Today, NIPSCO released its 2023 Corporate Citizenship Report, highlighting a successful year of employee giving and volunteerism across northern Indiana. The report, available at NIPSCO.com/GivesBack, highlights how NIPSCO and the NiSource Charitable Foundation donated over $2.4 million to more than 250 non-profit organizations. In addition, NIPSCO employees volunteered more than 2,700 service hours to local organizations.
The NiSource Charitable Foundation was established by NIPSCO’s parent company NiSource. The foundation’s goal is to create strong and sustainable communities where customers and employees live and work. The foundation provides funding and encourages employee volunteerism to support national non-profit organizations.
In 2023, focused grants and donations to local charitable organizations were centered on areas of identified need, including Basic Needs and Hardship Assistance, Economic and Workforce Development, Environmental Stewardship, Public Safety and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) Energy Education and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion initiatives.
Donations and grants are contributions from NIPSCO, its shareholders, the NiSource Charitable Foundation and direct employee contributions. Customer energy rates are not used for donations or grants.
“At NIPSCO, serving our communities is at the forefront of everything we do,” said Mike Hooper, NIPSCO president. “Our employees care about our communities and donate their time and resources to deserving organizations and causes. One of my favorite annual events is joining more than 100 walkers on the NIPSCO team at the American Heart Association’s Heart Walk because these causes matter to us. I’m proud of our team members who continuously contribute to making a positive difference year after year.”
Below are a few of NIPSCO’s successful giving programs in 2023.
Employee Giving Programs
NIPSCO employees volunteered service hours to organizations across northern Indiana in September 2023. This volunteerism is part of NIPSCO’s Charity of Choice program, a company-wide effort focused on giving back to non-profit organizations. Last year, NIPSCO employees volunteered 800 service hours during the Charity of Choice program to local organizations such as the Boys & Girls Club of Fort Wayne, Challenger Learning Center of Northwest Indiana, Humane Indiana and Food Bank of Northwest Indiana, Inc.
During the holiday season, NIPSCO hosts its annual Hope for the Holidays Campaign, where employees and NIPSCO’s shareholders donate their time and resources to families and organizations in need. In its 11th year, more than $150,000 was donated to organizations throughout northern Indiana such as Blessings in a Backpack of Fort Wayne, Make a Kid Smile of Northwest Indiana and the Salvation Army of Northwest Indiana. In addition, NIPSCO ran an employee-driven toy drive and donated more than 1,000 toys to eight Toys for Tots organizations across the NIPSCO service area.
Targeted Grants
For the past eight years, NIPSCO has helped fund environmental projects and programs through its Environmental Action Grant. To date, NIPSCO has helped 124 projects come to fruition across northern Indiana. The 15 projects funded in 2023 by the NiSource Charitable Foundation provided funds to projects focused on Monarch butterflies, habitat restoration, youth outdoor nature education and sustainability programming. Many funded projects and programs included a significant volunteer and community engagement component, encouraging community members to give back through environmental stewardship projects.
In its sixth year, NIPSCO’s Public Safety Education and Training Action Grant provided funding to 16 local nonprofit organizations and first responders with their public safety education and training across northern Indiana. Some of the projects included distribution of carbon monoxide detectors to residents, carbon monoxide educational training and lithium-ion battery response training.
Catalyst Projects
In 2023, NIPSCO and the NiSource Charitable Foundation provided funding for projects focused on creating strong and sustainable communities in northern Indiana. Some of these projects included developing handicap-accessible mobile resource centers, building a soup kitchen and supporting educational camps.
Impactful Partnerships with the NiSource Charitable Foundation:
Last year, NIPSCO and the NiSource Charitable Foundation partnered with several organizations across northern Indiana to support their short-term projects and provide multi-year funding for innovative programs and projects that are experimental in nature. This partnership allows organizations to have the bandwidth to create, test and measure the success of their program or project, building a business case toward sustainable funding. Some of the projects and programs include building a home for a family in need, supporting STEM education through a summer camp and developing activities for youth mentor programming immersed in nature.
To view the report and learn more about NIPSCO’s tradition of charitable giving, visit NIPSCO.COM/GivesBack.
