ESB and Corporate Responsibility
As a leading Irish organisation with deep roots in the community dating back to 1927, we are committed to playing a role in addressing some of the key social issues facing Ireland today.
Corporate Responsibility (CR) is at the heart of this vision. Through our Energy for Generations Fund, we have three main pillars of focus:
- Suicide Prevention
- Homelessness
- Education Access and Support
Energy for Generations Fund
ESB's Energy for Generations Fund sees over €2m per year disbursed across a range of community and issues-based initiatives.
Each year the Fund awards €1m in direct funding through a quarterly fund to charities working in the areas of suicide prevention, homelessness and education access and support.
ESB has been supporting initiatives in the areas of suicide prevention and homelessness since 2005. The Energy for Generations Fund introduced a new focus on education in 2014, which recognises the need for educational supports at all levels to ensure that Ireland has the skills it needs to compete effectively in the future.
The remainder is allocated across a range of initiatives including support for ElectricAid, wind farm community funds, fuel poverty programmes and support for staff volunteering.
Aim of the Energy for Generations Fund
Our aim with the Energy for Generations Fund is to maximise the impact of our investment by taking a more strategic approach to effect change. Funding is only part of the jigsaw – we also want to leverage the skills and knowledge we have within the company to bring about more sustainable and positive outcomes.
Support for Staff Volunteering
The Energy for Generations Fund provides support to ESB staff who volunteer within their own communities. Staff who volunteer at least 20 hours of their own time per year will be invited to apply for funding of up to €250 for their chosen registered charity.
Many of our staff are involved in volunteering activities in their spare time, but we have never had any formal structure to support or encourage this in the past. Through this funding, our aim is to demonstrate our support for the work our staff do within their own communities.
ESB
has been involved in formal funding since we established our then Electric Aid
Ireland Fund in July 2005. In 2014, the Electric Aid Ireland Fund was rebranded to the Energy for Generations Fund.
The guideline application amount is c. €10,000. This is neither a minimum nor a maximum, rather an indication of the scale of the resources available. Average funding awards in recent years have been c. €6-7,000
You can apply as often as you wish. If you are consistently being turned down you should speak to the Fund Administrator. If you have been frequently funded, we may wish to spread the funding and you may not be considered. It is important to note that each project will be considered on its own merits and will be considered for funding if it is worthy.
A
set of criteria will be applied against applications. "Informed by evidence", "focused on outcomes", "impact" and "opportunity for staff engagement" are areas for assessment as is
"local contribution."
The majority of fundings will be to registered charities.
Yes - in circumstances where the funding is larger than normal or where the applicant
has no history of achievement.
No.
If the project has merit it will be funded. We may apply a more rigorous
monitoring than normal.