EAU CLAIRE, Wis. - (July 21, 2025)— Xcel Energy announced a $5,000 grant to Superior Rivers Watershed Association, a nonprofit that promotes and protects clean water resources of Wisconsin’s Lake Superior basin, as part of Xcel Energy Foundation’s 2025 Employee Choice Grant awards.
Superior Rivers Watershed Association received the most votes from Xcel Energy employees in Wisconsin and Michigan. Each year, employees nominate nonprofits for the award. A panel of employees select finalists that align with the company’s values and Foundation’s focus areas, and employees statewide then vote for a single finalist.
“Our employees don’t just power homes and businesses—they power change in the communities we serve,” said Karl Hoesly, president, Xcel Energy Wisconsin-Michigan. “The overwhelming support for Superior Rivers Watershed Association shows how our team values clean water and environmental stewardship and it’s a reflection of our shared commitment to protecting Wisconsin’s natural resources.”
From using Volunteer Paid Time Off to donating dollars during the company’s annual Power Your Purpose giving campaign, Xcel Energy employees are committed to showing up and connecting with their communities year after year. In 2025, the program awarded a combined $60,000 to six nonprofits. Since 2015, it has now provided nearly $450,000 toward the causes they care about most in the areas where they live and work.
Superior Rivers Watershed Association was established in 2002 by a group of dedicated individuals in the Chequamegon Bay area who recognized the need for a watershed council to address water quality issues and collect data on the region’s rivers.
“We are so excited to use the Xcel Energy Energizing the Future grant to continue connecting people, land and water in the Lake Superior region. These funds will help support our three-year project to remove 13 acres of invasive cattail and reseed five acres with manoomin, also known as wild rice,” says Alex Faber, executive director of Superior Rivers Watershed Association.
The Xcel Energy Foundation, the company’s charitable arm, invests in organizations within three focus areas: Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) Career Pathways, Environmental Sustainability and Community Vitality. In addition to the Employee Choice Grants, the Foundation’s Focus Area Grants awarded a total of $382,000 to 63 Wisconsin organizations in 2024.
Xcel Energy employees give back to their communities through a variety of ways. In 2024, employees performed 89,000 volunteer hours and gave $4.8 million to nonprofit organizations across eight states. Xcel Energy supports volunteerism by providing 40 hours of volunteer paid time off to full-time employees each year. The company’s Dollars for Doing program provides contributions to nonprofits where its employees regularly volunteer. Additionally, since 2010, Xcel Energy employees volunteer alongside one another during a Day of Service held in September.
Learn more about other ways Xcel Energy gives back to the communities it serves.
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About Xcel Energy
Xcel Energy (NASDAQ: XEL) is a leading energy provider, dedicated to serving millions of customers with excellence. We make energy work better for customers, helping them thrive every day. That means always raising the bar — delivering better service and providing more reliable, resilient and sustainable energy.
We are committed to leading the clean energy transition, meeting our customers’ need for more, cleaner power, while keeping bills as low as possible. Because the people we serve depend on us to power their lives.
With our Wisconsin/Michigan headquarters in Eau Claire, Wis., we work every day to generate and distribute electricity and gas to customers across northwest Wisconsin and the Upper Peninsula. For more information, visit xcelenergy.com or follow us on X, and Facebook.
About Xcel Energy Foundation
The Xcel Foundation is a 501(c)(3) organization that awards charitable grants to nonprofit organizations and sponsors the volunteer programs of Xcel Energy and its subsidiaries. The majority of Xcel Energy Foundation funding comes from Xcel Energy shareholder dollars. Learn more about the Foundation’s Focus Area Grants.