Southern Company Gas and Its Charitable Foundation Award $11 Million to Nonprofits in 2024

The gifts support local efforts to make a positive impact in communities across Georgia, Illinois, Tennessee and Virginia

Southern Company

ATLANTA, GA / ACCESS Newswire / January 31, 2025 / Southern Company Gas and its philanthropic arm, the Southern Company Gas Foundation, awarded more than $11 million in financial gifts last year to over 600 nonprofit organizations in communities across the company's service territory.

Collectively these gifts positively impacted approximately 4.5 million people across Georgia, Illinois, Tennessee and Virginia. Donations and grants were awarded to nonprofits that aligned with the foundation's four strategic priorities: social justice, economic mobility, environmental stewardship and community enrichment.

"Investing in progress and opportunities to positively transform and grow communities is central to our company," said James Y. (Jim) Kerr II, Southern Company Gas chairman, president and chief executive officer. "We are intentionally focused on initiatives that fuel possibilities and advance opportunity for the betterment of those we serve. That's why our company and foundation have directed more than $50 million in giving to communities throughout our service areas since 2020."

Southern Company Gas, its family of local distribution companies - Atlanta Gas Light, Chattanooga Gas, Nicor Gas and Virginia Natural Gas - its marketing business Georgia Natural Gas, its charitable foundation and its employees have collaborated with community partners to address local challenges through charitable giving and transformative volunteer experiences for more than 160 years and counting.

"We seek to be citizens where we live, work and serve. While meaningful financial contributions are key to supporting community efforts, our engagement stems beyond to include the time and talent of our people. We partner with organizations to provide holistic support to our communities, often driving programming, making connections to resources and volunteering to support projects and initiatives across our service footprint," said Serena Levy, Southern Company Gas Foundation president and Southern Company Gas vice president of corporate impact.

Major gifts included donations that aided justice-impacted individuals successfully returning to society; supported workforce development programs training people to work in needed, skill-based jobs; grew reforestation of native species and conserved environmentally fragile areas; funded scholarships for secondary education and wrap-around programming for K-12 students; and supported health and human services for those most in need.