The Drax Foundation, the corporate foundation of the renewable energy company Drax Group (Drax), has donated £300,000 to three organisations dedicated to addressing fuel poverty in the UK.
The new funding from the Foundation will help to support those affected by household energy insecurity in areas across the UK in which Drax operates.
Fuel Bank Foundation (£100,000):
The Fuel Bank Foundation is an independent charity that aims to support families who pay in advance for energy.
The grant will focus on extending the charity’s presence around the communities in which Drax operates. The funding will benefit around 3,600 people in 1,400 households who will receive crisis Fuel Bank financial help, alongside advice and support. The grant will also allow the scaling up of the Fuel Bank Foundation’s ‘Heat Fund’ which provides support for off-grid heated homes.
Argyll, Lomond and the Islands Energy Agency (ALIenergy) (£100,000):
ALIenergy operates in the Argyll and Bute region of Scotland – home to Drax’s pumped hydro storage power station at Cruachan. The charity promotes sustainable energy use and renewable energy generation, to reduce carbon emissions and address fuel poverty.
The grant will provide the charity with funds to roll out its STEM Energy Education programme to cover the whole of Argyll and Bute. The programme aims to encourage school pupils to take up STEM subjects with STEM related activities and events The education scheme covers STEM subjects generally alongside a focus on energy efficiency, renewable and sustainable energy for secondary school pupils.
National Energy Action (NEA) (£95,000):
NEA is the national charity seeking to end fuel poverty, working across the UK with its sister charity Energy Action Scotland, to ensure that everyone can afford to live in a warm, dry home.
NEA will utilise funding from the Drax Foundation to develop and deliver an education programme across the UK in areas where both NEA and Drax operate. The programme will be primarily targeted at secondary schools, as well as schools and academies with alternative provisions, to provide young people with information about keeping warm and safe at home, how they can use energy wisely and how they can reduce CO2 emissions.
Shona King, Head of Community, Drax said: “These grants build upon the Drax Foundation’s strong record in supporting the communities where we operate. The £300,000 in grants for NEA, ALIenergy and Fuel Bank Foundation will help to address the critical issue of fuel poverty within the communities where we operate by providing education for school students, financial support for those in need and provisions for those in isolated off-grid homes.”
Drax Foundation funding is available for organisations ranging from smaller community-led projects to larger grants of up to £100,000 for established non-profit organisations.
Priority is given to organisations that deliver programmes for under-served and under-represented groups, advance gender equality and support indigenous communities.
Organisations and initiatives that meet Drax’s funding and selection criteria are encouraged to visit www.drax.com/community to learn more about the Foundation and submit an initial expression of interest. The Foundation is already accepting applications for 2024’s second round of funding.
The Drax Foundation is a donor advised fund administered by the Charities Trust (an independently registered charity with the UK Charity Commission, charity no. 327489
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About Drax
Drax Group’s purpose is to enable a zero carbon, lower cost energy future and in 2019 announced a world-leading ambition to be carbon negative by 2030, using bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS) technology.
Drax’s c.3,500 employees operate across three principal areas of activity – electricity generation, electricity sales to business customers and compressed wood pellet production and supply to third parties. For more information visit www.drax.com
To find out more information about the Drax Foundation go to the website www.drax.com/community
About Fuel Bank Foundation
The Fuel Bank Foundation (FBF) is an independent charity that aims to support families who pay in advance for energy, typically via a prepayment energy meter and are at risk of self-disconnection or severe rationing or have self-disconnected. We also provide support to those not connected to the mains gas grid, and therefore, rely on unregulated fuels such as heating oil, LPG and wood.
We have developed a network of over 750 quality partners across the country who act as an entry point into Fuel Bank. A mix of national bodies and local, community-based organisations, they identify households in Fuel Crisis, that is where there is no money to fund energy and so the household is rationing what they use, or worse, living without. These families are referred into Fuel Bank, need verified and provided with sameback on and the gas reflowing by tea- We provide around 10 day’s worth of support which acts as the enabler for the relevant and easy-to-access energy advice we provide to give additional support and to lower household money spent on energy. The model reduces the propensity for referral into the fuel bank.
About National Energy Action
National Energy Action (NEA) is the national charity seeking to end fuel poverty. NEA works across England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and with our sister charity Energy Action Scotland, to ensure that everyone can afford to live in a warm, dry home. In partnership with central and local government, fuel utilities, housing providers, consumer groups and voluntary organisations, NEA carries out activities to address the causes and treat the symptoms of fuel poverty. These include:
- Campaigning to ensure that the needs of fuel-poor households are recognised and addressed
- Researching and analysing the causes and extent of fuel poverty and developing policies which will address the problem
- Developing and managing demonstration projects – through the Innovation & Technical Department – that show innovative ways of tackling fuel poverty
- Providing advice and guidance to installers on good practice in delivering energy efficiency services to lowincome households
- Developing national qualifications and managing their implementation to improve practical work standards and energy advice quality NEA’s work encompasses all aspects of fuel poverty, emphasising the importance of greater investment in domestic energy efficiency. We believe passionately that everyone has the fundamental right to live in a warm, healthy, and affordable home, regardless of income or circumstance.
About Argyll, Lomond and the Islands Energy Agency (ALIenergy)
ALIenergy works to promote sustainable energy use and renewable energy generation, to reduce carbon emissions and address fuel poverty.
Our vision is a world where everyone lives sustainably, carbon emissions have been cut to safe levels and no individuals live in fuel poverty without access to affordable energy.
Our goal is to improve public knowledge of, and engagement in, renewable energy and energy efficiency issues, so that more people take action in their lives to increase energy saving, become involved with renewable energy initiatives and move towards a sustainable, low carbon future. Our mission is to promote sustainable energy use and generation to the benefit of individuals, communities and the local economy, and to combat fuel poverty. Our activities fall within three main areas: Affordable Warmth and Alleviating Fuel Poverty Education and Skills Development Community Renewables and Local Energy Economy
