CAMDEN N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The American Water Charitable Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization created by American Water, the nation’s largest publicly traded water and wastewater utility company, today announced the recipients of the 2020 Keep Communities Flowing Grant Program awards. Twelve projects in eight states will be supported by grants totaling $153,377.
“The American Water Charitable Foundation is proud to support communities served by American Water to directly enhance local environmental and sustainability efforts through the Foundation’s Keep Communities Flowing Grant Program,” said Carrie Williams, president of the American Water Charitable Foundation. “Through the Program, we fund high impact projects and initiatives that further American Water’s ongoing commitment to being a good neighbor and steward of the environment.”
The Keep Communities Flowing Grant Program was developed in 2019 by the American Water Charitable Foundation to support communities served by American Water with community-focused projects that directly improve the quality of life for residents and the surrounding ecosystems. The Program provides grants up to $20,000 to support 501(c)(3) organizations, programs and projects that connected to one or more of American Water’s core focus areas of Water and the Environment, Water and Healthy Living, Environmental Education, and Community Sustainability. During the last two years, the Keep Communities Flowing Grant Program has funded twenty-three projects totaling more than $300,000 throughout American Water’s footprint to enhance and support a broad range of community-led environmental efforts.
The 2020 grant recipients, which are located throughout American Water’s service areas across the nation, include the following:
- Boys & Girls Clubs of Union County, Union, NJ received $14,970 to educate and engage youth through a robust Water & Environment Program learning module within their current STEM Program.
- Friends of New River Gorge National River, Glen Jean, WV received $11,900 for a youth-focused water and soil testing program for students to study, learn and connect with the watershed they live in at New Gorge National River.
- Friends of the Occoquan, Woodbridge, VA received $7,500 to construct several raised garden beds, host rain barrel workshops and create a bilingual Public Service Announcement highlighting the local litter problem along the Occoquan River.
- Fund for the Water Works, Philadelphia, PA received $9,900 to expand access to Understanding the Urban Watershed cross-disciplinary curriculum to twelve new cohort schools through the City of Philadelphia’s school district.
- HeartLands Conservancy, Belleville, IL received $10,000 to convert a seven-acre turf field into a natural habitat featuring an interactive demonstration about the drinking water cycle in the Village of Swansea’s Conservation Park.
- James River Association, Richmond, VA received $7,500 to support their partnership with Hopewell City Public Schools by launching the Meaningful Watershed Educational Experience curriculum aimed at engaging and educating students.
- MEarth, Carmel, CA received $18,925 to develop a self-guided tour and interactive signage for educational purposes at Hilton Bialek Habitat in Monterey County.
- Mon/Yough Trail Council, McKeesport, PA received $19,200 to purchase a hydration station for installation on a major trailhead located along an 11-mile portion of the Great Allegheny Passage.
- Nahant Marsh Education Center, Davenport, IA received $15,000 to convert a 39-acre farm into wetlands and prairie to improve floodwater storage capacity for wildlife habitat adjacent to the Mississippi River.
- Operation Endangered Species, Pontiac, IL received $10,000 for a student-built education pavilion with a water conservation focus for students to conduct research and present findings in Peoria, Illinois.
- The Conservation Foundation, Naperville, IL received $10,000 to repair and rebuild a well that irrigates an organic farm and to provide weekly shares of food to 10 families in the surrounding area.
- Whitwell Elementary School, Whitwell, TN received $18,482 in funding to construct an outdoor classroom for the elementary school that will also be open to the community on nights and weekends.
Grantees for this program required a local American Water sponsor and were selected based on criteria including clarity of project goals and projected impact, innovation and strength of project, and evidence of community and volunteer engagement. For more information about the Keep Communities Flowing Grant Program, contact the American Water Charitable Foundation at awcf@amwater.com. The application process for the next round of grant funding will be announced February 2021.
About American Water
With a history dating back to 1886, American Water is the largest and most geographically diverse U.S. publicly traded water and wastewater utility company. The company employs more than 6,800 dedicated professionals who provide regulated and market-based drinking water, wastewater and other related services to 15 million people in 46 states. American Water provides safe, clean, affordable and reliable water services to our customers to make sure we keep their lives flowing. For more information, visit amwater.com and follow American Water on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.
About the American Water Charitable Foundation
The American Water Charitable Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that provides a formal way to demonstrate the company’s ongoing commitment to being a good neighbor, citizen, and contributor to the communities where American Water and its employees live, work and operate. The Foundation helps support American Water employee-identified nonprofit endeavors.
