Our company’s success is tied to the vitality of the communities we serve, and our community investments reflect and support our business strategy. We take an active role in building and supporting communities – identifying opportunities that will have a lasting impact and thoughtfully committing our resources and our time to them.
Even in difficult economic times, we remain committed to the overall well-being of the communities served by Progress Energy. We continue to make community investments, and the funds available to invest in nonprofits will vary based upon the overall health of the economy and our business.
Energy Neighbor Fund
Many of our customers are struggling during these tough economic times. In response to that need, the Progress Energy Foundation announced it will double its annual contribution to the Energy Neighbor Fund from $500,000 to $1 million in 2009.
Our Energy Neighbor Fund provides assistance to customers who have difficulty paying energy costs. The fund receives contributions from employees, customers and community organizations, as well as the Foundation. Since the program was established in 1982, the Energy Neighbor Fund has provided more than $30 million to families in need within our service territories.
Key focus areas: The four Es Progress Energy invested more than $11 million in 2008 in programs that align with the company’s strategic plan in four targeted areas: education, environment, economic development and employee involvement.
Education
We invest in K-12 school systems or education foundations in the areas of math and science, with an emphasis on energy and environmental education, or to institutions of higher education to support workforce development.
Some of the organizations we partnered with in 2008 are:
Education Foundations – Progress Energy supports K-12 education through grants to education foundations throughout its service territory. Grants focus on teaching students the basics of energy and the complex issues the energy industry currently faces. In addition, students learn about career opportunities in the utility industry.
Community Colleges – Progress Energy provides grants to several community colleges throughout our service areas to increase the pipeline of future technicians and professionals.
Carolinas
Kenan Fellows – This grant funds one Progress Energy Kenan Fellow who will produce a comprehensive curriculum to help students understand the challenges and benefits of alternative fuels and the technologies that support cleaner, more energy-efficient solutions for a growing population.
DonorsChoose – Funding provides resources for teachers in North Carolina and South Carolina classrooms to educate their students about energy conservation, alternative energy and sustainability.
North Carolina State University (NCSU) – Progress Energy provides funding for the school’s College of Engineering to support workforce development.
Power Careers – Progress Energy provides funding to the N.C. Community College Foundation in support of the Power Careers Program, which provides extensive on-the-job training and cross training for future workers at community colleges across the state.
Florida
Science Center of Pinellas County – The “Progress Energy at the Center” project is a cooperative effort to provide energy education and information to third-, fourth- and fifth-grade students in Pinellas County, Fla. Through a grant from the Progress Energy Foundation, an energy education classroom was created and a specialized energy curriculum was developed. During the fall 2008 semester, more than 1,700 students from 28 elementary schools learned about electricity generation and distribution, energy efficiency and alternative and renewable energy sources through hands-on workshops at the center.
Orlando Science Center – Funding from the Progress Energy Foundation was granted to the Orlando Science Center for H2NOW – The Hydrogen X-Change Project. The exhibit, which opened in the fall of 2008, uses a theme of “community of the future,” in which hydrogen is used for electric power, to educate K-12 students and their families about hydrogen as a form of alternative energy.
University of Central Florida (UCF) – The Progress Energy Leadership and Management Institute provides students hands-on learning opportunities, preparing them to enter the workforce as leaders. Progress Energy also supports the Progress Energy Design Team Challenge, which provides funding to senior engineering students to develop unique approaches to reducing dependence on fossil fuels either through energy conservation or identification and development of alternative fuels.
University of South Florida (USF) – Progress Energy is a founding supporter of USF’s Power Center for Utility Explorations. Goals of the program include providing power engineering education and research to address current industry issues and future grid design management.
Environment We support programs and organizations that are advancing the development of renewable energy technologies and finding innovative solutions to protect and improve the environment.
University of Florida (UF) Water Institute – The University of Florida Water Institute was created through a partnership with Progress Energy to develop sound, science-based solutions to global water problems. In February 2008, the institute hosted its inaugural symposium, which brought more than 450 experts from a variety of institutional affiliations, disciplines and personal interests together to discuss challenges to sustainable water resources in Florida and beyond. Additionally, it hosted a variety of workshops, seminars and expert panels.
Institute for Environment at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC) – Progress Energy’s founding support for the UNC Sustainable Energy, Environment and Economic Development (SEEED) program has created a vibrant group of UNC faculty and students focused on the interrelation of energy, economic vitality and sustainability. The 2008 grant to UNC will create an outreach program to educate K-12 teachers and the public in 10 North Carolina counties on the fundamentals of energy and emerging technologies related to alternative energy sources.
Advanced Transportation Energy Center (ATEC) – Progress Energy is a key partner in ATEC, a public/private collaborative research partnership seeking to advance the widespread societal use of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs).
Economic vitality We invest in economic development to grow the economies of our service area in a sustainable way, through job creation and economic partnerships. We also make grants to support major arts and cultural initiatives that enrich the quality of life in Progress Energy’s headquarter cities, Raleigh, N.C., and St. Petersburg, Fla.
Employee involvement Each year, Progress Energy invests in organizations that are important to our employees.
Employee Giving Campaign – Employee giving is integral to the culture at Progress Energy. During the annual Employee Giving Campaign in 2008, employees pledged more than $2 million directly to organizations and nonprofits in their local communities. The Progress Energy Foundation provided an additional $1 million in matching funds.
Volunteer Program – Another way Progress Energy invests in the community is by encouraging employees to volunteer in their communities. This year, nearly 3,000 employees volunteered more than 24,000 hours.
In addition, Progress Energy employees completed 182 community service projects in the Carolinas and Florida in the summer of 2008, as part of Progress Energy’s 100th anniversary celebration. This nearly doubled the company’s goal of 100 projects. All told, employees volunteered nearly 10,000 hours serving local communities during the 100-day initiative.
Key focus areas: The four Es