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Illinois American Water and American Water Charitable Foundation Announce $50,000 in STEM Education Grants during Engineering Week

Recipients include three nonprofit organizations across Illinois American Water

Belleville, Ill. – (Feb. 21, 2023) – The American Water Charitable Foundation (AWCF) and Illinois American Water are celebrating Engineering Week by announcing $50,000 in grants to Illinois programs focused on Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education. AWCF is a 501(c)(3) organization established by American Water, the largest publicly traded U.S. water and wastewater utility company. AWCF is partnering with Illinois American Water to provide three Illinois organizations with STEM Education grants.

The STEM Education grant is part of AWCF’s Keep Communities Flowing Grant Program, focused on three pillars of giving: Water, People and Communities. Below is a list of STEM Education grantees throughout Illinois.

  • The Sun Foundation located in Central Illinois will receive a $15,000 grant for the 30th Clean Water Celebration and the program’s return to an in-person student conference on April 24 at the Peoria Civic Center.
  • The Peoria Friendship House will receive a $15,000 grant for their STEAMS ACADEMY Pathway to Your Future program which aims to help school-aged children increase their proficiency in STEAM learning.
  • The Edwardsville Children’s Museum will receive a $20,000 grant for Beyond the Mississippi: Water in our Region, an exhibit focused on water treatment and environmental factors in the Mississippi River and Missouri River confluence.

“The American Water Charitable Foundation is pleased to partner with eligible nonprofit organizations across Illinois American Water focused on youth development and educational programming,” said Carrie Williams, President, American Water Charitable Foundation. “Funding for the STEM Education grant helps support STEM-based curricular and extracurricular initiatives to help provide students equal access to high-quality learning they need to succeed.” 
 
Rebecca Losli, Illinois American Water President, said the STEM Education grants are very meaningful to her “as a female engineer.” She said, “Getting children interested in STEM concepts early on can help create a spark that lasts a lifetime. Water and wastewater industries will need these students in the future, as will other industries. It makes good sense to support the organizations doing this important work.”

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 be a good neighbor, citizen, and contributor to the communities where American Water and its employees live, work and operate. For more information, visit amwater.com/awcf and follow the American Water Charitable Foundation on Facebook.

Illinois American Water, a subsidiary of American Water (NYSE: AWK), is the largest investor-owned water utility in the state, providing high-quality and reliable water and wastewater services to approximately 1.3 million people. American Water also operates a quality control and research laboratory in Belleville. For more information, visit www.illinoisamwater.com and follow Illinois American Water on Twitter and Facebook.

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About American Water

With a history dating back to 1886, American Water (NYSE: AWK) is the largest and most geographically diverse U.S. publicly traded water and wastewater utility company. The company employs approximately 6,500 dedicated professionals who provide regulated and regulated-like drinking water and wastewater services to an estimated 14 million people in 24 states. American Water provides safe, clean, affordable, and reliable water services to our customers to help keep their lives flowing. For more information, visit amwater.com and diversityataw.com.Follow American Water on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.


Media Contacts

Karen Cotton

Senior Manager External Communications

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karen.cotton@amwater.com