The projects funded support education and skills development in Science Technology Engineering and Maths (STEM), as well as those that improve green spaces and enhance biodiversity within local communities.
The award is part of nearly £1m that the Drax Foundation has donated globally in this funding round, across the UK and North America.
The Foundation prioritises support for organisations that deliver programmes for under-served and under-represented groups, advance gender equality and support indigenous communities. 100% of its UK funding is for programmes that benefit underserved groups.
Shona King, Drax Group Head of Community, said:
“Drax Foundation is committed to giving back to the communities where we operate. We are delighted to share that our second round of grants, totaling £225,000, will benefit six projects in England. These include charities doing vital work to help school children build their STEM skills and others which improve green spaces and biodiversity for local people to enjoy.”
Pete Tighe, Partnership and Development Manager at CatZero, said,
“The CatZero team are proud to be delivering their groundbreaking employability programme early in 2024 generously funded and supported by the Drax Foundation.
“We cannot thank the Drax team enough for their support and enthusiasm towards the work we undertake. The programme will offer 14 young adults from Goole the opportunity to undertake challenging and motivational activities, qualifications, employability skills and a unique sailing voyage on our 72’ Challenge yacht, “CatZero”. This will be a truly life changing experience.”
The organisations in England who were awarded funding, include:
- CatZero: Operates a personal development programme which supports economically inactive or unemployed young people to develop their skills. Drax Foundation’s funding will help the project engage 14 individuals aged 18+ and help them overcome barriers to employment.
- Eden-Rose Coppice: The ECO Garden Charity in Ipswich delivers STEM programmes that highlight the connection between nature, mental health and gender equity. The Foundation’s funding will revitalise a neglected town centre woodland and provide over 740 people with STEM education opportunities.
- Enthuse – STEM Learning: A UK not-for-profit with a vision to deliver world-leading STEM education for every young person. Drax Foundation’s donation will facilitate partnerships in disadvantaged communities, providing STEM skills training for 12,800 young people.
- Friends of the Lower Derwent Valley: Situated close to North Yorkshire’s Drax Power Station, this charity oversees the ‘Nature Recovery – It’s in Our Hands’ project which involves community-led conservation and nature-based STEM education for children and adults. The new funding will enable the charity to engage 500 young people, including local school children, to get closer to the natural world and build their employability skills.
- HETA: The Yorkshire-based charity supports apprentice engineers in the Humber. They will use the Foundation’s funding to improve the practical and employability skills of 144 apprentices.
- Teach First: A charity with a mission to end educational inequality in the UK. Drax’s donation will help recruit 37 STEM trainee teachers who will be able to support over 4,600 pupils.
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 first 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
ENDS
Media contacts:
Nicolas Morales
Communications Officer
E: [email protected]
T: 07756289343
Editor’s Notes:
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 around 3,000 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
Power generation:
Drax owns and operates a portfolio of renewable electricity generation assets in England and Scotland. The assets include the UK’s largest power station, based at Selby, North Yorkshire, which supplies five percent of the country’s electricity needs.
Having converted Drax Power Station to use sustainable biomass instead of coal it has become the UK’s biggest renewable power generator and the largest decarbonisation project in Europe. It is also where Drax is piloting the groundbreaking negative emissions technology BECCS within its CCUS (Carbon Capture Utilisation and Storage) Incubation Area.
Its pumped storage, hydro and energy from waste assets in Scotland include Cruachan Power Station – a flexible pumped storage facility within the hollowed-out mountain Ben Cruachan.
The Group also aims to build on its BECCS innovation at Drax Power Station with a target to deliver 4 million tonnes of negative CO2 emissions each year from new-build BECCS outside of the UK by 2030 and is currently developing models for North American and European markets.
Pellet production and supply:
The Group has 18 operational pellet plants and developments with nameplate production capacity of around 5 million tonnes a year.
Drax is targeting 8 million tonnes of production capacity by 2030, which will require the development of over 3 million tonnes of new biomass pellet production capacity. The pellets are produced using materials sourced from sustainably managed working forests and are supplied to third party customers in Europe and Asia for the generation of renewable power.
Drax’s pellet plants supply biomass used at its own power station in North Yorkshire, England to generate flexible, renewable power for the UK’s homes and businesses, and also to customers in Europe and Asia.
Customers:
Drax supplies renewable electricity to UK businesses, offering a range of energy-related services including energy optimisation, as well as electric vehicle strategy and management.
To find out more go to the website www.energy.drax.com
