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Dominion Energy Charitable Foundation

Annual Giving
$19.5M
Grant Range
$1K - $0.0M
Decision Time
4mo

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Dominion Energy Charitable Foundation

Quick Stats

  • Annual Giving: $19.5 million (2023); $16.5 million (2024 from Foundation and employee giving)
  • Success Rate: Competitive - receives funding requests far exceeding budget
  • Decision Time: 3-4 months per cycle
  • Grant Range: $1,000 - $15,000 (most grants); up to $1 million for exceptional fits
  • Geographic Focus: Virginia, South Carolina, Connecticut, Northeast North Carolina, parts of West Virginia and Rhode Island

Contact Details

Address: 701 East Cary Street, 20th Floor, Richmond, VA 23219

Phone: 804-771-6745

Application Website: DominionEnergy.com/foundation

Media Contact: Cherise Newsome, Cherise.M.Newsome@DominionEnergy.com

Virtual Office Hours: Offered during each grant cycle to answer questions about the application process and Benevity platform

Overview

The Dominion Energy Charitable Foundation was established in 1985 and reincorporated in Virginia in 2015. Based in Richmond, VA (EIN: 47-2746460), the foundation operates as a private grantmaking foundation supporting nonprofit organizations in communities where Dominion Energy provides utility services. In 2023, the foundation distributed $19,525,146 across 1,198 grants, with a median grant of $5,000. The foundation's overriding purpose is to "fund the future" through social, educational, and environmental grants. In 2024, Dominion Energy invested $46.3 million in community causes, including $16.5 million from the Foundation and employee giving programs. Following Enbridge's 2024 acquisition of certain Dominion operations, the foundation no longer makes grants in Ohio, Utah, Wyoming, Idaho, or North Carolina gas service areas, but continues funding in northeastern North Carolina where Dominion remains the electric service provider.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

Biannual Grant Cycles: Two grant cycles annually with online applications

  • Spring Cycle: Applications due February 20 at 5 PM ET; decisions announced in May
  • Fall Cycle: Applications due September 15 at 5 PM ET; decisions announced in November
  • Typical Awards: $1,000 - $15,000 per grant
  • Exceptional Awards: Higher amounts (up to $1 million documented) for programs demonstrating exceptional fit with foundation priorities

Priority Areas

The foundation focuses on four main areas:

  1. Human Needs: Programs supporting increased food security, housing and shelter, and access to medical and mental health services

    • Example funded projects: Children's Hospital of The King's Daughters Pediatric Mental Health Program (Norfolk, VA); Rx Partnership medication access expansion (Richmond, VA); ForKids Regional Housing support (Chesapeake, VA); Midlands Housing Alliance Transitions Actively Aging Program for homeless seniors 62+ (Columbia, SC)

  2. Environmental Stewardship: Programs protecting natural resources and promoting efficient energy use

    • Example funded projects: Ducks Unlimited's Lowcountry Program for coastal wetlands protection (South Carolina)

  3. Education: Programs developing future workforce capacity, especially in STEM and energy fields

  4. Community Vitality: Programs fostering diversity appreciation, neighborhood revitalization, and cultural endeavors

Foundation Preferences:

  • Specific, short-term projects with measurable results
  • Innovative and promising ideas with clear objectives
  • Careful planning demonstrating strong likelihood of success
  • Sustainability plans for project continuation
  • Plans to evaluate and share results
  • Cost-sharing or volunteer engagement demonstrating efficiency
  • Local impact benefiting communities within Dominion's utility service area
  • Clear, focused projects with measurable outputs (number of people served, habitat acres restored)

What They Don't Fund

Generally Not Funded:

  • University research projects or endowed chairs
  • Scholarships (separate Educational Equity Scholarship program exists)
  • Capital campaigns (limited support on exceptional basis only)
  • Memorial campaigns
  • Endowments
  • Religious or advocacy organizations
  • Organizations limiting membership/services based on race, religion, color, creed, sex, age, or national origin

Geographic Exclusions:

  • Organizations outside Dominion Energy's utility service areas
  • No longer funding: Ohio, Utah, Wyoming, Idaho, or North Carolina gas service areas (post-2024)

Governance and Leadership

President: Hunter An Applewhite

Executive Director: Kelly Thomasson (joined 2022 after career in state and federal government, including two terms as Secretary of the Commonwealth of Virginia)

Assistant Treasurer: Jonathan Evans

Secretary: Paulin Cheatham

Board Members: Carlos M. Brown, Carter M. Reid, Corynne S. Arnett, Daniel G. Stoddard, Diane Leopold, Edward H. Baine, P. Rodney Blevins, Steven D. Ridge, W. Keller Kissam, William L. Murray

The board includes senior Dominion Energy executives with expertise in operations, power generation, and corporate leadership, reflecting the foundation's connection to the parent company's strategic priorities.

Application Process & Timeline

How to Apply

Platform Requirement: All applications must be submitted through the Benevity platform. Organizations must:

  1. Create or maintain a completed cause profile with Benevity
  2. Ensure Self-Certification Declaration is completed and current (renew if expired)
  3. Complete these steps before starting the grant application - applications cannot be submitted without them

Application Method: Online only at DominionEnergy.com/foundation during open grant cycles

Eligibility Requirements:

  • 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status under IRS code
  • Located within geographic areas where Dominion Energy provides electricity or natural gas service, or has significant facilities or business interests
  • Serving populations within Dominion's service territory

Decision Timeline

Spring Cycle:

  • Application window opens: January
  • Virtual office hours: January and February
  • Deadline: February 20 at 5 PM ET
  • Decisions announced: May
  • Funds disbursed: Within two weeks of award decision (via Benevity starting 2026)

Fall Cycle:

  • Application window opens: August
  • Virtual office hours: August and September
  • Deadline: September 15 at 5 PM ET
  • Decisions announced: November
  • Funds disbursed: Within two weeks of award decision (via Benevity starting 2026)

Recent Grant Awards (2025):

  • Spring 2025: $10 million to 352 organizations across 6 states (190 in Virginia)
  • Fall 2025: $3.5 million to 388 organizations (208 in Virginia receiving $2.3 million; ~130 in South Carolina receiving $900,000)

Success Rates

While specific success rate percentages are not publicly disclosed, the foundation acknowledges: "We often receive funding requests far in excess of our Foundation budget. Regrettably we must often decline support for otherwise worthy proposals." However, they note that "such a response does not reflect on Dominion Energy's view of the value of the organization or its services."

Grant Volume: The foundation awarded 1,198 grants in 2023, 1,206 in 2022, 1,328 in 2021, and 1,252 in 2020, demonstrating consistent support for over 1,000 organizations annually.

Reapplication Policy

The foundation operates two grant cycles per year, providing multiple opportunities for organizations to apply. No explicit waiting period for unsuccessful applicants was found in available documentation. Organizations are encouraged to attend virtual office hours to strengthen future applications.

Application Success Factors

Foundation Guidance on Strong Applications:

The foundation explicitly states that successful proposals should:

  • "Focus on specific, short term project(s) that promise measurable results to improve the environment and/or provide meaningful educational opportunities"
  • "Represent innovative and promising ideas to meet stated objectives"
  • "Demonstrate careful planning and strong likelihood of success, including plans to sustain the project"
  • "Include plans to evaluate and share results on effectiveness of the program"

Additional Success Factors:

  • Measurable Outputs: Include specific metrics (number of people served, habitat acres restored, students reached)
  • Local Impact: Emphasize how the project benefits communities within Dominion's utility service area
  • Community Investment: Demonstrate cost-sharing, volunteer engagement, or other indicators of efficiency and community buy-in
  • Alignment with Focus Areas: Clearly connect your project to one of the four priority areas (human needs, environmental stewardship, education, community vitality)
  • Project-Based: The foundation's "primary interest is to support programs and specific projects" rather than general operating support or capital campaigns

Technical Preparation:

  • Ensure Benevity cause profile is complete and up-to-date well before application deadlines
  • Attend virtual office hours during the application window for clarification on process and platform
  • Submit Help tickets through the foundation website for technical assistance
  • Register for electronic funds transfer in Benevity profile to ensure timely grant disbursement

Strategic Considerations:

  • Competition is high relative to available funding - applications must demonstrate exceptional value and alignment
  • The foundation funded 352-388 organizations per cycle in 2025, suggesting selectivity but also breadth of support
  • Recent funded projects show preference for direct service delivery (housing, healthcare access, food security) and measurable environmental outcomes
  • Higher grant amounts ($50,000+) appear reserved for programs demonstrating "exceptional fit" with foundation priorities

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

  • Know Your Geography: Confirm your organization serves populations within Dominion Energy's utility service territory (Virginia, South Carolina, Connecticut, Northeast NC, specific WV and RI counties). Geographic eligibility is a hard requirement.

  • Complete Benevity Registration Early: The foundation requires a completed Benevity cause profile with current Self-Certification Declaration before you can apply. Technical issues with this platform could prevent submission, so register well in advance.

  • Focus on Measurable, Time-Bound Projects: The foundation explicitly favors "specific, short term project(s) that promise measurable results" over general operating support, capital campaigns, or ongoing programs without defined outcomes.

  • Leverage Virtual Office Hours: The foundation offers virtual office hours during each grant cycle specifically to help applicants understand the process. Use this resource to strengthen your application and clarify eligibility questions.

  • Budget Realistically for $1,000-$15,000: While exceptional grants reach higher amounts, most awards fall in this range. Don't request $50,000 unless your project truly demonstrates "exceptional fit" with multiple foundation priorities.

  • Demonstrate Community Investment: Applications showing cost-sharing, volunteer engagement, or other forms of community buy-in signal efficiency and sustainability - both valued by the foundation.

  • Two Chances Per Year: With spring and fall cycles, you have multiple opportunities to apply. If declined, consider attending office hours to understand how to strengthen a future application, as no reapplication waiting period appears to exist.

References

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