Energizing Communities Through Donations, Sponsorships and Employee Volunteerism

Corporate citizenship at Enbridge
Oct 31, 2023 10:30 AM ET

Originally published in Enbridge's 2022 Sustainability Report

Energizing communities through donations, sponsorships and employee volunteerism 

Enbridge's corporate citizenship program, Enbridge Fueling Futures, supports programs that strengthen the safety, vibrancy and sustainability of our communities.

Safe communities. We support local safety initiatives and organizations that help make our communities safer places to live. Our commitment to safety—one of four Enbridge core values—is about more than our operational safety. It’s also about the safety of the communities where we live and work. Enbridge’s 2022 contribution to safe communities was $3.5 million.

Vibrant communities. Vibrant communities are places that offer opportunities for every citizen. Enbridge Fueling Futures supports activities that build potential in youth, celebrate culture and community, honor Indigenous peoples and culture and empower people to achieve their full potential. Enbridge’s 2022 contribution to vibrant communities was $11.8 million.

Sustainable communities. We support initiatives that contribute to a sustainable future by helping to improve, grow and nurture the environment. In particular, Enbridge Fueling Futures supports environmental education projects to advance the energy transition and habitat conservation and remediation. Enbridge’s 2022 contribution to sustainable communities was $1.7 million.

Enbridge Fueling Futures employee volunteering and giving. Through Enbridge Fueling Futures, we’re energizing communities through the volunteerism and generosity of our employees. Employees are empowered to contribute and strengthen our communities on behalf of Enbridge by supporting causes that are important to them. Enbridge provided $4.6 million to 2,097 organizations through employee donation matching, volunteer grants, as well as community project and leadership grants in 2022.

Enbridge Fueling Futures community impact 

  • $22M invested through our Enbridge Fueling Futures programs
  • 53,712 volunteer hours by Enbridge employees
  • 3,369 organizations supported

Featured partner: United Way 
The Enbridge Fueling Futures program directs substantial support each year to The United Way— supporting and building community resiliency. Since 2018, Enbridge has invested more than C$32.1 million in support of local United Way chapters. In 2022, 133 communities across North America benefited from:

  • 2,000+ Enbridge team members’ participation
  • 2,900 volunteer hours by Enbridge employees
  • C$4.7 million of total giving from employee, contractor and retiree donations, boosted by Enbridge’s corporate match

This year, with cost-of-living concerns affecting millions, many Enbridge teams focused on United Waysupported food security initiatives. Our team in Houston raised over $1 million for United Way, which benefits agencies like Target Hunger, a non-profit that provides direct food assistance to children, families and seniors.

Featured projects 
Here are just a few of the initiatives we supported through our Enbridge Fueling Futures grant programs.

  • Safe communities 
    Safe Community Project Zero and Safe Community Project Assist aim to save lives in Ontario communities. Safe Community Project Zero is a public education program focused on reducing residential fire and carbon monoxide related deaths to zero. Enbridge Gas contributed $250,000 to purchase combination smoke and carbon monoxide alarms, which were distributed to 50 fire departments across Ontario and into the homes where they were needed most. Safe Community Project Assist supplements existing training for volunteer and composite fire departments. In 2022, Enbridge Gas contributed an additional $250,000 for educational materials, helping 50 Ontario fire departments train personnel in life-saving techniques. 
     
  • Vibrant communities 
    At Darrell’s Dream Boundless Playground, children of all abilities can play together. The three-acre complex in Kingsport, Tennessee includes universally accessible playground equipment and surfaces, a walking trail that’s accessible for people with blindness or low vision and other fully inclusive amenities for people of all ages—all in a lakeside setting. Enbridge Fueling Futures support is helping to provide maintenance and playground equipment. 
     
  • Sustainable communities 
    Teachers and administrators see the Waubun-Ogema-White Earth School District’s outdoor learning programs as a major success, increasing student attendance, engagement and test scores. More than eight in 10 of the district’s students are Indigenous, many connected to the Minnesota community of White Earth. Building on longstanding outdoor recreation programs, the district has begun to bring other learning outside; for instance, students build math skills by measuring and charting changes in nature. An Enbridge Fueling Futures grant of $150,000 is helping to expand facilities at the outdoor learning center.

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