Alabama Power Foundation Inc.

The Alabama Power Foundation operates as Alabama's largest corporate foundation, funded entirely through Alabama Power shareholder resources — not customer ratepayers. This distinction matters: the foundation has genuine endowment independence (assets of $117.9M in 2024, generating ~$8-10M in net investment income annually) and has more than doubled its annual grantmaking from $6.9M in 2012 to $22.8M in 2023. That trajectory signals sustained commitment and growing capacity.

The foundation's giving philosophy centers on community infrastructure over individual services: top grantees like Auburn University Foundation ($1.75M across 28 grants), United Way of Central Alabama ($941K across 28 grants), UAB ($1.05M across 8 grants), and Miles College ($600K across 10 grants) all represent anchor institutions with demonstrated community reach. These long-term relationships — many spanning dozens of grant cycles — reveal a funder that values reliability, accountability, and existing organizational capacity over emerging or experimental work.

For first-time applicants, the most important framing principle is alignment with Alabama Power's geographic service territory. Of 2,350 recorded grants, 92% (2,166) went to Alabama-based recipients. The remaining grants largely represent national organizations with Alabama operations (Teach For America, Scholarship America, March of Dimes) rather than out-of-state independent organizations. If your work does not demonstrably serve Alabamians living within the utility's service footprint, the path to funding is very narrow.

The application process for Foundation Grants ($10,000+) is entirely direct — no letter of inquiry is required. Two cycles run annually (December and June deadlines), with award notifications roughly three months later. Smaller programs (Champion, Scholar, Classroom, Gateway, etc.) use separate application windows and are handled independently. Organizations new to the foundation should start with a smaller programmatic grant to build a track record, then graduate to the flagship Foundation Grant program once a relationship is established. Leadership engagement — the foundation's Elevate Conference is a documented relationship-building venue — should be considered an investment in long-term funding access.

Alabama Power Foundation's grantmaking has grown substantially over the past decade. Total giving rose from $6.9M (2012) to a recent peak of $22.8M (2023), with grants paid specifically reaching $19.7M in 2023. The 2024 fiscal year reported $12.3M in revenue (primarily investment income) but has not yet filed complete giving data; the powerofgood.com site reported $16.7M in total 2024 contributions, consistent with recent trend lines.

Across 2,350 recorded grants in the database, the average grant is $13,782 — but this figure is skewed heavily by a small number of very large multi-year grants at the top. Prosper Birmingham LLC received $3,000,000 across just 2 grants ($1.5M average). The Alabama Shakespeare Festival received $1,000,000 across 2 grants. The Crimson Tide Foundation received $800,000 across 2 grants. At the other end, educator grants (Champion, Scholar, Classroom) run $1,000–$5,000 and community mini-grants (Gateway, Good Roots, Power to Play, Field Trip, Students to Stewards) range from $1,000–$2,500. The Foundation Grants flagship program begins at $10,000 with no stated maximum.

Geographically, Alabama dominates (2,166 of 2,350 grants, or 92%). The out-of-state grants largely flow to national organizations with Alabama operations: Georgia (38), Michigan (38), New York (26), Virginia (12), Texas (10), DC (20).

By organizational type, higher education receives disproportionately large allocations — Auburn, UAB, Miles College, University of Alabama, Alabama A&M, Alabama State University, Jacksonville State, Faulkner, Talladega College, Shelton State, and Bishop State collectively represent millions in cumulative giving. United Way affiliates (Central Alabama, Southwest Alabama, East Central Alabama), workforce development organizations (Woodlawn Foundation, Build Up, Strive International), and human services providers (YMCA, A.G. Gaston Boys & Girls Club, Jimmie Hale Mission) are also consistently represented. Arts institutions (Alabama Shakespeare Festival, Red Mountain Theatre) receive significant individual awards. Total assets peaked at $164.3M in 2021 before declining to $117.9M in 2024, reflecting both market fluctuations and elevated payout rates.

The five asset-matched peers identified in the foundation's profile are all general philanthropy/grantmaking foundations with similar endowment sizes (~$117-118M), but differ significantly in geography, application accessibility, and programmatic focus.

The Alabama Power Foundation stands out among its asset-matched peers in two key ways: it is unusually accessible (open applications twice annually with clear deadlines), and it deploys a notably high percentage of assets annually — $22.8M on $121.5M in assets equals an ~18.8% payout rate in 2023, far above the 5% minimum typically seen. This generosity reflects the corporate foundation model where parent company contributions supplement endowment returns. For grant seekers, this means the foundation is more approachable and higher-volume than most similarly sized private foundations.

The foundation's most notable recent event was the 2025 Elevate Conference, held September 17-18 at multiple Birmingham locations under the theme 'Growing Together.' Keynote speakers included Brittany Wagner (Netflix's 'Last Chance U') and Sgt. Noah Galloway, a veteran and mental health advocate. Foundation President Staci Brown Brooks led the event, describing the conference as a vehicle for 'serendipitous service' through nonprofit collaboration. Panel topics included succession planning and legal landscape navigation — topics that signal the foundation's interest in building durable nonprofit infrastructure rather than just funding programs.

In March 2025, the foundation publicized its full 2025 educator grant calendar, with Champion and Scholar cycles opening April and again in late summer. Recent named grant recipients include Auburn High School JROTC (Champion Grant), East Franklin High School (Scholar Grant), Demopolis Middle School and Central High School (Power to Play Grants), and Oxford's historic main street (Good Roots Grant).

Leadership has stabilized under Staci Brown Brooks, who holds dual titles as VP of Charitable Giving at Alabama Power and President of the Foundation. Earlier leadership transitions — Myla Calhoun to Tequila Smith to Staci Brooks — occurred between 2020-2022. No leadership changes have been announced for 2025-2026.

The foundation crossed $289.7M in cumulative giving since its 1989 founding — a milestone referenced in 2025 communications — and maintains the distinction of being Alabama's largest corporate foundation. Grant applications for the flagship Foundation Grants program are set to reopen in early 2026.

Timing is everything. The flagship Foundation Grants program runs exactly two cycles per year. Cycle 1 closes approximately December 19 with March award notifications; Cycle 2 closes approximately June 19 with September notifications. Missing a deadline means waiting six months. Begin preparation at least 60 days before the deadline to allow time to gather audited financials, board lists, and multi-funder documentation.

Prepare the complete application package offline first. The online portal has no save function — submitting an incomplete application is not recoverable. Required materials: valid EIN, physical mailing address (not a P.O. Box), project title and description, overall cost and timeline, counties impacted, populations served, project budget showing specifically how Foundation funding will be used, most recent audited financial statement or three consecutive years of Form 990, current operating budget, and board of directors list with employer affiliations.

For grants under $10,000, skip the portal entirely. Contact your regional Alabama Power division representative directly — this is the intended pathway for smaller requests, and using the online portal for sub-$10K requests may actually disadvantage your application.

Use the foundation's exact language. Proposals should demonstrate alignment with the five named focus areas: Educational Advancement, Civic and Community Development, Arts and Cultural Enrichment, Health and Human Services, and Environmental Stewardship. The application asks you to state which initiative you align with — don't leave this ambiguous.

Demonstrate replicability and multi-funder support. The foundation explicitly favors programs that attract multiple funding sources and are 'replicable in other communities.' Include a funding sources table showing co-investment from other funders.

Attend the Elevate Conference. This annual fall event is the foundation's primary relationship-building venue for nonprofits. Meeting foundation program staff in person before submitting a competitive Foundation Grant application significantly strengthens the relationship. Past conferences have featured panels directly relevant to application success.

Financial need matters. The foundation gives priority to organizations with overall financial need — a smaller or less-resourced organization is not disadvantaged relative to anchor institutions if it can demonstrate need convincingly.