We aspire to break the cycle of poverty and contribute to a society that is healthy, educated and productive. We strive to achieve our social aspiration by providing assistance to our low-income customers, enhancing the quality of life in the communities we serve and building a strong, diverse work force.
In 2008, we implemented a community leadership survey to assess our performance related to social responsibility compared to other companies in the communities we serve. The survey confirmed that Entergy is perceived very positively as a good corporate citizen in its communities. It also highlighted opportunities for improvement in the areas of volunteerism, environmental contributions and building public awareness of our Low-Income Initiative.
In this section of our sustainability report, we present our Low-Income Initiative, corporate giving and work force initiatives, including the actions we have identified and begun to implement to address the highlighted opportunities for improvement.
Providing Assistance to Our Low-Income Customers
Approximately 25 percent of our 2.7 million utility customers fall below the poverty level. We created our Low-Income Initiative in 1999 to address this reality. Today, as a result of the economic crisis and with a growing number of new at-risk Entergy customers who need assistance, the needs are greater than ever.
Our commitment to our low-income customers takes many forms – from improving the flow of assistance funds and helping customers better manage energy use, to funding education, job training and programs that help low-income families build assets and move toward self-sufficiency. In 2008, we reached out to 30,000 targeted customers by phone or mail to build awareness and utilization of low-income programs such as bill payment assistance, Earned Income Tax Credit filing assistance and economic stimulus benefits.
Improving the Flow of Funds
Entergy continued to advocate for increased funding for the federal Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program and more equitable distribution of those funds to Entergy states. Representatives from Entergy participated in LIHEAP Action Day events in Washington, D.C., and in the states we serve. The effort helped win Congressional approval of $5.1 billion in funding for LIHEAP in 2009. Entergy states were awarded $313 million, an all-time record for funding in our states.
Entergy, its employees and customers raised more than $2.3 million in local bill payment assistance funds in 2008. One hundred percent of the funds raised go to customers who need help to pay their utility bills. In total, more than 75,000 customer bills were paid through third-party sources in 2008, totaling more than $18.9 million – an increase of $500,000 over 2007 bill payments. Going forward, we have the potential to provide bill payment assistance to more than 13,000 customers of Entergy Texas, Inc. as a result of achieving approval from the Public Utility Commission of Texas for a $2 million Public Benefit fund as part of the Entergy Texas rate case settlement.
In 2008 we also implemented a unified branding strategy for customer assistance fundraising efforts. With The Power to Care as the systemwide name and image for this program, we will be better able to raise funds online, reduce printing and marketing expenses and eliminate the confusion that resulted from using seven different names for these efforts.
In Texas, we piloted Grant Station grants, which are designed to increase the capacity of our low-income partners to raise funds from other sources. Our initial investment of nearly $7,500 led to more than $102,000 in grants. In addition, training was provided to more than 65 low-income advocates as part of the pilot.
Better Managing Energy Use
Energy bills are typically a higher percentage of discretionary income for low-income customers than for other customers. Initiatives to improve efficiency and reduce energy usage can help alleviate a significant economic burden for low-income customers. We completed the following energy efficiency actions in 2008 under our Low-Income Initiative:
- We weatherized more than 620 homes and distributed more than 500 weatherization kits.
- We distributed more than 40,000 compact fluorescent light bulbs.
- We fulfilled requests for more than 230,000 copies of energy efficiency educational materials.
We also distributed fans or air-conditioning units to almost 2,400 elderly or disabled customers through our “Beat the Heat” program.
Supporting the Move to Self-Sufficiency
Entergy is committed to helping low-income customers build assets to break the cycle of poverty and move toward self-sufficiency. We pursue multiple efforts in this area, from educating customers about available federal assistance to working with the Foundation for the Mid South to help customers build assets in individual development accounts.
In 2008, we continued to educate customers about the Earned Income Tax Credit and help them file for benefits and refunds. More than 21,700 customers were notified about EITC using predictive dialing technology and approximately 2.7 million customers were notified through bill inserts. In Louisiana, more than 1,300 customers were contacted for Super Tax Day, which had a direct result of more than $235,000 in refunds.
We also conducted an outreach campaign to encourage elderly customers to file a federal tax return in order to receive economic stimulus benefits. More than 5,000 seniors were contacted by phone or mail with educational information about the benefits. We produced a special edition of Advocate Power on economic stimulus benefits and distributed it to more than 9,500 advocates and agencies.
For six years, we have partnered with the Foundation for the Mid South – a regional community foundation serving Arkansas, Louisiana and Mississippi – to provide an Individual Development Account program that matches the savings of low-income individuals and families. In 2008, Entergy and the Foundation for the Mid South were recognized against a field of international competitors as a finalist for Platts Global Energy Awards Community Development Program of the Year.
More detail on these and other programs within our Low-Income Initiative can be found in our Low-Income Initiative Progress Report.
Supporting and Enhancing Our Communities
Entergy believes it has a responsibility to support and strengthen the communities it serves. Our corporate giving supports these efforts through grants and volunteerism. Entergy and the Entergy Charitable Foundation awarded almost 3,000 grants in 2008 totaling $15.8 million to organizations that strengthen our communities. Highlights of Entergy Charitable Foundation grant awards in 2008 include:
- $350,000 to Teach for America in south Louisiana and New Orleans. Teach for America is pursuing an unprecedented effort to change the face of education in one of the nation’s most challenged regions by bringing more than 450 corps members and their proven techniques to all public schools in the New Orleans region.
- $200,000 to Volunteers of America’s Coming Back Home Initiative, a collaborative effort with private and public partners to create 1,050 housing units for families to replace units lost or damaged by Hurricane Katrina.
- $200,000 to United Way of New Orleans for the Individual Development Account program, which is designed specifically to meet post-Katrina needs by helping participants purchase a home or vehicle, start or expand a childcare business or pursue post-secondary education.
In keeping with our strong point of view on climate change and the opportunity to improve our environmental contributions that was highlighted in our community leadership survey last year, the board of the Entergy Charitable Foundation voted to expand the focus of the foundation to include major environmental initiatives. As a result, funds previously allotted to the Environmental Stewardship Grant program will now roll into the foundation and be augmented with additional funds, effectively doubling the amount of funding for environmental projects. The change will enable Entergy to expand the impact of its environmental contributions by funding initiatives that strategically address climate change and other region-wide environmental priorities.
In December 2008, the Entergy Hurricane Relief Fund announced $700,000 in grants to 39 nonprofits helping the victims of hurricanes Gustav and Ike rebuild their lives and communities after the devastating storms. Entergy and the Foundation for the Mid South created the fund in the days after the storms hit Entergy service territories less than two weeks apart in September.
Entergy employees contribute generously of their time and money in support of the communities in which they live and work. Entergy employees and shareholders set a new United Way fundraising record in 2008 with more than $4 million raised for local United Ways. Total employee pledges were nearly $2.1 million, an increase from the pledges made in 2007.
In April 2008 we launched a new and improved Community Connectors program with a new volunteer portal to encourage employee volunteerism. The new program enables participants to earn a $250 grant for the nonprofit organization of their choice by completing 20 hours of service. Employees can earn three grants per calendar year. Using the new volunteer portal, participants can track their hours, submit grant requests and provide feedback. The program no longer requires agency verification of service hours, relying instead on the honor system, and automatically notifies employees when they have enough hours to submit a grant request.
In response to the new Community Connectors program, our employees logged more than 67,000 volunteer hours in 2008, an increase of 126 percent over 2007. The value of these volunteer hours is more than $1.3 million, an increase of more than $739,000 from the previous year. Community Connector grants, which are awarded based on employee volunteer hours, increased 131 percent in 2008. At year-end, more than $283,000 had been awarded through 478 grants.
In 2008, we were honored to receive the Outstanding Community Service Award from the Volunteers of America for leadership and support of the New Orleans community both before Hurricane Katrina struck and as the city recovers from the storm. In particular Entergy was recognized for its funding of the Lighthouse After-School Program, which provides academic enrichment for at-risk youth in the Ninth Ward of New Orleans, and for grants to rebuild two facilities that provide transitional housing for formerly homeless adults overcoming addiction.
In other 2008 volunteer efforts, more than 50 Entergy executives participated in the company’s Leadership Conference volunteer effort at the Audubon Louisiana Nature Center, where 400 bottomland hardwood trees were planted as part of an effort to restore wetland forested habitats. Approximately 20 industry analysts and Entergy employees helped rebuild two homes in St. Bernard Parish during another volunteer event scheduled as part of the company’s Analyst Conference.
Building a Strong, Diverse Work Force
Our commitment to sustainable development is timeless. We are working to build an organization that embodies that commitment today and in the years ahead. Our efforts are focused on leadership development, employee development and diversity and inclusion.
Our leadership development programs provide a holistic approach to prepare Entergy’s current and future leaders to take responsibility for and meet economic, social and environmental challenges. Programs include supervisory and pre-supervisory training, advanced management programs and individual executive leadership development and coaching.
Entergy values and respects its employees and works hard to ensure every employee has opportunities to develop and grow to his or her full potential. We invest in employee development in a variety of ways.
- Our employee development program encourages employees to create career plans for accomplishing their goals through continuing education, specialized training, cross-training opportunities and special team projects.
- Our educational reimbursement program provides financial assistance for tuition, registration fees and books for employees taking approved courses from an accredited university.
- Each year Entergy sponsors a small number of high-potential employees in an Executive Masters of Business Administration program to help in their development in general management theories and practices. The program is fully funded by Entergy.
- We implemented a formal Pre-separation Phased Retirement program to retain certain employees with skills or knowledge as part-time employees. This arrangement creates an opportunity for employees to transition to retirement while Entergy transfers the knowledge or develops the skills of their replacements.
- We implemented a post-termination exit survey tool to capture information about why employees leave and to find ways to address issues that may be causing people to terminate their employment with Entergy. Common themes and issues have been presented to senior management and, in response to feedback from this survey, efforts are being made to increase communication of job duties and expectations for newly hired employees.
We also invest in our employees’ well-being through programs like ENSHAPE, which reimburses a set amount for gym memberships and weight management programs. Employees can participate in fitness events through the ENSHAPE program. For example the third annual ENSHAPE walk was held in May 2008 in conjunction with Livestrong® Day, an event benefitting the Lance Armstrong Foundation. Approximately 200 Entergy employees in New Orleans and Houston participated in the walk.
We continue our efforts to build a diverse work force and a work environment that fosters creativity, productivity and the mutual respect of all people. We recognize that diversity is a business imperative that helps us achieve business results and that an inclusive culture makes us collectively stronger. In 2008, nearly 50 percent of entry-level full-time new hires were diverse as defined by ethnicity or gender and 37 percent of interns and co-ops were diverse.
We work to attract diverse applicants through our college, vocational and technical recruiting efforts and our relationships with minority professional organizations. We work with INROADS, an organization that helps identify opportunities for high-potential, ethnically diverse students, to hire interns. We participate in recruiting events sponsored by the Society of Women Engineers, U.S. Women in Nuclear, the National Society of Black Engineers and the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers. We also actively recruit at historically black colleges and universities.
We developed a recruitment strategy for employees with specific skill sets such as line personnel and meter readers. This craft recruitment strategy targets specific two-year education institutions where we will actively recruit and work to build stronger relationships through advisory council memberships, scholarships, mentoring and other on-campus activities.
We foster an inclusive work environment systemwide through more than 20 employee-directed Diversity and Inclusion Councils across seven states. The Councils are sanctioned by Entergy and include a representative from the local leadership team. Their charter is to develop initiatives that support Entergy’s diversity and inclusion mission. Entergy offers computer-based diversity and inclusion training and, in 2008, 93 percent of employees with computer access completed the training. Going forward, we plan to support the further development of affinity groups along specific diversity dimensions, such as Entergy Women of Color, to ensure all employees have both a voice at Entergy and the resources needed to reach their full potential.
Our diversity efforts extend to our supplier groups as well. In 1987, Entergy was the first electric utility holding company in the United States to enter into a Declaration of Fair Share Principles with the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. Included in that cooperative was our pledge to ensure business opportunities for diverse suppliers.
Each year, we set specific spending goals for diverse suppliers as a percentage of our total spending. Over the last several years, diverse supplier spending has ranged from 24 to 28 percent of available total spending. We also have a second-tier sourcing initiative, which encourages our prime suppliers to subcontract work on Entergy projects to diverse suppliers.
Members of our supplier diversity team were honored with the 2008 Edison Electric Institute’s Supplier Diversity Leadership Award. Entergy’s director and manager of Supplier Diversity were recognized for more than 24 years of “leadership, contribution and commitment to the advancement of diverse business suppliers and the EEI Supplier Diversity Initiative.”
2008 Corporate Giving at a Glance
Entergy Charitable Foundation
The Entergy Charitable Foundation supports environmental and educational programs, and programs that address the underlying causes of poverty. More than $4.6 million was awarded through 205 grants in 2008.
Open Grants
Entergy Open Grants focus on improving communities as a whole through the support of health and social service agencies, the arts and culture, and community enrichment programs. In 2008, more than $5.6 million was awarded through more than 1,300 grants.
United Way Campaigns
Entergy and its employees set a record for fundraising in the 2008 United Way campaign. More than $4 million was raised to support local United Way agencies in the communities where our employees live and work. Employee donations totaled $2.1 million and are matched dollar-for-dollar by shareholders.
Community Power Scholarships
Entergy Corporation has established a scholarship program to assist employees’ dependents who plan to continue their education in college or vocational school programs. More than 300 students submitted applications to the program and 32 scholarships totaling $160,000 were awarded in 2008.
Matching Educational Grants
Entergy recognizes the importance of education by supporting our employees who make charitable contributions to education. In 2008, we awarded more than $374,000 through 725 matching educational grants to the high schools, colleges and universities supported by Entergy employees.
Heart and Health Grants
Heart and Health Grants support employees’ active participation in health- and wellness-related events such as walks, runs and bike-a-thons. In 2008, 48 grants were made to organizations including the Juvenile Diabetes Association and the American Heart Association.
Community Connector Grants
Employees can earn grants up to $750 per year for nonprofit organizations where they volunteer their time. In 2008, we awarded more than $283,000 through 478 grants in support of employee volunteer service – an increase of 131 percent over 2007.
Low-Income Customers
Self-Sufficiency
Our Communities
We Aspire
We have a responsibility to contribute to a society that is healthy, educated and productive, both in our local communities and on a global scale. We also believe we have a moral responsibility to help break the cycle of poverty in the communities we serve.
Entergy advocates aggressively for increased funding for the federal Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program and more equitable distribution of funds to Entergy states. Our 2008 efforts helped win approval of $313 million in 2009 LIHEAP funding for Entergy states, an all-time record.
Meeting the Challenge
Contribute to a Society That Is Healthy,
Educated and Productive
We aspire to break the cycle of poverty and contribute to a society that is healthy, educated and productive. We strive to achieve our social aspiration by providing assistance to our low-income customers, enhancing the quality of life in the communities we serve and building a strong, diverse work force.
In 2008, we implemented a community leadership survey to assess our performance related to social responsibility compared to other companies in the communities we serve. The survey confirmed that Entergy is perceived very positively as a good corporate citizen in its communities. It also highlighted opportunities for improvement in the areas of volunteerism, environmental contributions and building public awareness of our Low-Income Initiative.
In this section of our sustainability report, we present our Low-Income Initiative, corporate giving and work force initiatives, including the actions we have identified and begun to implement to address the highlighted opportunities for improvement.
Providing Assistance to Our Low-Income Customers
Approximately 25 percent of our 2.7 million utility customers fall below the poverty level. We created our Low-Income Initiative in 1999 to address this reality. Today, as a result of the economic crisis and with a growing number of new at-risk Entergy customers who need assistance, the needs are greater than ever.
Our commitment to our low-income customers takes many forms – from improving the flow of assistance funds and helping customers better manage energy use, to funding education, job training and programs that help low-income families build assets and move toward self-sufficiency. In 2008, we reached out to 30,000 targeted customers by phone or mail to build awareness and utilization of low-income programs such as bill payment assistance, Earned Income Tax Credit filing assistance and economic stimulus benefits.
Improving the Flow of Funds
Entergy continued to advocate for increased funding for the federal Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program and more equitable distribution of those funds to Entergy states. Representatives from Entergy participated in LIHEAP Action Day events in Washington, D.C., and in the states we serve. The effort helped win Congressional approval of $5.1 billion in funding for LIHEAP in 2009. Entergy states were awarded $313 million, an all-time record for funding in our states.
Entergy, its employees and customers raised more than $2.3 million in local bill payment assistance funds in 2008. One hundred percent of the funds raised go to customers who need help to pay their utility bills. In total, more than 75,000 customer bills were paid through third-party sources in 2008, totaling more than $18.9 million – an increase of $500,000 over 2007 bill payments. Going forward, we have the potential to provide bill payment assistance to more than 13,000 customers of Entergy Texas, Inc. as a result of achieving approval from the Public Utility Commission of Texas for a $2 million Public Benefit fund as part of the Entergy Texas rate case settlement.
In 2008 we also implemented a unified branding strategy for customer assistance fundraising efforts. With The Power to Care as the systemwide name and image for this program, we will be better able to raise funds online, reduce printing and marketing expenses and eliminate the confusion that resulted from using seven different names for these efforts.
In Texas, we piloted Grant Station grants, which are designed to increase the capacity of our low-income partners to raise funds from other sources. Our initial investment of nearly $7,500 led to more than $102,000 in grants. In addition, training was provided to more than 65 low-income advocates as part of the pilot.
Better Managing Energy Use
Energy bills are typically a higher percentage of discretionary income for low-income customers than for other customers. Initiatives to improve efficiency and reduce energy usage can help alleviate a significant economic burden for low-income customers. We completed the following energy efficiency actions in 2008 under our Low-Income Initiative:
We also distributed fans or air-conditioning units to almost 2,400 elderly or disabled customers through our “Beat the Heat” program.
Supporting the Move to Self-Sufficiency
Entergy is committed to helping low-income customers build assets to break the cycle of poverty and move toward self-sufficiency. We pursue multiple efforts in this area, from educating customers about available federal assistance to working with the Foundation for the Mid South to help customers build assets in individual development accounts.
In 2008, we continued to educate customers about the Earned Income Tax Credit and help them file for benefits and refunds. More than 21,700 customers were notified about EITC using predictive dialing technology and approximately 2.7 million customers were notified through bill inserts. In Louisiana, more than 1,300 customers were contacted for Super Tax Day, which had a direct result of more than $235,000 in refunds.
We also conducted an outreach campaign to encourage elderly customers to file a federal tax return in order to receive economic stimulus benefits. More than 5,000 seniors were contacted by phone or mail with educational information about the benefits. We produced a special edition of Advocate Power on economic stimulus benefits and distributed it to more than 9,500 advocates and agencies.
For six years, we have partnered with the Foundation for the Mid South – a regional community foundation serving Arkansas, Louisiana and Mississippi – to provide an Individual Development Account program that matches the savings of low-income individuals and families. In 2008, Entergy and the Foundation for the Mid South were recognized against a field of international competitors as a finalist for Platts Global Energy Awards Community Development Program of the Year.
More detail on these and other programs within our Low-Income Initiative can be found in our Low-Income Initiative Progress Report.
Supporting and Enhancing Our Communities
Entergy believes it has a responsibility to support and strengthen the communities it serves. Our corporate giving supports these efforts through grants and volunteerism. Entergy and the Entergy Charitable Foundation awarded almost 3,000 grants in 2008 totaling $15.8 million to organizations that strengthen our communities. Highlights of Entergy Charitable Foundation grant awards in 2008 include:
In keeping with our strong point of view on climate change and the opportunity to improve our environmental contributions that was highlighted in our community leadership survey last year, the board of the Entergy Charitable Foundation voted to expand the focus of the foundation to include major environmental initiatives. As a result, funds previously allotted to the Environmental Stewardship Grant program will now roll into the foundation and be augmented with additional funds, effectively doubling the amount of funding for environmental projects. The change will enable Entergy to expand the impact of its environmental contributions by funding initiatives that strategically address climate change and other region-wide environmental priorities.
In December 2008, the Entergy Hurricane Relief Fund announced $700,000 in grants to 39 nonprofits helping the victims of hurricanes Gustav and Ike rebuild their lives and communities after the devastating storms. Entergy and the Foundation for the Mid South created the fund in the days after the storms hit Entergy service territories less than two weeks apart in September.
Entergy employees contribute generously of their time and money in support of the communities in which they live and work. Entergy employees and shareholders set a new United Way fundraising record in 2008 with more than $4 million raised for local United Ways. Total employee pledges were nearly $2.1 million, an increase from the pledges made in 2007.
In April 2008 we launched a new and improved Community Connectors program with a new volunteer portal to encourage employee volunteerism. The new program enables participants to earn a $250 grant for the nonprofit organization of their choice by completing 20 hours of service. Employees can earn three grants per calendar year. Using the new volunteer portal, participants can track their hours, submit grant requests and provide feedback. The program no longer requires agency verification of service hours, relying instead on the honor system, and automatically notifies employees when they have enough hours to submit a grant request.
In response to the new Community Connectors program, our employees logged more than 67,000 volunteer hours in 2008, an increase of 126 percent over 2007. The value of these volunteer hours is more than $1.3 million, an increase of more than $739,000 from the previous year. Community Connector grants, which are awarded based on employee volunteer hours, increased 131 percent in 2008. At year-end, more than $283,000 had been awarded through 478 grants.
In 2008, we were honored to receive the Outstanding Community Service Award from the Volunteers of America for leadership and support of the New Orleans community both before Hurricane Katrina struck and as the city recovers from the storm. In particular Entergy was recognized for its funding of the Lighthouse After-School Program, which provides academic enrichment for at-risk youth in the Ninth Ward of New Orleans, and for grants to rebuild two facilities that provide transitional housing for formerly homeless adults overcoming addiction.
In other 2008 volunteer efforts, more than 50 Entergy executives participated in the company’s Leadership Conference volunteer effort at the Audubon Louisiana Nature Center, where 400 bottomland hardwood trees were planted as part of an effort to restore wetland forested habitats. Approximately 20 industry analysts and Entergy employees helped rebuild two homes in St. Bernard Parish during another volunteer event scheduled as part of the company’s Analyst Conference.
Building a Strong, Diverse Work Force
Our commitment to sustainable development is timeless. We are working to build an organization that embodies that commitment today and in the years ahead. Our efforts are focused on leadership development, employee development and diversity and inclusion.
Our leadership development programs provide a holistic approach to prepare Entergy’s current and future leaders to take responsibility for and meet economic, social and environmental challenges. Programs include supervisory and pre-supervisory training, advanced management programs and individual executive leadership development and coaching.
Entergy values and respects its employees and works hard to ensure every employee has opportunities to develop and grow to his or her full potential. We invest in employee development in a variety of ways.
We also invest in our employees’ well-being through programs like ENSHAPE, which reimburses a set amount for gym memberships and weight management programs. Employees can participate in fitness events through the ENSHAPE program. For example the third annual ENSHAPE walk was held in May 2008 in conjunction with Livestrong® Day, an event benefitting the Lance Armstrong Foundation. Approximately 200 Entergy employees in New Orleans and Houston participated in the walk.
We continue our efforts to build a diverse work force and a work environment that fosters creativity, productivity and the mutual respect of all people. We recognize that diversity is a business imperative that helps us achieve business results and that an inclusive culture makes us collectively stronger. In 2008, nearly 50 percent of entry-level full-time new hires were diverse as defined by ethnicity or gender and 37 percent of interns and co-ops were diverse.
We work to attract diverse applicants through our college, vocational and technical recruiting efforts and our relationships with minority professional organizations. We work with INROADS, an organization that helps identify opportunities for high-potential, ethnically diverse students, to hire interns. We participate in recruiting events sponsored by the Society of Women Engineers, U.S. Women in Nuclear, the National Society of Black Engineers and the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers. We also actively recruit at historically black colleges and universities.
We developed a recruitment strategy for employees with specific skill sets such as line personnel and meter readers. This craft recruitment strategy targets specific two-year education institutions where we will actively recruit and work to build stronger relationships through advisory council memberships, scholarships, mentoring and other on-campus activities.
We foster an inclusive work environment systemwide through more than 20 employee-directed Diversity and Inclusion Councils across seven states. The Councils are sanctioned by Entergy and include a representative from the local leadership team. Their charter is to develop initiatives that support Entergy’s diversity and inclusion mission. Entergy offers computer-based diversity and inclusion training and, in 2008, 93 percent of employees with computer access completed the training. Going forward, we plan to support the further development of affinity groups along specific diversity dimensions, such as Entergy Women of Color, to ensure all employees have both a voice at Entergy and the resources needed to reach their full potential.
Our diversity efforts extend to our supplier groups as well. In 1987, Entergy was the first electric utility holding company in the United States to enter into a Declaration of Fair Share Principles with the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. Included in that cooperative was our pledge to ensure business opportunities for diverse suppliers.
Each year, we set specific spending goals for diverse suppliers as a percentage of our total spending. Over the last several years, diverse supplier spending has ranged from 24 to 28 percent of available total spending. We also have a second-tier sourcing initiative, which encourages our prime suppliers to subcontract work on Entergy projects to diverse suppliers.
Members of our supplier diversity team were honored with the 2008 Edison Electric Institute’s Supplier Diversity Leadership Award. Entergy’s director and manager of Supplier Diversity were recognized for more than 24 years of “leadership, contribution and commitment to the advancement of diverse business suppliers and the EEI Supplier Diversity Initiative.”
Corporate Giving
2008 Corporate Giving at a Glance
Entergy Charitable Foundation
The Entergy Charitable Foundation supports environmental and educational programs, and programs that address the underlying causes of poverty. More than $4.6 million was awarded through 205 grants in 2008.
Open Grants
Entergy Open Grants focus on improving communities as a whole through the support of health and social service agencies, the arts and culture, and community enrichment programs. In 2008, more than $5.6 million was awarded through more than 1,300 grants.
United Way Campaigns
Entergy and its employees set a record for fundraising in the 2008 United Way campaign. More than $4 million was raised to support local United Way agencies in the communities where our employees live and work. Employee donations totaled $2.1 million and are matched dollar-for-dollar by shareholders.
Community Power Scholarships
Entergy Corporation has established a scholarship program to assist employees’ dependents who plan to continue their education in college or vocational school programs. More than 300 students submitted applications to the program and 32 scholarships totaling $160,000 were awarded in 2008.
Matching Educational Grants
Entergy recognizes the importance of education by supporting our employees who make charitable contributions to education. In 2008, we awarded more than $374,000 through 725 matching educational grants to the high schools, colleges and universities supported by Entergy employees.
Heart and Health Grants
Heart and Health Grants support employees’ active participation in health- and wellness-related events such as walks, runs and bike-a-thons. In 2008, 48 grants were made to organizations including the Juvenile Diabetes Association and the American Heart Association.
Community Connector Grants
Employees can earn grants up to $750 per year for nonprofit organizations where they volunteer their time. In 2008, we awarded more than $283,000 through 478 grants in support of employee volunteer service – an increase of 131 percent over 2007.