American Water Charitable Foundation Announces 2019 Keep Communities Flowing Grant Award Recipients

CAMDEN, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The American Water Charitable Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization created by American Water, the nation’s largest publicly traded water and wastewater utility company, today announced the recipients of the 2019 Keep Communities Flowing Grant Program awards. Eleven projects in seven states will be supported by grants totaling $150,000.

“Funding provided through the Keep Communities Flowing Grant Program supports the completion of high impact community-focused projects that directly improve the quality of life for our customers and surrounding ecosystems,” said Carrie Williams, president of the American Water Charitable Foundation. “We are proud to offer these types of funding opportunities to further American Water’s ongoing commitment to being a good neighbor and stewards of the environment.”

In its inaugural year, the American Water Charitable Foundation’s Keep Communities Flowing Grant Program provided grants up to $20,000 to support 501(c)(3) organizations, programs and projects that connected to one or more of American Water’s core focus areas of Water and the Environment, Water and Healthy Living, Environmental Education, and Community Sustainability.

The 2019 grant recipients, which are located throughout American Water’s service areas, include the following:

• MEarth, Carmel, CA received $12,750 to purchase a model of the Salinas River Watershed for science-based instructional purposes in Monterey County.
• American River Parkway Foundation, Carmichael, CA received $10,000 in funding to support their invasive plant management and clean-up program along the shoreline in Sacramento County.
• District 214 Education Foundation, Arlington Heights, IL received $10,000 to support the cost of 10 high school students attending a Water Supply Operator apprenticeship program.
• Urbana Parks Foundation, Urbana, IL received $10,000 to help install a public kayak launch and new stone outcropping along the water’s edge in Crystal Lake Park.
• Artcroft, Inc., Paris, KY received $6,341 enabling the city to revitalize two local parks in Millersburg with playground equipment, plants and trees.
• Wildcat Glades Friends Group, Joplin, MO received $13,924 to construct a community educational cottage in Wildcat Park, focused on environmental education.
• Open Space Council for the St. Louis Region, St. Louis, MO received $7,000 to plant 660 willow trees along the riverbank, enhancing water quality and wildlife habitat, in Lower Meramec Park.
• Eastern Pennsylvania Coalition for Abandoned Mine Reclamation, Ashley, PA received $20,000 to fund multiple roadside and streamside clean-up events in Wyoming Valley.
• Friends of the Wissahickon, Philadelphia, PA received $20,000 to support their community engagement program, Super Volunteer Service Days, benefitting Wissahickon Valley Park.
• Top of Georgia Economic Development Initiative, Rockspring, GA received $20,000 to fund park and pond improvements, and create an outdoor eco learning lab, in the City of Rossville.
• Friends of the Lower Appomattox River, Petersburg, VA received $20,000 allowing completion of a critical section of the Appomattox River Trail located in Central Virginia.

Grantees for this program required a local American Water sponsor and were selected based on criteria including clarity of project goals and projected impact, innovation and strength of project, and evidence of community and volunteer engagement. For more information about the Keep Communities Flowing Grant Program, contact the American Water Charitable Foundation at awcf@amwater.com. The next round of grant funding will be announced February 2020.

About American Water

With a history dating back to 1886, American Water is the largest and most geographically diverse U.S. publicly traded water and wastewater utility company. The company employs more than 7,100 dedicated professionals who provide regulated and market-based drinking water, wastewater and other related services to more than 14 million people in 46 states. American Water provides safe, clean, affordable and reliable water services to our customers to make sure we keep their lives flowing. For more information, visit amwater.com and follow American Water on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.

About the American Water Charitable Foundation

Established in 2010 with a founding contribution from American Water, the American Water Charitable Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that provides a formal way to demonstrate the company’s ongoing commitment to being a good neighbor, citizen, and contributor to the communities where American Water and its employees live, work and operate. The Foundation helps support American Water employee-identified nonprofit endeavors. More information can be found online at amwater.com/corporate-responsibility.

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