Press Releases
12/18/2023
Avangrid Foundation Awards $100,000 to Bats for the Future Fund to Combat White-Nose Syndrome
Avangrid Foundation Awards $100,000 to Bats for the Future Fund to Combat White-Nose Syndrome
Supports research to combat disease that has killed tens of millions of bats over the past decade
Part of Avangrid Foundation’s commitment to supporting causes across its four Pillars of Giving: Social Action, Education and Research, Biodiversity and Climate Change, and Arts and Culture
ORANGE, Conn. — December 18, 2023 — The Avangrid Foundation, the philanthropic arm of leading sustainable energy company Avangrid, Inc. (NYSE: AGR), has announced a $100,000 grant to the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation’s (NFWF) Bats for the Future Fund, which provides funding for existing and novel treatments for white-nose syndrome, a disease that has killed tens of millions of bats over the past decade. This is the sixth consecutive year that the Avangrid Foundation has helped fund this initiative. This year’s awards from the fund will have a total conservation impact of more than $1.4 million.
“As our climate continues to change rapidly, these types of research programs are more important than ever,” said Pedro Azagra, Avangrid CEO. “We’re very proud to have been a key contributor to the Bats for the Future Fund since 2018. It allows us to collectively deepen our understanding of white-nose syndrome and how to combat it.”
“Bats play a critical role in the environment and ecosystems around us,” said Pablo Colón, director of corporate citizenship and executive director, Avangrid Foundation. “It’s vital to protect them by studying and slowing the spread of white-nose syndrome. The Avangrid Foundation is proud to partner with NFWF to provide much needed funding for these innovative research and conservation initiatives.”
This year’s Bats for the Future Fund grant recipients are the Missouri Conservation Heritage Foundation, Temple University, Bat Conservation International, Wildlife Conservation Society Canada, and the University of Waterloo. The grants will support projects to enhance habitats around roosting sites for Indiana bats through tree planting, identify and include key foraging habitats in management plans, and further test the efficacy of anti-fungal applications to slow the growth of the causal fungus. More information on each project can be found here.
“White-nose syndrome continues to have serious impacts on hibernating bat species in North America,” said Jeff Trandahl, executive director and CEO of NFWF. “Strategies including enhancement of habitats and inhibiting growth of the fungus that causes white-nose syndrome will help to improve survival and recovery of North American bat species. With the support of our federal and corporate partners, the grants we announce today will contribute to reducing impacts from this calamitous disease.”
Since its inception in 2017, the BFF has awarded more than $4.8 million in grants to support research and implement experimental treatment and management strategies that slow the spread of WNS and improve survival of bats across the U.S. and Canada. Grants support collaborations among federal and state agencies, universities, non-governmental organizations and for-profit corporations, who have joined forces to prevent potential bat extinctions caused by this spreading wildlife disease.
About Avangrid: Avangrid, Inc. (NYSE: AGR) aspires to be the leading sustainable energy company in the United States. Headquartered in Orange, CT with approximately $44 billion in assets and operations in 24 U.S. states, Avangrid has two primary lines of business: networks and renewables. Through its networks business, Avangrid owns and operates eight electric and natural gas utilities, serving more than 3.3 million customers in New York and New England. Through its renewables business, Avangrid owns and operates a portfolio of renewable energy generation facilities across the United States. Avangrid employs approximately 8,000 people and has been recognized by JUST Capital in 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024 as one of the JUST 100 companies – a ranking of America’s best corporate citizens. In 2024, Avangrid ranked first among utilities and 12 overall. The company supports the U.N.’s Sustainable Development Goals and was named among the World’s Most Ethical Companies in 2024 for the sixth consecutive year by the Ethisphere Institute. Avangrid is a member of the group of companies controlled by Iberdrola, S.A. For more information, visit www.avangrid.com.
About Iberdrola: Iberdrola is one of the world's biggest energy companies and a leader in renewables, spearheading the energy transition to a low carbon economy. The group supplies energy to almost 100 million people in dozens of countries. With a focus on renewable energy, smart networks and smart solutions for customers, Iberdrola’s main markets include Europe (Spain, the United Kingdom, Portugal, France, Germany, Italy and Greece), the United States, Brazil, Mexico and Australia. The company is also present in growth markets such as Japan, Taiwan, Ireland, Sweden and Poland, among others.
With a workforce of nearly 40,000 and assets in excess of €141.7 billion, across the world, Iberdrola helps to support 400,000 jobs across its supply chain, with annual procurement of €12.2 billion. A benchmark in the fight against climate change, Iberdrola has invested more than €130 billion over the past two decades to help build a sustainable energy model, based on sound environmental, social and governance (ESG) principles.
