Charter Communications yesterday announced its commitment to award $2.5 million over the next five years to local nonprofits through Spectrum Employee Community Grants (SECG), the company's employee-driven grants program which recognizes the value of community service. In celebration of SECG's five-year anniversary and in commemoration of the Martin Luther King Jr. National Day of Service, Charter pledges to support a minimum of 500 nonprofit organizations, impacting more than 70,000 community members, through 2028.
Launched in 2019, SECG supports nonprofits nominated by Charter employees with a personal connection to the organization through at least one year of their own volunteer work. Grant recipients, located across Charter's 41-state service area, receive donations of up to $10,000 to deliver critical social services to underserved community members, such as food pantries, homeless shelters and clothing distribution. Organizations have used SECG donations to support job training for veterans, pay overdue rent and utility bills for those in crisis and improve the living conditions of homeless and emergency shelters.
In celebration of the program's five-year anniversary, Charter will host an SECG-organized employee volunteer event in Tampa on January 18 alongside grant recipient Metropolitan Ministries, a nonprofit dedicated to serving homeless individuals and families through food, housing and children's services. Since 2020, Charter has awarded $30,000 to Metropolitan Ministries through SECG for emergency food and clothing assistance for the homeless. Charter employees will gather to volunteer their time during the celebration in honor of the work organizations like Metropolitan Ministries have done for their communities, in part with SECG's support.
Rhonda Crichlow, Senior Vice President, Chief Diversity Officer for Charter
Over the past five years, Spectrum Employee Community Grants has supported hundreds of nonprofits that hold a meaningful connection to the Charter employees who nominate them, and to the communities they serve. Looking forward to the next five years, we're renewing our commitment to SECG by increasing our investment in the program in support of our employees' dedication to volunteer work and vital community organizations that enhance the lives of local residents.
Tim Marks, President and CEO for Metropolitan Ministries
Over the last 51 years, Metropolitan Ministries has grown from a single room food pantry to a regional multiservice organization serving over 100,000 people annually. We are appreciative of the incredible support we've received from Charter and Spectrum Employee Community Grants, which has helped us to sustain critical programs, like our emergency food fund, as we further our mission to strengthen the communities we serve.
