NJ American Water grant program supports diversity efforts

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New Jersey American Water is now accepting applications for its new Inclusion, Diversity and Equity Grant Program, the Camden-based utility announced Sept. 7. 

The program is open to public charities, K-12 public schools, colleges or universities within its service area that are working on initiatives aimed at promoting and fostering inclusion and diversity in their communities. 

Funding will be provided by the American Water Charitable Foundation, as part of its State Strategic Grant Program. The maximum grant amount is $2,500. 

New Jersey American Water President Mark McDonough said the new program expands on the organization’s own efforts, which have made it “a better company,” allowing it to better serve its customers across the state. 

“Over the last several years, New Jersey American Water has championed many important inclusion and diversity efforts to support meaningful change across the communities we serve,” McDonough said in a statement. “Investing in community organizations that are working to make New Jersey a more equitable and friendly place to live, work and play benefits us all,” he continued.  

Applications for the grant program must be emailed or postmarked by Oct. 6, 2023. Recipients will be notified by the end of October. Click here for eligibility requirements or to apply. 

In April, parent company American Water released its 2022 Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Data Summary and the Inclusion, Diversity & Equity (ID&E) Summary, which included progress on its diversity metrics for the company’s board of directors and workforce and more. 

For its diversity initiatives, American Water reported 43.5% diversity across its workforce, 24.1% of its workforce who identifies as female (including 66.7% of its leadership team), a total of $603 million in diverse supplier spend in 2022, and 14 awards for the company’s ID&E efforts.