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Southern Company Gas Charitable Foundation Inc

Annual Giving
$11.0M
Grant Range
$0K - $0.0M

Southern Company Gas Charitable Foundation Inc

Quick Stats

  • Annual Giving: $11 million (2024)
  • Number of Grants: 600+ organizations (2024); 154 awards (2023)
  • Grant Range: A few hundred to a few thousand dollars
  • Geographic Focus: Georgia, Illinois, Tennessee, Virginia (primary); also Florida, New Jersey, Maryland, Texas
  • Application Method: Mail-in applications accepted on rolling basis
  • Established: 1998

Contact Details

Phone: 404-584-3094

Mailing Address: Southern Company Gas Charitable Foundation 10 Peachtree Place NE Atlanta, GA 30309

Website: scgcharitablefoundation.org (redirects to southerncompanygas.com/who-we-are/community-engagement.html)

Overview

The Southern Company Gas Charitable Foundation Inc was established in 1998 as the philanthropic arm of Southern Company Gas, a natural gas and energy services provider. In 2024, the foundation and parent company awarded over $11 million to more than 600 nonprofit organizations, positively impacting approximately 4.5 million people across their service territories in Georgia, Illinois, Tennessee, and Virginia. The foundation operates with a clear strategic focus on four priority areas: social justice, economic mobility, environmental stewardship, and community enrichment. In 2023, the foundation distributed $4,628,617 across 154 grants. The foundation's mission is to advance social justice, enable economic mobility, care for the environment, and provide community assistance, aspiring to provide equitable access to opportunities and resources needed to achieve economic success and maintain financial stability.

Funding Priorities

Strategic Priority Areas

Social Justice: Programs and organizations that promote equity, diversity, and inclusion initiatives, including minority and women leadership programs.

Economic Mobility: Workforce development programs training people for skill-based jobs, programs aiding justice-impacted individuals returning to society, and initiatives that enable financial stability.

Environmental Stewardship: Reforestation of native species, conservation of environmentally fragile areas, and partners preserving and protecting the natural world.

Community Enrichment: Senior citizen programs, arts and culture events, health and human services for those most in need, scholarships for secondary education, and wrap-around programming for K-12 students.

Specific Grant Programs

The foundation operates with a quarterly focus approach:

  • Quarter 1: Education, environmental stewardship, and diversity. Education grants target public K-12 schools, public and private colleges and universities, and technical schools, particularly toward reading, math, and science.

  • Quarter 2: Community enrichment efforts, such as senior citizen programs, minority and women leadership programs, and arts and culture events.

  • Quarter 3: Energy assistance support for low-income people who cannot afford natural gas bills.

Additional Funding Information

  • In 2024, the company's Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) worked with foundation leadership to direct $100,000 to nonprofit organizations aligned with their respective areas of focus.
  • United Way and its affiliated local chapters received approximately $700,000 in 2024.

What They Don't Fund

Specific exclusions were not documented in available sources. Nonprofits should operate within the company's service territories to be eligible.

Governance and Leadership

Serena Levy - President, Southern Company Gas Foundation; Vice President, Corporate Impact at Southern Company Gas

Serena Levy partners with organizations to provide holistic support to communities, often driving programming, making connections to resources, and volunteering to support projects and initiatives across the service footprint. She is a graduate of the Management Program at Duke University Fuqua School of Business and completed the Leadership Excellence Program from Harvard Business School. She earned a bachelor's degree in communication from the University of Cincinnati. She serves on the boards of Children's Museum of Atlanta, Foundation for Hospital Art, 48in48, and Civil Rights Tour of Atlanta.

Bryan Batson - Former President of the Foundation; Executive Vice President of External Affairs and Chief External and Public Affairs Officer of Southern Company Gas (served on the board of directors for the foundation)

Jim Kerr - Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Southern Company Gas

Application Process & Timeline

How to Apply

The foundation accepts unsolicited grant requests from nonprofits that operate within the company's service territories. Grant seekers should mail their applications to the foundation office.

Application Method: Mail-in application to the Atlanta office for Southeast region grants

Application Address: Southern Company Gas Charitable Foundation 10 Peachtree Place NE Atlanta, GA 30309

Contact for Inquiries: 404-584-3094

Applicants should contact the foundation directly for current application guidelines, required materials, and any specific application forms.

Decision Timeline

Specific decision timelines were not publicly documented. Applicants should contact the foundation directly at 404-584-3094 for information about typical processing times.

Success Rates

In 2023, the foundation made 154 grant awards totaling $4,628,617. In 2024, over 600 organizations received funding from the foundation and parent company totaling $11 million. Specific application-to-award ratios and success percentages are not publicly available.

Reapplication Policy

No specific reapplication policies or restrictions were documented in available sources. Grant seekers should contact the foundation directly for guidance on reapplication.

Application Success Factors

Based on the foundation's documented priorities and recent grant activity, successful applications should:

Align with Strategic Priorities: Clearly demonstrate how your organization's work advances one or more of the four strategic priorities: social justice, economic mobility, environmental stewardship, and community enrichment.

Operate in Service Territories: Organizations must operate within Southern Company Gas service territories (Georgia, Illinois, Tennessee, Virginia, with additional support in Florida, New Jersey, Maryland, and Houston, Texas).

Focus on Impact: The foundation emphasizes providing "equitable access to opportunities, resources, and personal and professional development tools needed to achieve economic success and maintain financial stability." Applications should clearly articulate measurable community impact.

Consider Quarterly Focus: Align your application timing with the foundation's quarterly focus areas when possible (Q1: education, environmental stewardship, diversity; Q2: community enrichment; Q3: energy assistance).

Examples of Recently Funded Work (2024):

  • Programs aiding justice-impacted individuals returning to society
  • Workforce development programs training people for skill-based jobs
  • Reforestation of native species and conservation of environmentally fragile areas
  • Scholarships for secondary education and wrap-around programming for K-12 students
  • Health and human services for those most in need
  • Senior citizen programs
  • Minority and women leadership programs
  • Arts and culture events

Volunteer Engagement: The foundation values hands-on community engagement. In 2024, more than 900 employees volunteered their time, with volunteers spending time at more than 50 events supporting nonprofits during the November-December holiday season alone.

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

  • Geographic eligibility is critical - Your organization must operate within Southern Company Gas service territories (primarily GA, IL, TN, VA).

  • Strategic alignment matters - Clearly articulate how your work advances social justice, economic mobility, environmental stewardship, or community enrichment.

  • Grant sizes are modest - Expect grants ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand dollars; this is not a major grant funder but can provide valuable supplemental support.

  • Applications are accepted year-round - The foundation accepts unsolicited applications via mail, though timing your application to align with quarterly focus areas may be strategic.

  • Contact information is essential - Call 404-584-3094 to obtain current application guidelines, required materials, and any specific forms before submitting your proposal.

  • Employee engagement is valued - The foundation partners with employee resource groups and emphasizes hands-on community involvement, suggesting they value funders they can engage with beyond just financial support.

  • United Way partnerships are significant - With approximately $700,000 awarded to United Way chapters in 2024, alignment or partnership with United Way may be advantageous.

References

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