional in
measuring the impact of our giving.
We will be more intentional in tracking
the impacts of the organizations to which
we give, so that we are supporting groups
getting results. Across all giving, to drive
philanthropic equality, we will require all
nonprofits to provide demographics data
on who is served by their efforts.
Purpose Built Schools
Atlanta transforms
futures and communities
How do you know when you’ve
changed a life? Walk into one of
Atlanta’s Purpose Built Schools, and it’s
palpable — there is a sense of possibility
and hope and promise. However, this
success wasn’t always so easy to see.
In four formerly low-performing schools
in historically disadvantaged communities, the story is changing. Purpose Built
Schools Atlanta has been working with
Atlanta Public Schools in south Atlanta
to make these schools the heart of their
communities.
struggling with socioeconomic hardships.
They address obstacles to academic
success, whether that be food insecurity,
family instability, quality of housing or
health care.
“If we really want to be serious about
positive change, we have to think differently about how we support students,”
said Slater Elementary Principal Donya
Kemp. “We support them as people, not
just as test scores.”
Southern Company is a key partner
in changing lives and building brighter
futures for communities across our
service territory footprint. Since 1998,
Southern Company has donated $38 million through its PGA TOUR Championship
partnership to support groups like
Purpose Built Schools Atlanta, East Lake
Foundation, Grove Park Foundation and
First Tee Metro Atlanta.
Bentina Terry, Georgia Power senior vice
president of Region External Affairs and
Community Engagement, describes the
organization’s impact: “Your ZIP code
is not your destiny. What Purpose Built
Schools Atlanta really ensures is that
children have the resources they need
to be anything they aspire to be.”
Teachers, administrators and leadership
come together to offer comprehensive
support to students and families
Transformation Report
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