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Innovation

People

Governance

Introduction

Social Responsibility

Environment

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CEO Message

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More Connectivity

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Code of Ethics

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Energy Assistance

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Forestry and Timber

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Renewable Solutions

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Energy Portfolio

Water

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Leading the Way

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Sustainability Message

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Environmental Spotlight

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Commercial and Industrial Solutions

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Our Values

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Racial Justice

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Supply Chain Diversity

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Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

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Culture

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Overview

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Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

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Community Support

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Stewardship and Conservation

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Electric Vehicles

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Community Partnerships

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About Us

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Customer Focus

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Accelerating Energy

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Southern Research

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Growing local early-stage technology startups

Accelerating Entrepreneurship

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Sustainability Council and Board of Directors

Leadership

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Storm Restoration

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Recognitions

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Accelerating Education

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Workforce Development

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More Resilient

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Safety

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Reduced emissions. Increased efficiencies.

National Carbon Capture Center

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Political Engagement

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Reducing Emissions

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COVID-19 relief

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Creating long-term value with lasting impacts

Foundation

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Research and Development

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Volunteerism

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Grid Modernization

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Smart Solutions

Intro 1-1

<h3 style="color: #ec1c24; text-align: center; font-size: 1.8vw;">&#8220;<em>Sustainability has been a part of our business from the beginning.&#8221;</em></h3>
<p style="color: #ec1c24; text-align: center;">&#8211; Stephanie Cooper</p>


Intro 1-2

<h6 class="no-underline" style="color: #959595;">OVERVIEW</h6>
<h2 style="color: #959595;">Alabama<br />
Power</h2>


<h6>01</h6>
<p>Sustainability. At its very core, it’s about creating something that lasts. Something dependable, reliable and thriving. For Alabama Power, sustainability is powering our state and the people who live here. It starts with prioritizing the needs of our customers and working to meet those needs safely and responsibly. That’s been our approach for more than a century through a series of efforts, each a <strong>plus </strong>toward our impact on the communities we serve.</p>


<h6>02</h6>
<p>While 2020 was a year defined by uncertainty, our team navigated the challenges with strength and resiliency. We adapted our business operations to keep employees safe during the global pandemic, supporting customers who rely on us, helping with the state’s recovery and planning for its future. The racial justice movement added focus to our efforts for lasting, meaningful change in equity and inclusion in our company, state and nation. And, the historic hurricane season reaffirmed our ongoing commitment to providing reliable service to customers.</p>


<h6>03</h6>
<p>While corporate responsibility and environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues have received increasing attention by the global community, Alabama Power was built on the pillars of sustainability. The focus on ESG aligns with the foundation of our business &#8211; doing our part to meet the needs of our customers, employees and communities. For us, sustainability is collaborative, intentional and incremental – every day, every week, every year. Everything we do to make our company and state better is a plus &#8211; toward creating a more prosperous Alabama. </p>


Intro 1-3

<h6 class="no-underline" style="color: #969696;">LEADERSHIP</h6>
<h2 style="color: #969696;">Sustainability<br />
Council</h2>


<h2 style="color: #959595;">Board of<br />
Directors</h2>


<h3 style="color: #ec1c24; text-align: center;">We are grateful to James K. Lowder who has recently retired from our Board of Directors after more than 20 years of dedicated service.</h3>


Intro 1-4

<h6 class="no-underline" style="color: #969696;">ABOUT US</h6>
<h2 style="color: #969696;">Facts &amp;<br />
statistics</h2>


Intro 1-5

People 1-1

<h6 class="no-underline" style="color: white;">OVERVIEW</h6>
<h2 style="color: white;">Stronger<br />
together</h2>


<h6>01</h6>
<p>We are powered by our team. The better our team, the better we are able to serve our customers, to make the multitude of incremental changes that aggregate into a sustainable, positive and prosperous future.</p>
<p>We work hard to assemble the team, to keep them safe and help them thrive in a culture that inspires every employee. We value diversity, different backgrounds and life experiences. Our people are the foundation upon which we build.</p>


People 1-2

<h6 class="no-underline" style="color: #ec1c24;">SAFETY</h6>
<h2 style="color: #ec1c24;">Safety is always first</h2>
<p>Safety First is our number one value. We work safely and we watch out for each other. Our goal is for everyone to go home healthy, every day. We do not compromise on safety – and we continuously measure the effectiveness of our safety efforts, performance and culture.</p>
<p>The safety of our employees and customers is the first order of business. That’s why we begin every meeting and job with a safety briefing. Whether working in a high-risk environment in the field, or not, each of our employees is reminded multiple times each day that safety is not just about the absence of injuries, but, more importantly, is about the readiness to respond to risk and the controls we have in place.</p>
<p>We also know that it is important to teach electrical safety in our communities. Safe-T-Opolis is a free, interactive program for fourth grade students that uses a tabletop miniature city charged with 11,000 Volts to teach how to be safe around electricity. Created in 1987, Safe-T-Opolis is endorsed by the Alabama Department of Education and taught by about 300 specially trained Alabama Power employees called Lifeliners. During the pandemic, Lifeliners have adapted to online Safe-T-Opolis and Power Play programs and nearly 650 schools have participated.</p>
<p>Power Play is a web-based video game developed by Southern Company to enhance the safety education program. This is a first of its kind in the industry and allows students to virtually navigate unsafe situations involving electricity. Together, we are also developing Power Quest VR, a virtual reality safety program designed for high school students.</p>
<p>Alabama Power offers an online Electric Academy that provides free safety resources for educators and parents. During the pandemic, we also brought back an old, familiar friend to many Alabamians: Louie the Lightning Bug, first developed for the company in 1983, and later adopted by other utilities around the globe. A Learn with Louie website focused on electrical safety and activities was launched to help parents keep kids engaged in remote learning activities.</p>


People 1-3

<h6 class="no-underline" style="color: white;">DIVERSITY, EQUITY AND INCLUSION</h6>
<h2 style="color: white;">Advancing inclusion</h2>


<h6>01</h6>
<p>We continue to work to create a culture where employees are empowered to be authentic and bold. We recognize our responsibility to advance diversity, equity and inclusion in our workplace and throughout our state – and are committed to creating meaningful change.</p>


<h6>02</h6>
<p>We created Council on Culture and Inclusion (CCI) in 2018 as part of our intentional effort to:</p>
<p>•  Attract, develop and retain employees of diverse backgrounds.</p>
<p>•  Raise awareness of the company’s diversity and inclusion challenges, strategies and successes.</p>
<p>•  Listen and respond to recommendations throughout the company to create an environment of inclusion, respect and fairness among all employees.</p>


<h6>03</h6>
<p>In 2020, we had an increased focus on diversity, equity and inclusion as a result of the events of racial injustice in our country. Following a period of focused listening sessions from employees across the company, the CCI developed an action plan to complement the Southern Company system’s <a href="http://southerncompany.info/htmlemail/Moving-to-Racial-Equity.pdf">Movement to Racial Equity</a>, aligning with the these priorities:</p>
<ul>
<li>Expand programs with proven success and establish new partnerships to develop the workforce pipeline by creating job opportunities for underrepresented talent.</li>
<li>Improve cultural knowledge and competencies through ongoing inclusive culture training.</li>
<li>Connect employee performance to racial equity work and progress through regular reviews of representation equity and leadership accountability.</li>
<li>Leverage our purchasing and procurement efforts to create economic opportunities for minority-owned, female-owned and disadvantaged businesses.</li>
</ul>


<h6>04</h6>
<p>Each year we develop and implement a comprehensive Culture and Inclusion Strategic Report to further advance this long-term company initiative. This award-winning publication communicates progress to employees and shares plans for the coming year. Some of the 2020 initiatives included:</p>
<ul>
<li>Increasing digital resources on mental health, working remotely, career development, financial fitness and physical wellness for employees during adjusted business operations due to the ongoing pandemic.</li>
<li>Providing tools and resources to help employees increase their understanding of one another, current events and systems of inequity that have existed for generations. The “Our Shared Responsibility” video series shared personal messages from company leaders on how the events of racial injustice affected them and their commitment to promote racial equity and inclusion.</li>
<li>Hosting virtual events, including town hall meetings for all employees on COVID-19 operations and the company’s response to social injustice.</li>
<li>Increasing digital and web-based efforts during the pandemic to ensure that our consistent communication on culture was reaching off-site employees.</li>
</ul>


People 1-4

<h2><span style="color: #ec1c24;">Powering the next generation</span></h2>
<p>At Alabama Power, we understand the vital role that workforce development plays in positioning our company and state for future success. Our goal is to elevate Alabama communities and we are committed to supporting workforce investments that train, create jobs and promote the economic advancement of Alabamians.</p>
<p>Some of our contributions include:</p>
<ul>
<li>Lineworker Training Expansion: Through partnerships with community colleges, we have expanded our lineworker training efforts in Birmingham and Mobile. As these programs see continued success, we’re working to partner with colleges in Montgomery and other Alabama communities.</li>
<li>HVAC Training Center: We’ve partnered with Bevill State Community College to prepare students with the skills necessary to be effective in the HVAC industry, including product application, installation, performance analysis and product service. This program helps fill an emerging gap in technical training and prepares graduates for meaningful careers.</li>
<li>Virtual Apprenticeship Accelerator: In partnership with the North America’s Building Trades Unions, Southern Company hosted a virtual Apprenticeship Accelerator to focus on Apprentice Readiness Programs (ARPs), best practices and systemwide company commitment to these successful programs.</li>
</ul>


<h2 style="color: white;"><em>The pursuit of talent</em></h2>


<p>Our customers have diverse perspectives and experiences and it’s critical that our employees do too. Our efforts to recruit a diverse talent pool are intentional and focused. A diverse workplace brings together a spectrum of points of view that is not only representative of the communities we serve, but also encourages creativity and innovation.</p>
<p>Our employees make Alabama Power a great place to work. We work together as a team, and each employee contributes to our success. We invest in the well-being of our employees through a comprehensive compensation and benefits strategy that offers physical, emotional and financial security.</p>


People 1-5

<h3><span style="color: #ec1c24;">Award winning</span></h3>
<p>Alabama Power is an industry leader. Through strategic partnerships with public and private entities, we successfully benchmark among our peers. These 2020 recognitions are a testament to the hard work of many people, including our dedicated employees.</p>


<ul>
<li>Edison Electric Institute Advocacy Excellence Award for strategic efforts to expand broadband through the company’s fiber capacity and to close Alabama’s digital divide.</li>
<li>EEI Emergency Assistance Award and Emergency Recovery Award for outstanding power restoration efforts after Hurricanes Laura and Sally, and for extraordinary efforts to assist other electric companies’ power restoration efforts, and to restore power to Alabama customers after service disruptions caused by severe weather conditions or other natural events.</li>
</ul>


<ul>
<li>Association of Edison Illuminating Companies Achievement Award for Cellular Router with Power Backup and Phase Outage Notification for development and deployment of a communication system for transmitting meter data over a cellular connection that provides outage notification when its connected meter loses power.</li>
<li>Alabama NAACP Corporate Advocacy Award for providing critical resources and information to people affected by COVID-19 during the more than six-month suspension of disconnections and late payments.</li>
</ul>


<ul>
<li>National Association of Secretaries of State Medallion Award for efforts following Hurricane Zeta to ensure polling locations had power for Election Day.</li>
<li>Smart Grid Award by POWER Magazine for Smart Neighborhood in Reynolds Landing community at Ross Bridge.</li>
<li>Top 20 Utilities in Economic Development by Site Selection magazine.</li>
</ul>


<ul>
<li>Partners for Environmental Progress Environmental Stewardship award for work in restoring wood duck habitats in the Upper Delta Wildlife Management area.</li>
<li>Birmingham Business Journal’s Companies of the Decade.</li>
<li>Birmingham Business Journal’s CEO of the Decade, Mark Crosswhite.</li>
<li>The regional International Association of Business Communicators awarded six Silver Quill Awards for writing achievement.</li>
<li>The Association of Marketing and Communications Professionals recognized writing, electronic media and video with seven international Hermes Creative Awards.</li>
<li>Southern Company ranked No. 26 in the top 50 companies by DiversityInc.</li>
<li>Southern Company recognized as Best Places to Work for LGBTQ Equality by the Human Rights Campaign Foundation.</li>
</ul>


People 1-6

Environment One

Enviro 1-1

<h6 class="no-underline" style="color: #00bcf1;">OVERVIEW</h6>
<h2 style="color: #00bcf1;">Protecting resources<br />
for the future</h2>


<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h6>01</h6>
<p>Alabama is a beautiful place with extraordinary resources. Protecting those resources while providing clean, safe, reliable, affordable electricity for our customers is at the center of our company’s mission.</p>
<p>We work to minimize our environmental impact and take our compliance responsibilities seriously. We support efforts to preserve our natural resources and strengthen the communities in which we live, work and serve. To help guide us in this effort, we are focused on investing in research and development, innovative energy solutions and eco-stewardship.</p>


Enviro 1-2

Environment Two

<h6>01</h6>
<p>Alabama is one of the most ecologically diverse places in the nation. Alabama Power strives to protect those resources – in the field, in communities, in the way we serve our customers and in our compliance.</p>
<p>Every day, our biologists and environmental scientists work to protect wildlife and collect crucial data that contributes to scientific knowledge of Alabama’s natural heritage. All while our employees provide leadership in their communities by serving nonprofits focused on conservation.</p>
<p>As one of the largest managers of land and water resources in the state, Alabama Power aims to strengthen wildlife habitats and protect river ecosystems. We partner with federal, state and local organizations on stewardship and conservation efforts through research and education initiatives. These efforts are visible throughout this report.</p>


<h6>02</h6>
<p>We know that sharing our passion for the environment through education is a way to sustain these efforts for the future, so we have invested in programs that support the next generation of conservationists.</p>
<p><strong>Five Star and Urban Waters Restoration</strong> is a public-private partnership that provides grants and technical support for community-based education and outreach projects in coastal and wetland areas. Since 2006, more than 100 acres of wetlands and 6,000 feet of protective vegetative buffers have been restored along Alabama waterways.</p>
<p><strong>Students to Stewards</strong> provides schools with conservation education and outdoor classroom grants to teach students the importance of preserving Alabama’s natural resources with real-world, hands-on learning opportunities.</p>
<p>We’re committed to protecting and maintaining invaluable natural resources, because today’s stewardship efforts are an investment in sustaining our common future.</p>


Enviro 2-1

<h6 class="no-underline" style="color: white;">AIR</h6>
<h2 style="color: white;">More power,<br />
fewer emissions</h2>


<h6>01</h6>
<p>We have continually invested in diverse generation assets and new technologies to support sustainable energy generation. Since the late 1990s, Alabama Power has spent $4 billion on environmental controls and other ongoing measures to meet federal standards. And through 2020, we also have reduced emissions of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides by more than 99% and 92% respectively. To realize such a positive impact, we continued our efforts to meet and exceed federal standards to protect human health and the environment through new emission control technologies.</p>


Enviro 2-2

<h6 class="no-underline" style="color: white;">WATER</h6>
<h2 style="color: white;">Bolstering our<br />
liquid assets</h2>


<p style="text-align: center;">No other organization in the state of Alabama manages more water than Alabama Power. With 11 company-owned lakes and 14 hydroelectric plants that produce emission-free electricity, we devote a great deal of effort toward improving those resources for future generations. Our reservoirs span 157,000 acres of land and 4,000 miles of shoreline, and provide clean drinking water and 65 recreation sites, as well as vibrant habitats for fish and wildlife.</p>


Enviro 2-3

<h6 class="no-underline" style="color: #00bcf1;">REDUCE, REUSE, RECYCLE</h6>
<h2 style="color: #00bcf1;">We seek to minimize waste in our operations and prioritize safety in all that we do</h2>


<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h6>01</h6>
<p>We seek to reduce our impact.</p>
<p>We reuse water. Approximately 95% of the water we use to create power and cool our plants goes back into the river or lake safely and responsibly for downstream use.</p>
<p>Our facilities are equipped with water treatment systems to help assure that the quality of these water bodies is maintained to support a healthy aquatic community and drinking water system.</p>
<p>We monitor and sample water quality at discharge points as part of our compliance with National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permits.</p>


<h6>02</h6>
<p>We recycle byproducts. Coal combustion residuals (CCRs) are beneficially reused in building materials like concrete and drywall. In 2020, close to 100% of CCRs from Alabama Power facilities were recycled, leading to improved strength and durability of the materials created. We’ll continue recycling as we safely and securely close our coal ash ponds, which have not received any new materials since 2019.</p>
<p>To learn more about our CCR efforts, <a href="https://www.alabamapower.com/company/about-us/how-we-operate/ccr-rule-and-compliance.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">click here.</a></p>


Enviro 2-4

<h6 class="no-underline" style="color: #00bcf1;">ENVIRONMENTAL SPOTLIGHT</h6>
<h2 style="color: #00bcf1;">Keeping it<br />
clean</h2>


<h3 style="color: #00bcf1;">Renew Our Rivers</h3>
<p>Our dedication to the long-term health of Alabama waterways extends beyond our operations. Organized by Alabama Power employees from Plant Gadsden in 2000 and continuing to this day, Renew Our Rivers is one of the nation’s largest river cleanup programs. With the help of local community partners, volunteers and organizations, Alabama Power has coordinated more than 122,500 volunteers and removed more than 16 million pounds of trash and debris from the 77,000 miles of Alabama rivers and streams.</p>


<p>Our water cleanup work isn’t limited to inland waterways. The Alabama Power Foundation supports Alabama Coastal Cleanup, a part of the International Coastal Cleanup effort to remove marine debris from coastal waters around the world.</p>


<h3 style="color: #00bcf1;">Repurposed Reef</h3>
<p>Through a public-private partnership with the Alabama Wildlife Federation, Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources and Cooper/T. Smith, Alabama Power has found a way to extend the usefulness of aging equipment, developing new habitat for fish in the Gulf of Mexico. In 2016, two boilers were taken out of service at plants in Washington and Mobile counties, then sunk about 25 miles south of Sand Island Lighthouse to create a reef for red snapper, gray snapper, blennies, damselfish and amberjack.</p>


<p>In 2020, three more tanks were taken from a plant in Mobile and added to Alabama’s vast artificial reef network, finding a new home about eight miles off the coast of Dauphin Island. It’s a great example of how we’re working together with others in both the public and private sectors to find innovative ways to give old equipment new life, while strengthening the environment along the way.</p>


Enviro 2-5

<h6 class="no-underline" style="color: white;">FORESTRY AND TIMBER</h6>
<h2 style="color: white;">Rooted in<br />
restoration</h2>


<h3 style="color: #00bcf1;"><em>The Longleaf Landscape Stewardship Fund</em></h3>
<p>As the state tree, the longleaf pine holds a special place with Alabamians. But as an ecosystem, it contains a stunning diversity of plants and animals, including several endangered species. Once encompassing more than 90 million acres of North America, less than 5% of its original acreage remains, so sustaining this ecological network is of vital importance.</p>
<p>Alabama Power is proud to be one of many partners in the Longleaf Landscape Stewardship Fund – a landmark public-private partnership dedicated to restoring the longleaf pine ecosystem. The fund has invested more than $127 million into projects that have conserved or restored more than 2 million acres of longleaf pine. In 2020, five of the partnership’s projects were located in Alabama, strengthening the capacity of local organizations and landowners to lead restoration efforts.</p>
<p>The Longleaf Landscape Stewardship Fund builds on the success of the Longleaf Legacy Program, a partnership between Southern Company and the National Fish and Wildlife Federation. Since 2004, Southern Company has given more than $8.5 million to support projects throughout the Southeast to restore more than 87,000 acres of longleaf pine forest and the native species that rely on it.</p>


<p>As a powerful source of good in our state, the Alabama Power Foundation helps protect natural resources through its grants. One of those efforts is the Good Roots Program, a partnership between the Alabama Urban Forestry Association and the Alabama Forestry Commission.</p>
<p>Good Roots grants provide up to $1,000 to help cities, towns, schools and nonprofits plant trees to enhance community green spaces. This program not only contributes to economic and cultural well-being, it also promotes natural beautification and restoration, and goes a long way toward building up and sustaining our communities while improving the lives of those who live there.</p>


<h3 style="text-align: center; color: #00bcf1;">Positive Growth</h3>
<p style="text-align: center;">Alabama Power employs best practices in all aspects of our timber operations, including reforestation, erosion control and prescribed burning and thinning, which are necessary to keep habitats thriving. We’re committed to preserving the beauty, richness and diversity of our state’s natural landscape. Today’s stewardship efforts are part of an ongoing investment in sustaining our common future, one that has a long history and profound impact.</p>


Enviro 2-7

Environment Three

<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h6 class="no-underline" style="color: #00bcf1;">RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT</h6>
<h2 style="color: #00bcf1;">Leading innovation</h2>
<p>The cutting-edge technologies pioneered in Alabama are not only bringing jobs and opportunity to the state, but are being adopted industrywide to make a global difference.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>


Enviro 3-1

<h6 class="no-underline" style="color: #00bcf1;">NATIONAL CARBON CAPTURE CENTER</h6>
<h2 style="color: #00bcf1;">Reduced emissions,<br />
increased efficiencies</h2>


<h6>01</h6>
<p>At Alabama Power, we have always looked for new and innovative ways to reduce our impact. Initiatives and new technologies have continually changed the way we operate.</p>
<p>The National Carbon Capture Center has realized breakthroughs in next-generation technologies. Managed and operated by Southern Company, this world-class facility works with innovators from around the world to accelerate the development of technologies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from natural gas and fossil-based power plants, and to promote carbon utilization and direct air capture solutions.</p>


Enviro 3-2

<h6 class="no-underline" style="color: white;">SOUTHERN RESEARCH</h6>
<h2 style="color: white;">Stored<br />
energy</h2>


<h6>02</h6>
<p>Bold solutions require bold partnerships. Such is the award-winning partnership of the Energy Storage Research Center (ESRC) – a collaboration between Southern Research, Alabama Power, Southern Company, the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), the United States Department of Energy, the Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the state of Alabama. Assembled to advance technologies to help continue to meet rapidly-evolving customer needs, the ESRC’s goal is to help create energy storage solutions that will build the future of energy.</p>


Enviro 3-3

Social Responsibility One

<h6 class="no-underline" style="color: #b2d235;">SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY</h6>
<h2 style="color: #b2d235;">Alabama&#8217;s most treasured<br />
resource is her people</h2>
<p>Our customers are the center of our business. While Alabama Power’s number one mission is to provide clean, safe, reliable and affordable power, we also challenge ourselves to help people and the state prosper.</p>
<p>We collaborate with a broad range of public and private organizations to catalyze sustainable growth. Through the Alabama Power Foundation and volunteerism across the breadth of our organization – from our leadership, to our employee families, to those who’ve retired – we support Alabama. That’s why our leadership serves on more than 150 nonprofit boards across the state.</p>


Social 1-1

<h6 class="no-underline" style="color: #b2d235;">COVID-19 RELIEF</h6>
<h2 style="color: #b2d235;">We are all in this together</h2>


<p>For many of us, there has never been a more unsettling time than the year 2020. The pandemic has affected every individual and every company in Alabama to varying degrees. We’ve worked hard to do our part to protect our employees, help our customers and sustain the business community.</p>


<h2 style="color: #b2d235;">Staying safe</h2>
<p>Our Alabama Power team is 6,200 members strong. We knew that a part of stopping the spread of this virus began with protecting our employees. As an essential business, we never closed, so we implemented measures designed to keep employees and customers safe.</p>
<ul>
<li>We shifted to staggered work schedules at critical facilities and focused on essential work to sustain operations and maintain business continuity.</li>
<li>For six months, we limited walk-in services at our local business offices across the state to ensure the safety of our employees and our customers.</li>
<li>We are continuing to take proactive measures to prevent the spread of the virus including additional personal protective equipment, social distancing, aggressive sanitization practices and limited business travel.</li>
</ul>


<h4><span style="color: #b2d235;">Supporting customers</span></h4>
<p>When COVID-19 hit, we began monitoring its impact on our economy. Right away, we committed to helping businesses across the state, from offering advice on accessing federal resources to working with customers who needed help.</p>
<p>For more than six months, Alabama Power did not disconnect any customers unable to pay their bills. Our customer service team remained available to help customers with individual attention 24 hours a day, seven days a week with payment kiosks, drop boxes, drive-thru options, as well as phone and online services. More than 2,500 alternate payment locations at local retailers were also available.</p>


<p>We joined Gov. Kay Ivey’s ALTogether initiative, a one-stop shop where Alabamians can ask for help or lend a hand during the COVID-19 crisis. We partnered in the mission to connect businesses, nonprofits and people in need with the right resources.</p>
<p>The Alabama Power Foundation partnered with the Black Belt Community Foundation, HOPE Credit Union and others to create the Black Belt Community Foundation COVID-19 Access Program. This fund gave Black Belt cities and counties immediate access to capital for COVID-19 response needs so they could take advantage of federal funding provided through the CARES Act. We leveraged our experience to help the Hispanic Interest Coalition of Alabama (HICA) to provide COVID-19 support, technical assistance and programs to support financial education and management for local Hispanic communities.</p>


<p>When the virus struck, the Alabama Power Foundation and the Alabama Business Charitable Trust (ABC Trust) pledged $1 million in relief for communities in crisis and continues with ongoing support addressing food insecurity, health and human services and education during the pandemic. A foundation grant was used to support Concerned Oystermen Restoring Estuaries, which buys surplus, oversized oysters from farmers and redeploys them in wild reef habitats in need of restoration.</p>
<p>And – every bit as important as these programs – we continued to provide the reliable service our customers – hospitals, first responders, essential businesses &#8211; depend on.</p>


Social 1-3

<h6 style="color: white;" class="no-underline">RACIAL JUSTICE</h6>
<h2 style="color: white;">Our shared<br />
responsibility</h2>


<p>We are committed to ensuring that racism has no place in our company and communities. While justice and equality are embedded in our corporate values, we recognize there is work to be done to end systemic racism in our country.</p>
<p>We recognize Alabama’s place in the history of the civil rights movement – and we support causes that empower our communities. Along with other foundations in the Southern Company family, we are committing $200 million over five years to advance racial equity and social justice in our communities. Our support efforts will focus on economic empowerment, education and criminal justice reform. We will continue to support the work of organizations making sustainable change in our communities, including:</p>
<ul>
<li>Birmingham Civil Rights Institute – supporting educational, community engagement and public programs.</li>
<li>Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) Foundation – advancing the global Black community by developing leaders, informing policy and educating the public.</li>
<li>Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) – programming for the Alabama Poor People’s Campaign effort to educate and engage communities across the state of Alabama in the topics of civic engagement and civil rights history.</li>
</ul>


<p>Of this commitment, $100 million will be dedicated to advancing educational equality, which includes a $50 million multiyear pledge to Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) to help provide students with scholarships, internships, leadership development and access to technology and innovation to support career readiness.</p>
<p>As part of this financial pledge, Alabama Power and Southern Company announced $1.75 million in technology grants to support the state’s four-year HBCUs. Institutions receiving funding for technology-specific projects include Alabama A&amp;M, Alabama State, Miles, Oakwood, Stillman, Talladega and Tuskegee.</p>
<p>With 14 HBCUs, the largest number in the country, Alabama is uniquely positioned to engage and further strengthen the approximate $1.5 billion in economic impact these institutions provide to the state.</p>


Social 1-4

<h6 class="no-underline" style="color: #b2d235;">SUPPLY CHAIN DIVERSITY</h6>
<h2 style="color: #b2d235;">A VITAL goal</h2>


<p>A truly inclusive economy requires intention in purchasing and procurement. Diversity in the supply chain does more than just add richness and depth to our communities – a culture of diverse business leadership helps to create ecosystems that value entrepreneurship and innovation.</p>
<p>Greater Birmingham has a population that is 28% Black but owns just 3% of local businesses. The City of Birmingham launched the VITAL Program (Valuing Inclusion To Accelerate and Lift) in order to address this disparity by encouraging businesses to improve supplier diversity and look for opportunities to work with minority, female and other Disadvantaged Business Enterprises. As part of this VITAL initiative, we are active in plans to add jobs, promote entrepreneurship and help sustain small businesses.</p>


<p>Our statewide programs are designed to provide solid business opportunities for small and diverse businesses, including minority-owned, female-owned, HUBZone, veteran-owned and service-disabled veteran-owned businesses. Before the global pandemic, Alabama Power and other Southern Company system companies spent nearly $1 billion with suppliers in our state in 2019. Of that amount, $598 million went to small and diverse suppliers, and we’ve committed to increase that spending.</p>


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