"The greater good is better business." That is the FirstEnergy Foundation's vision as stewards and investors in the communities it serves.
Foundation grants focus on not-for-profit organizations in the areas First Energy serves through our electric operating companies in Ohio, Pennsylvania and New Jersey: Ohio Edison, The Illuminating Company, Toledo Edison, Penn Power, Penelec, MetEd, and Jersey Central Power and Light. In 2002 the FirstEnergy Foundation awarded a gift of $25,000 to Mount Union College in support of a new facility for the sciences, to be named Bracy Hall.
According to Mary Beth Carroll, Executive Director of First Energy Foundation, Mount Union College's staff impressed the staff at the FirstEnergy Foundation, early in a series of encounters, through a fundamental practice. "They listened. The listening transcended into a dialogue and the dialogue was formalized with a grant supporting the Bracy Hall Capital Campaign," states Ms Carroll.
Most grantmakers are particularly pleased to find the alignment between grantseekers' needs and the funders' strategy. The FirstEnergy Foundation, like many other corporate grantmakers, has specific priorities that are parallel to the business interest. For FirstEnergy, the priorities are to ensure the safety and health of the community, to promote economic development, to advance professional development, and to support employee involvement.
Bracy Hall is being constructed for an estimated $23 million will include four floors containing 20 laboratories, three lecture halls, two classrooms, and 21 faculty offices. The facility will house the departments of Biology, Chemistry, Geology, Physics and Astronomy. Bracy Hall will be open for classes for the Fall 2003 semester.
Mount Union has had modest support from FirstEnergy for years, including recent sponsorship of the Schooler Lecture Series. When the dialogue started on a capital campaign for Bracy Hall, it was important for foundation representatives to identify the tipping point that distinguished this campaign and Mount Union College from the field of requests.
The Bracy Hall project fits three of the FirstEnergy's four priorities: promoting economic development for Alliance, advancing professional development through the college's curriculum offerings, and supporting employee involvement - in two directions. At Mount Union, that translates to the advocacy provided by Lu Ann Koch, Ohio Edison Alliance/Salem Area Manager, who serves on Mount Union's Community Relations Board. In addition, Nancy Ashcom, who has recently retired as FirstEnergy's Corporate Secretary, serves as president of the Mount Union's Alumni Association and an ex officio member of the College's Board of Trustees. Employee involvement in an institutional leadership capacity is a compelling consideration, and Mount Union College is grateful to both LuAnn Koch and Nancy Ashcom for their leadership in securing the gift from First Energy Foundation.
FirstEnergy Foundation grant decisions are made in partnership with the regional staff. For Mount Union, Lu Ann Koch is the company's liaison in Alliance. "I am encouraged to offer recommendations on local needs to the FirstEnergy contributions staff," states Ms. Koch.
Philanthropy - personal, corporate, or foundation - builds upon understanding the funders' and grantseekers' needs, maximizing the contacts between parties, coordinating requests, observing timelines, and respecting the values of both sides. It is an art and a science of strategic giving for "the greater good".
"It's been a pleasure to provide a grant to Mount Union College as part of the Bracy Hall Capital Campaign. And a pleasure to work with those who listen," reports Ms. Carroll.