Duke Energy honors Hispanic Heritage Month with $180,000 in grants to support cultural, education and leadership initiatives

• Five community organizations received grants to fund scholarships, professional development workshops, cultural events and more in support of Hispanic and Latino community members

• Since 2016, Duke Energy and Duke Energy Foundation have contributed more than $1.2 million to organizations in Florida in recognition of Hispanic Heritage Month

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Duke Energy and Duke Energy Foundation awarded a total of $180,000 to five organizations that offer cultural, education and leadership initiatives for Hispanic and Latino community members. The grants awarded this year bring Duke Energy's total investments in Hispanic/Latino programs to $1.2 million since 2016.

How the grants support Hispanic/Latino individuals: The grants provide funding for a range of initiatives, such as college scholarships for students, enhanced professional development workshops to facilitate workforce entry, cultural events celebrating leadership and heritage, and more.

Benefiting organizations include:

• Prospera Florida: $50,000 will be provided to support Hispanic small business owners in Florida with legal, financial and capital guidance. The funding will also enable Prospera to offer bilingual educational programs, technical assistance and financial resources.
  
• Hispanic Heritage Scholarship Fund of Metro Orlando Inc.: $50,000 allocated for increasing college scholarships available to Hispanic/Latino students and expanding professional development workshops to support workforce entry.
  
• Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Metro Orlando: $50,000 to support the Don Quixote Awards Ball, an awards and community-building event which recognizes visionary individuals who embody the qualities of the iconic literary character, Don Quijote.
  
• Hispanic Heritage Network of Orange County Inc.: $25,000 to support Hispanic Heritage Month events and year-round cultural and leadership initiatives that celebrate the contributions of the Hispanic community. The funding will also advance The Speakers Bureau, a pilot program that equips Spanish-speaking county employees with tools to better serve the region's multilingual population.
  
• Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Central Florida Foundation: $5,000 to support the Latina Leadership Development Program, which aims to empower and equip Latina entrepreneurs with the essential tools and knowledge to efficiently run a successful business. Programming will include an overview of marketing tools, technology for business growth, finance management and more.

What they're saying:

Melissa Seixas, president, Duke Energy Florida: "Our communities thrive when we support those around us. We're honored to invest in organizations that advance educational and professional development opportunities. Our shared goal is to see the communities we serve flourish."

Carolin Requiz Smith, executive director, Hispanic Heritage Scholarship Fund of Metro Orlando Inc.: "We are proud to recognize the Duke Energy Foundation for their generous $50,000 gift to our scholarship fund, a contribution that will directly expand educational and professional opportunities for talented Hispanic and Latino students in our community. This meaningful support allows us to award more scholarships and provide critical resources to help students on their path to successful, fulfilling careers. Our partnership with Duke Energy is a powerful example of how collaboration can create lasting, positive change."

Duke Energy Foundation

Duke Energy Foundation provides more than $30 million annually in philanthropic support to meet the needs of communities where Duke Energy customers live and work. The Foundation is funded by Duke Energy shareholders.

Duke Energy (NYSE: DUK), a Fortune 150 company headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., is one of America's largest energy holding companies. The company's electric utilities serve 8.6 million customers in North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky, and collectively own 55,100 megawatts of energy capacity. Its natural gas utilities serve 1.7 million customers in North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Ohio and Kentucky.

Duke Energy Florida

Duke Energy Florida, a subsidiary of Duke Energy, owns 12,500 megawatts of energy capacity, supplying electricity to 2 million residential, commercial and industrial customers across a 13,000-square-mile service area in Florida.

Media contact: Laitin Sterling
Media line: 800.559.3853