Drax Foundation Awards £3.6m funding in 2024, benefiting nearly 100,000 people across the globe

Drax Foundation, the charitable entity of renewable energy company Drax Group (Drax) awarded a total of £3.6m in funding throughout 2024, marking a significant increase in charitable giving to support communities, develop STEM skills and support the transition to a net-zero future. 

Miguel Veiga Pestana, Chief Sustainability Officer at Drax said: “Building stronger communities in the areas where Drax operates is the driving force behind our social purpose. Through our charitable giving, we’re empowering individuals with the skills and resources they need to thrive, while also making a tangible contribution to a sustainable future.”

The increased funding saw a 33% rise from 2023 levels and helped to reach over 25,000 young people with STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) and nature-based activities.

In 2024, the Drax Foundation’s funding:

• Led to a wide range of impactful outcomes, including 13,606 children participating in STEM education with 7,406 children and young adults taking part in nature-based education programmes
• Provided funding for 8,836 people with access to improved community green spaces
• Gave financial and practical support to 2,800 UK households in ‘fuel poverty’ to help pay energy bills
• Helped 262 schools to reduce their energy costs and consumption with energy-efficient LED lighting, solar panel installation and / or energy efficiency monitoring tools and advice
• Funded 232 grassroots initiatives in the communities where Drax operates through the Drax Community Fund.

The total of £3.6m of charitable giving was distributed globally from the west coast of Canada to the deep south of the US and in to the heart of Yorkshire in the UK, with £2.91m awarded through the Drax Foundation, £695,000 via the Community Fund, and £11,500 donated through the Drax Crisis Fund, providing emergency aid in response to natural disasters, conflict, and other humanitarian crises.

Of the total, £2.5m worth of funding was delivered in the UK, including:

Three grants of £100,000 to the Fuel Bank Foundation, National Energy Action and ALIenergy – charities working to prevent fuel poverty in the UK and support those who are affected by it.

“Funding from the Drax Foundation has helped us to increase both affordable warmth work and educational activities in Argyll and Bute. This work is much needed with energy prices still sky high and rural households in particular struggling with expensive forms of heating. The region is underserved in terms of facilities and this funding will help us with our goal of ensuring no individuals live in fuel poverty without access to affordable energy in Argyll and Bute.” said Lynda Mitchell, CEO of ALIenergy

The donations also saved three UK schools an estimated 2,512 tonnes of combined carbon emissions. Kirk Sandall Junior School in Yorkshire, Abington Vale Primary School in Northampton and Barwic Parade Community Primary School in Selby were all given funding for solar panel installations as part of a campaign to support UK schools and community-led organisations to become more energy efficient.

In the U.S, £690,000 of funding included:

We supported Boys and Girls Clubs of America in Mississippi to expand STEM programming in the regions where Drax operates. We also provided funding with the National Audubon Society, supporting their environmental education work in Louisiana, Mississippi and Arkansas. 

Ouachita Green were awarded £11,500 from our Community Fund to continue their mission of preserving Ouachita Parish’s natural beauty, protecting the environment, preventing blight, leading litter abatement efforts, and providing environmental education.

“The partnership with Drax helps to keep our internship program alive,” said Sheila Kay Downhour, Executive Director of Ouachita Green. “Thanks to the support of Drax, we’re able to continue our clean-up efforts in the parish, but we’re also able to support our intern program. Those young people make all the difference in the work we’re doing to leave the world a little better than we found it, and Drax is a big part in keeping that good work going.”

In Canada, the Foundation provided £378,000 of funding, including:

£57,500 funding to Scientists in School, an organisation which aims to encourage children to connect scientific knowledge to their world and increase interest in careers in STEM subjects. The funding helped provide over 500 children with access to STEM learning in British Columbia and Alberta.

“Drax Foundation support has been a catalyst for our evolution as a national charity shaping the STEM skills and futures of over 350,000 youth annually. This funding has enhanced our ability to reach children and youth in rural and under-served communities in British Columbia and Alberta, with a lasting impact on increasing STEM interest and confidence, giving young scientists the opportunity to develop lifelong skills.” Said Cindy Adams, Executive Director, Scientists in School.

Donations from the fund have also been given to other essential organisations in Canada like the Smithers School Lunch Program, as well as youth programs, education and employment organisations, physical and mental health charities, community spaces and organisations that strengthen the communities where Drax operates.

Through its commitment to supporting local communities and advancing sustainability, Drax is helping to create a more resilient and net-zero future for people around the world.