Ed White
Lead National Grid Foundation to New Heights
The gift, along with its annual heating fund grants, combines to support emergency heating programs at record $1.5 million level
Since heating fund inception, National Grid Foundation provided more than $7 million in heating aid
National Grid Foundation Kicks Off 25th Anniversary with $550,000 Gift to Support Home Heating and Utility Emergency Aid for Local New York and Massachusetts Communities
Project Warmth has helped to fill the need for emergency heating assistance on Long Island
CATHOLIC CHARITIES, ALBANY
Emergency Energy Assistance Program
With the additional $200,000 Catholic Charities estimates that it could serve an additional 410 households.
With the total $500,000 it estimates that it could serve a total of 1,050 households.
Can a book make a child smile?
UNITED WAY LONG ISLAND
Project Warmth
Already has served 903 families, with over 100 in the queue.
By February 15th, UWLI expects that more than 1050 families and seniors will have been served.
The entire gift will serve about 1000 families
(based on an average award per family of $500).
The Y’s After-School Tutoring program provides advanced homework and tutoring services to area students. Children are in a safe, structured program that exposes them to positive values, good role models and receive quality academic assistance.
National Grid Foundation’s support provides two Y staff members offering tutoring and homework help while overseeing the Homework Center. Students arrive after school and can enjoy a snack before beginning their work. Those students struggling with grades and completing their lessons can go to the Homework Center to receive the help that they need whether in the classroom or computer lab.
Staff members and parents see the student accomplishments. Staff member Amanda said, “Homework time allows staff members to provide their knowledge and experience to children. Students struggling with their homework and studies really appreciate the guidance from our staff. Some of the children have Spanish assignments to complete if they attend the dual-language program. It has been amazing to see students improve their grades by working with our staff.”
A parent observes her son’s accomplishment. “My children currently attend the After Care program. I know my first grader tends to have struggles with homework time due to lack of focus or interest. He has been working very closely with one of his counselors during homework time and he is absolutely improving. She helps him focus on his handwriting skills, brainstorming and reading.”
Bob Pettersen, Executive Director of Great South Bay YMCA, says, “The main accomplishment is simple. We assist kids with their schoolwork helping to ensure they are successful at school. It’s also a big help to parents. We also help students who had delays because of the impacts from COVID. It was clearly shared that COVID caused student performance to struggle. This program gave students the extra academic time to help them catch up!”
UNITED WAY MASS BAY
Family Fund /Emergency Home Heating Assistance Program
The incremental $200,000 should provide
utility assistance for roughly 333 households totaling over 830 households served by the entire gift.
Students Succeed at Great South Bay YMCA’s
After-School Tutoring Program
Celebrating 25 Years of Giving!
According to The Book Fairies, the answer is Yes!
Students Succeed at Great South Bay YMCA’s After-School Tutoring Program
After a total of 28 years at National Grid with the last six years at National Grid Foundation, Ed White had decided leave and pursue other professional endeavors effective June 30, 2023. In a letter to partner organizations, Board Chair Eileen Cohen said, “We are grateful to Ed for his leadership, dedication, and extraordinary accomplishments while leading the Foundation. Ed has been a passionate advocate for the Foundation, the many organizations it supports, and has expanded its reach while deepening the connection to our grant recipients.” “Teamwork makes the dream work” and “Living the dream” are two expressions Ed had said often. His belief in those statements resonated with the Foundation team. Ed’s leadership and genuinely positive outlook on life flowed into his work that made his staff, coworkers and others feel at ease and optimistic.
In June 2017, he joined the Foundation as Executive Director. One year later, he took the lead of Social Impact, formerly Corporate Giving, as Vice President. Prior to joining both groups, he worked for the company in several compacities: Vice President/US Program Lead for The Shaping Our Future Strategic Review and Vice President of New Energy Solutions. At the Foundation, Ed’s responsibilities included managing the annual gifting and operating budgets, developing, and implementing grant-making criteria while supervising the staff to create compelling grant proposals. Most importantly, he was a coach, mentor, advisor and friend who helped the Foundation team grow.
During his six-year tenure, the Foundation added new partner organizations, updated its website, and created a quarterly newsletter and annual report. He brought to light that the Foundation’s giving is great as it helps many of our neighbors who are in need. The true sense of giving selflessly is to be there when disaster strikes, or a pandemic occurs but especially to be that constant source of support. Under his lead, the Foundation provided millions of dollars in grants to assist nonprofits during the Covid-19 pandemic, times of food insecurity and when Mother Nature lets everyone know who is in charge when she dumped nearly 100 inches of snow in Buffalo, NY.
Ed shared that the Foundation’s work creates an immeasurable impact on the non-profits and the communities served. He helped National Grid Foundation, and its staff move forward. The Foundation's Board of Directors, in conjunction with National Grid, has launched a search for a new Executive Director. The Board is confident that as the Foundation begins the next chapter in its 25-year history, the new leader will bring a robust commitment to serving the communities that we support, along with ideas that will make our impact even greater. In the future, National Grid Foundation will announce its next Executive Director.