Duke Energy Foundation awards 11 grants

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The Duke Energy Foundation has awarded nearly $300,000 in grants to 11 South Carolina organizations that impact communities served by Duke Energy through nonprofit capacity-building efforts, expanding access to arts and culture, and other strategic community initiatives.

“Nonprofit organizations are often the first line of defense in communities across our state,” said Kodwo Ghartey-Tagoe, South Carolina state president for Duke Energy, in a news release. “These organizations must have well-trained professionals leading those efforts. That is why we support capacity-building initiatives that strengthen the nonprofit community and help nonprofits fulfill their missions.”

The Duke Energy Foundation also awarded funds to organizations that help enhance community vitality through programs and initiatives that impact communities in a number of ways, including through arts education, youth leadership programs and emergency response training, the release said.

The grant recipients include:

Chapman Cultural Center: To provide arts education to all Spartanburg County schools, to include 25 Title 1 schools.

Chester County Historical Society: To offer hands-on history education to 3rd and 8th grade students and translate that into creative works of art and literature.

City of Sumter: To provide access to the arts through 10 productions as part of the Youth Education Scholarship (Y.E.S.) Program at the Sumter Opera House.

Greenwood Community Theatre: To support community youth outreach through the arts and fund The Penguin Project for children with special needs.

Greenville Symphony: The Duke Energy EdReach Program introduces youngsters to simple music theory and the instruments and musicians that comprise a symphony orchestra.

Peace Center for the Performing Arts: To provide access to the arts for nearly 26,000 students through the Peace Passport Field Trip Series.

American Red Cross: To recruit and train volunteers across the state for many roles in disaster response efforts.

Urban League of the Upstate: To support leadership development after-school programs for high school students in Greenville and Spartanburg counties.

The Foundation annually funds more than $33 million to communities throughout Duke Energy’s seven-state service area. In 2017, the company donated more than $2 million to nonprofit organizations in South Carolina, according to the release.