Today, Northern Indiana Public Service Company LLC (NIPSCO) released its 2024 corporate citizenship report detailing a successful year of employee giving and volunteerism across northern Indiana. The report, available at NIPSCO.com/givesback, highlights how NIPSCO, together with the NiSource Charitable Foundation, donated over $2.4 million to local non-profits and community organizations in 2024. In addition, approximately 550 NIPSCO employees volunteered nearly 4,500 service hours to 97 local organizations over the course of the year.
NIPSCO’s parent company, NiSource Inc., established the NiSource Charitable Foundation with a mission to help create strong and sustainable communities where employees and customers live and work. The Foundation provides funding and encourages employee volunteerism to support non-profit organizations.
Through a combination of Foundation support, employee giving and corporate funds, NIPSCO provided focused grants and targeted donations to local charitable organizations. Through these efforts, NIPSCO continues to support the creation of strong and sustainable communities everywhere it serves customers/
“NIPSCO’s commitment to supporting local communities is reflected in our continued efforts in the areas of environmental stewardship, youth empowerment and community well-being,” said Vince Parisi, NIPSCO President and Chief Operating Officer. “Through partnerships with organizations dedicated to ecological restoration, we contributed to revitalizing natural habitats, improving water quality and fostering healthier ecosystems. Additionally, we invested in programs that uplift individuals and neighborhoods by supporting youth initiatives, sponsoring community projects and driving employee-led fundraising efforts.”
Donations and grants are contributions from NIPSCO, its shareholders, the NiSource Charitable Foundation and direct employee contributions. Customer energy rates are not utilized for donations or grants.
Below are a few of NIPSCO’s successful giving programs in 2024.
Employee Giving Programs
In September, NIPSCO held its 14th annual Charity of Choice campaign, a month-long employee-driven volunteerism effort. In 2024, more than 300 employees rolled up their sleeves and volunteered at 33 local nonprofit organizations across northern Indiana, dedicating approximately 1,300 hours of service. A variety of volunteer tasks were performed to impact local organizations including the Food Bank of Northwest Indiana, Little River Wetlands, White County United Way and Boys & Girls Clubs of La Porte County, to name a few.
December marked NIPSCO’s 12th annual Hope for the Holidays campaign, which combines company and employee donations to spread hope and kindness to those in need throughout NIPSCO’s service area. In 2024, with generous grant support from the NiSource Charitable Foundation, NIPSCO proudly donated $110,000 to 21 organizations. Additionally, employees contributed more than 650 toys to be distributed to seven local Toys for Tots chapters.
Targeted Grants
For the past nine years, NIPSCO’s Environmental Action Grant has helped more than 143 environmental restoration and education projects come to fruition across northern Indiana. The 21 projects funded in 2024 by NIPSCO and the NiSource Charitable Foundation supported projects focused on native habitat restoration, wildlife research, youth nature programming, pollinator projects, water quality monitoring, rain scaping education and woods worker safety training. Many funded projects and programs included community engagement components, encouraging residents to give back and experience nature through stewardship and fellowship.
Some of the supported organizations included:
- DeKalb County Soil and Water Conservation District
- Indiana Dunes Environmental Learning Center
- Monarch Joint Venture
- The Nature Conservancy in Indiana
- The Outlet Youth Center
In its seventh year, NIPSCO’s Public Safety Education and Training Action Grant has funded a total of 110 projects geared toward community and youth public safety education projects, as well as training for first responders, police and fire departments. Some of these included lithium-ion battery response training, carbon monoxide training and CPR and AED training. In 2024, 16 northern Indiana organizations were awarded funding to further their public safety initiatives.
Some of the supported organizations included:
- American National Red Cross
- Boys & Girls Club of Greater NWI
- Delphi Police Department
- Lagrange Firefighters
New in 2024, NIPSCO, in partnership with the NiSource Charitable Foundation, was proud to launch the Bridging Our Energy Grant, supporting two northern Indiana non-profit organizations to help fund strategic initiatives focused on diversity, equity, inclusion (DEI) and economic inclusion programs. Purdue University Northwest was named a recipient for a diversity outreach and engagement program for its Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. The program supports Dr. Arash Asrari’s focus on power system resilience, smart grids and renewable energy. The Boys & Girls Club of Northern Indiana Corridor was also a grant recipient for its emotional well-being service program expansion to serve children in White, Pulaski, Fulton and Cass counties.
Catalyst Projects
In 2024, NIPSCO and the NiSource Charitable Foundation provided funding to organizations focused on making positive contributions to communities in NIPSCO’s service area. Some of these projects included developing a rural poverty initiative, the creation of a youth-centered space for a range of support programs and renovations at a domestic violence shelter, to name a few.
To view the report, and learn more about NIPSCO’s tradition of charitable giving, visit NIPSCO.com/givesback.
