Iberdrola allocates 1.5 million to its 2019 Social Program

Through the Foundation in Spain, Iberdrola has finalised the 2019 Social Program, which seeks to contribute to social development and improved quality of life for the most vulnerable people in the Spanish territories where the company does business.

Throughout 2019, the company will work closely with 54 social entities, benefiting over 80,000 people through an investment of €1.5 million. 74% of the budget is allocated to finalist projects selected in a call, while the remaining 26% corresponds to alliances with social entities.

The selected projects, which obtain funding of up to a maximum of €40,000 –which must not exceed 50% of the total project budget– focus their efforts on social inclusion, with special attention to children, disabled people and people with serious illnesses.

In addition, these initiatives will encourage volunteering and contribute towards creating direct jobs. In this edition alone, the programme will involve 200 direct jobs and 250 volunteers.

Of all the initiatives chosen, 44% are aimed at avoiding situations of poverty and social exclusion, prioritising the fight against child poverty; 25% address improving the quality of life of people with serious illnesses and the remaining 31% address the social inclusion of people with disabilities.

This initiative, which will take place in Spain, is characteristic of the company's commitment to society and is aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDS) for 2030, integrated into the company's business strategy. Specifically, Iberdrola’s Social Programme focuses its efforts on meeting goals 1 (no poverty), 3 (good health and well-being), 4 (quality education), 5 (gender equality), 10 (reduced inequalities) and 17 (partnerships for the goals).

These plans will be developed by national and local non-profit organizations with proven experience, such as: Cáritas, Save The Children, Fundación Síndrome de Down, Proyecto Hombre, Asociación Española Contra el Cáncer (AECC), Fundación Tomillo and Menudos Corazones.

The criteria of thoroughness, transparency and good governance implemented by these institutions were also taken into account. It was an indispensable requirement that they demonstrate their experience in social projects and for their accounts from the most recent years to have been audited. Another requirement was that their articles of association and documentation must be published on their websites.

The list of selected initiatives has been posted on the Fundación Iberdrola España website.

Iberdrola, committed to society

Iberdrola, through its Social Programme, has already allocated over 8 million euros to social initiatives in Spain that have benefited a total of 270,000 people. Since this plan was launched in 2010, we have promoted over 300 projects that have contributed to social inclusion, especially that of children, young people and women in vulnerable situations.

All these actions, which fall within the framework of Iberdrola's commitment to the creation of value in the regions where it operates, have allowed the creation of 800 jobs and the participation of 2,000 volunteers.

Fundación Iberdrola España also focuses its activities on training and research in the field of energy, through scholarship programmes and grants aimed at young people, biodiversity projects protecting the environment, and cultural development, centred on caring for and maintaining cultural and artistic treasures.

About Iberdrola

Iberdrola is a global energy leader, the number one producer of wind power, and one of the world’s biggest electricity utilities by market capitalisation. The group is present in numerous countries and supplies energy to over 100 million people mainly in Spain, the United Kingdom (Scottish Power), the USA (AVANGRID), Brazil (Neoenergia) and Mexico. With a workforce of 34,000 and assets in excess of €110 billion, it posted revenues of €31.26 billion and a net profit of €2.8 billion in 2017.

Iberdrola is leading the energy transition towards a sustainable model through its investments in energy from renewable sources, smart grids, large-scale energy storage and digital transformation in order to offer its customers the most advanced products and services. Thanks to its commitment to clean energy, Iberdrola is one of the companies with the lowest emissions and an international benchmark for its contribution to the fight against climate change and for the sustainability of the planet. Iberdrola is listed on numerous international sustainability indices, among them the Dow Jones Sustainability Index and FTSE4Good, and it is considered one of the most sustainable electricity utilities in the world.