Dominion commits $5M to social justice nonprofits, businesses

As protests over the killing of George Floyd by a police officer in Minneapolis have spread into a nationwide movement against systemic racism and injustice, the Dominion Energy Charitable Foundation announced Thursday that it will donate $5 million to nonprofits and minority-owned and small businesses within Dominion Energy Inc.’s 20-state footprint.

Of the $5 million commitment, $4 million will go to community nonprofits that advocate for social justice and equality and $1 million will go to minority-owned and small businesses that have been disrupted by protests.

“At Dominion Energy, we have a saying that ‘Actions speak louder,’” Dominion President and CEO Thomas F. Farrell II said in a statement.  “We share the anger of our communities at the unjustified deaths of Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery and George Floyd. Our communities are grieving. Words can evoke empathy, compassion and understanding, but actions truly speak louder. So we are investing in recovery and reconciliation, and in the vital work of overcoming years of debilitating actions, attitudes and abuses of authority that have traumatized our country.” 

There is not yet a breakdown on how the funding will be split among the 20 states that Dominion serves, company spokesperson Bonita B. Harris says, but eligible nonprofit organizations may begin submitting requests Thursday via an online application.

“​The grants will be decided and distributed over the next 24 months,” Harris says. “We anticipate that the first grants will be made during Q3 2020.”

Additional resources will be made available through the Richmond-based energy company’s foundation, which has a matching gifts program in place. The program matches dollar-for-dollar donations made to qualifying nonprofit organizations by Dominion employees.

With more than $100 billion in assets, Dominion Energy serves more than 7 million customers across 20 states. The Dominion Energy Charitable Foundation distributed more than $48 million in 2019 to community causes.

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