Press Releases
03/26/2024
Avangrid Foundation Celebrates National Reading Month
Avangrid Foundation Celebrates National Reading Month
Highlights partnerships across the country with organizations who are promoting literacy and education
Foundation provides grants and educational materials to literacy organizations throughout the U.S.
ORANGE, Conn. — March 26, 2024 — The Avangrid Foundation, the primary philanthropic arm of leading sustainable energy company Avangrid, Inc. (NYSE: AGR), is celebrating National Reading Month this March by recognizing its partners that promote literacy and education. This includes book banks and educational programs across the country.
“Reading is a foundational skill that can pave a pathway toward future success,” said Pedro Azagra, Avangrid CEO. “Strong literacy skills empower individuals to think critically, develop problem solving skills and communicate effectively. These skills help drive innovation and progress. We are very proud to support programs across the country that increase access to books, promote literacy, and encourage a lifelong love for reading.”
Avangrid Foundation focuses on forming partnership within its four Pillars of Giving, one of which is Education and Research. This Pillar supports equitable education access across the United States as well as the advancement of scientific research and innovation that will build the sustainable communities of the future. Last year, the Foundation’s work in this Pillar included partnering with the Don Hanson Charitable Foundation and Jane Goodall Institute’s youth action program Roots & Shoots USA to launch the Hanson Box project in the United States, delivering free educational books and lesson plans to thousands of schools across the country.
In Oregon, the Avangrid Foundation has partnered with SMART Reading for nearly a decade to support their child literacy programs. SMART Reading works alongside schools and teachers to provide access to books and one-on-one reading time. Since 2016, the Foundation has provided the organization with $295,000 to support SMART Reading programs in cities across Oregon. In addition, the Avangrid team from the company’s Portland, Oregon office volunteer to read with students and help restore donated books for the SMART Readings Book Bank.
“Reading is a powerful tool that benefits us in countless ways,” said Pablo Colón, director of corporate citizenship at Avangrid and executive director of the Avangrid Foundation. “It unlocks a world of knowledge and opportunity. This National Reading Month, I encourage everyone to promote literacy in their community by getting involved with their local book bank, volunteering at their local library, or donating books to an organization in need.”
The Avangrid Foundation’s other key literacy related partnerships include employees volunteering to support New Haven Reads’ book bank and one-on-one afterschool tutoring; the company’s Pride@Avangrid business resource group collecting and donating more than 6,700 books to Rochester, New York’s Little Free Libraries since 2021; and the President’s Pick Book program in Maine that provided literacy resources and books from a Maine author to more than 600 Maine communities last year.
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.
