Making a difference together: Our 2024 community impact
We believe in giving back to the communities where we live and work. We're excited to share our 2024 Community Partnerships Impact Report, showing all the exciting ways that we teamed up with local groups to make a positive difference across South Australia! It's all about making our state a better, stronger, and brighter place for everyone.
Our Community Partnerships Program
Our Community Partnerships program is all about working together with different organisations and groups. During the past year, our focus was across four important areas:
- Helping the community
- Keeping people safe
- Building a sustainable future
- Encouraging innovation
During the year, we put extra effort into helping communities that need it most, supporting youth education, and making sure everyone feels included, especially First Nations peoples. We also proudly supported many sports clubs and arts festivals. Our main goal? To help create a more connected and thriving South Australia for generations to come.
Highlights from 2024
We had a fantastic year with many achievements! Here are just a few:
- Safety on the roads: Over 11,000 people learned about road safety through the MFS Road Awareness Program, which we supported.
- Supporting young people: We helped over 3,000 young people in sports clubs learn about preventing violence through the Sammy D Foundation.
- Caring for nature: We had 481 amazing volunteer growers helping Trees For Life.
- Art and culture for all: Over 27,558 people enjoyed "Universal Kingdom: Prehistoric Nights" at Adelaide Zoo with Illuminate Adelaide, and 3,075 children experienced live orchestra music through the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra's learning programs.
- Helping families: We supported 17 women and their families with grants to help them get back on their feet after domestic abuse, through the Zahra Foundation.
Celebrating the iconic Stobie pole
Did you know the Stobie pole turned 100 years old in 2024? These unique poles have been delivering electricity across our state for a century! We celebrated this special milestone by working with partners throughout the year. During the History Festival, we launched "Portraits of Power," an outdoor exhibition featuring 100 portraits of South Australians displayed on Stobie poles across the state. We also teamed up with Helpmann Academy for the third "Stobie Pole Project," where emerging artists transformed some of our poles into vibrant artworks. It's a great way to celebrate history and support local talent!
Empowering communities with grants
Our Community Grants program helps smaller groups make a big difference right in their local area. In 2024, our grants focused on making South Australia greener and more sustainable. We gave grants of up to $5,000 to 30 diverse groups for projects like solar-powered community centres and community gardens. More than half of this funding went to projects in regional and remote areas! Since starting in 2022, we've contributed over $375,000 to community projects across the state.
Our Employee Foundation: Giving Back Together
Our commitment to the community also shines through our Employee Foundation! This is a registered not-for-profit charity within our organisation, created to help our employees give back to causes across South Australia.
SA Power Networks supports the Foundation by dollar-matching employee fundraising efforts up to $5,000. This means when an employee raises money for a cause they care about, we help them double their impact! Plus, we offer all employees one paid day of volunteering leave each year, encouraging everyone to get out and make a difference in their local communities. The Foundation plays a key role in connecting our team with charities across the state, making sure our contributions are meaningful and impactful
We are incredibly proud of what we've achieved together with our partners and the community in 2024. Your support helps us continue to empower South Australia!
Want to learn more about the positive change we're creating?
Read the full 2024 Community Partnerships Impact Report here!