Connecting communities with reliable, affordable, and sustainable energy means more to us than just delivering our services. It means focusing on how we can make a real impact in the communities in which we live and work.
We do this through our Social Impact Program which develops partnerships, supports communities through targeted sponsorships and donations and helps strengthen community energy resilience.
Partnerships
Foodbank Victoria
Foodbank Victoria is the state’s largest food relief organisation. As part of Victoria’s official emergency response network, Foodbank Victoria works alongside us during bushfires, storms and other climate-related emergencies, and together we deliver essential services to our communities.
Foodbank Victoria distributes more than 9.3 million kilograms of food and grocery items each year to 533 charity partners across Victoria to provide food to Victorians who need it, including providing breakfast to more than 1,000 schools.
Now in its third year, our partnership supports Foodbank’s critical work in our communities. In 2024, 150 of our employees rolled up their sleeves to pack community food hampers and distribute fresh produce at ‘Farm to Families’ markets. We also supported Foodbank’s mobile supermarket bus and fundraising activities.
Landcare Australia
Landcare Australia is a national not-for-profit organisation dedicated to managing environmental issues in local communities across Australia. The Landcare network – over 5,500 groups and 140,000+ volunteers from the coast to the country - all work to protect local ecosystems and contribute to agricultural and environmental sustainability and productivity.
We were proud to announce a new three-year corporate partnership with Landcare on World Environment Day, 5 June 2024. Landcare is a great fit for us and supports our focus on sustainability through on-the-ground projects and community capability building.
In the first year of our partnership, we announced Phillip Island Landcare Group and the Gecko Clan Landcare Network as the recipients of the 2024 AusNet Community Landcare Grants. Both based in Victoria, each group was awarded $20,000 in annual funding for the next three years. More than 50 employees also volunteered with Landcare at native plant nurseries or by planting trees in regional Victoria.
Community support
We support our communities through targeted sponsorships and donations. In 2024, some of the organisations and causes we sponsored include:
- The Community Resilience Award at the Neighborhood Houses Gippsland Annual Awards
- The Gippsland Emergency Relief Fund (GERF) 45th anniversary function
- St Vincent de Paul Society – we donated 200 refurbished Dell laptops for families in need.
We continue to support charitable organisations through our long-established sub-fund with the State Trustees Australia Foundation. In 2024, we supported Dandenong Ranges Emergency Relief Service and Baw Baw Food Relief.
Strengthening community energy resilience
In February 2024, we established a $12 million Energy Resilience Community Fund (ERCF) to enhance energy resilience in communities severely impacted by catastrophic storms and other electricity reliability challenges.
Through our Major Grants, Energy Resilience Grants and Energy Education and Literacy Grants we are helping communities to strengthen their resilience and recover faster from future severe weather events.
Through the ERCF we support many councils, community and charitable organisations in our electricity distribution area.
For more information about the Fund, our criteria and any open grant rounds, view Energy Resilience Community Fund.
Supporting future leaders
We have a 10-year partnership with Federation University to support the next generation of the renewable energy workforce.
We award four scholarships per year valued at $7,000 each. The scholarships support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students, students experiencing barriers to tertiary study and women in STEM at Federation University’s Ballarat and Gippsland campuses. These scholarships help relieve the financial pressure on students undertaking their studies.
For more information, visit the Federation University website.