MINNEAPOLIS (June 27, 2023) – Xcel Energy announced today a $10,000 grant to MAD DADS, a Minneapolis-based nonprofit that offers safe, positive youth programming and job creation, as part of the Xcel Energy Foundation’s 2023 Employee Choice Grant awards.
MAD DADS received the most votes from Xcel Energy employees in Minnesota. 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.
“We live and work in our communities, and the giving spirit of our employees continues to grow stronger every year,” said Chris Clark, president, Xcel Energy—Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota. “Community service is embedded in Xcel Energy employees’ DNA, whether powering our customers’ lives with clean, reliable energy or pitching in to help our neighbors.”
The Employee Choice Grants program expanded to Minnesota this year and now includes six states Xcel Energy serves. In 2023, the program awarded a combined $45,000 to five nonprofits, and it has now provided nearly $350,000 in grants since launching in Colorado in 2015. Funds from the program come from shareholder dollars.
MAD DADS was founded by Black men and parents who were fed up with gang violence and illegal drug distribution.
“The grant funds will be used to provide resources ranging from essential hygiene and food needs, addiction and recovery resource services that our community patrol details pass out,” said Jordan Nelson, executive director. “They will also provide summer programming which will include a sports camp ranging water days, barbecues, and one on one mentoring sessions to build relationships with youth and provide them with life skills while connecting them with career skills in technology.”
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 $1.9 million to 160 Minnesota organizations in 2022.
Grants are just one way that Xcel Energy employees give back to the communities they work and live in. In 2022, employees performed 74,000 volunteer hours and gave $3.2 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.
Lean more about other ways Xcel Energy gives back to the communities it serves.
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About Xcel Energy
Xcel Energy (NASDAQ: XEL) provides the energy that powers millions of homes and businesses across eight Western and Midwestern states. Headquartered in Minneapolis, the company is an industry leader in responsibly reducing carbon emissions and producing and delivering clean energy solutions from a variety of renewable sources at competitive prices. For more information, visit xcelenergy.com or follow us on Twitter 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. For more information, visit https://www.xcelenergy.com/community/focus_area_grants.
