Company Continues to Champion Higher Education for Underrepresented Students Through Say Yes Cleveland Scholarships
CLEVELAND – Dominion Energy today announced its commitment to children and families in greater Cleveland with a $500,000 contribution to Say Yes Cleveland for postsecondary scholarships.
Dominion Energy Ohio’s grant will fund scholarships for students living in the city of Cleveland who are continuing their education through an Ohio four-year university, two-year college or (Pell-eligible) trade/certificate program. Dominion Energy made the announcement during a community event at Cuyahoga Community College Metro Campus with Say Yes Cleveland, the Cleveland Metropolitan School District and previous recipients of the Say Yes scholarships.
The Dominion Energy Charitable Foundation funds grants in four focus areas, including education, to develop the capacity of the future workforce, especially in STEM and energy fields. Jim Eck, Vice President and General Manager of Dominion Energy Ohio said, “It’s an honor to collaborate with our partners to strengthen the communities we serve by supporting Cleveland’s youth through higher education. We hope our investment in the students’ futures will pay dividends for generations to come.”
Diane Downing, executive director of Say Yes Cleveland said, “We are extremely grateful for Dominion Energy’s historic contribution to the Say Yes Cleveland scholarship fund. Thanks to generous partners like Dominion Energy, we have been able to send more than 1,300 recent CMSD graduates to college or career training programs in just our first three years. We expect to greatly increase that number over the coming years and decades, but to guarantee that Say Yes scholarships are funded for the full 25 years of our program, we need to raise the final $30 million to reach our funding goal. We hope Dominion Energy’s generous contribution will help launch the final phase of our scholarship fundraising campaign and inspire more community partners to participate.”
Today’s investment follows a $35 million initiative in 2020 aimed at promoting higher education equity at 11 historically black colleges and universities in Virginia, Ohio, North Carolina and South Carolina. Central State University and Wilberforce University in Ohio are each receiving $500,000 each over the next several years as part of the company’s HBCU PromiseTM program.
In 2021, Dominion Energy awarded 60 students with the Dominion Energy Educational Equity Scholarships as part of Dominion Energy’s larger commitment to equity. Historically underserved students who self-identify as Black/African American; Hispanic or Latino; America Indian or Alaska Native; Asian; or Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander are encouraged to apply. These scholarships are the first in a six-year $10 million initiative to provide assistance with higher education expenses.