Commitment To Our Community
CNX has been part of our Appalachian region for 160 years, and the pride we have for Appalachian communities is hard to put into words. So we’re putting it into action. The CNX Foundation is committed to supporting grassroots projects and community organizations that may otherwise struggle to compete for funding with more established entities.
CNX has committed $30 million toward improving our communities and generating long-term, sustainable returns for the region, our industry, and our company. “We are on a mission to change the trajectory of our region and to improve the lives of our neighbors,” said CNX President and CEO Nick DeIuliis. “Our industry is the lifeblood of the regional economy and the foundation of our social fabric. These investments will provide returns for our local communities for years to come. This is what sustainability and ESG mean to CNX.”
The CNX Foundation philosophy aligns with our Tangible, Impactful, Local focus, and seeks to help those who need it most. We are not interested in simply donating money. We facilitate creative problem-solving by bringing together a diverse range of partners and resources to invest in challenges that are often overlooked or ignored.
Mission of the Foundation
CNX Foundation invests tangibly, impactfully, and locally to target urban and rural communities within the Appalachian Basin facing socio-economic challenges. These investments should demonstrate a return to both the targeted community and the advancement of the goals of the Foundation.
Understanding our philosophy starts with understanding the meaning of the Tangible, Impactful, and Local initiatives we support:
We are focused on making a real and measurable difference in the communities we serve.
We seek to identify true needs within our community so our support will have an immediate and long-lasting impact in helping specific programs within the region meet their goals.
Our efforts are rooted in supporting communities in our operational footprint so we can foster more opportunities for growth, close to home.
CNX Foundation is dedicated to supporting organizations that focus their efforts on addressing community initiatives in the following key areas:
Community investment is more than a financial commitment. We strive to enhance our communities by lending our time and talent to organizations across the region. In 2023, the CNX Foundation invested $3.1 million dollars in 121 initiatives aligned with its Tangible, Impactful, Local community focus. At the end of 2023, we have contributed $15 million as part of our pledge to invest $30 million through 2026 in local initiatives supporting underserved causes within our operating footprint.
The CNX Foundation—with significant commitment and involvement from our CEO—makes Tangible investments in our community and its most valuable asset: its people. At the request of the CEO, CNX’s Board of Directors approved a $1.5 million reduction in annual CEO compensation for 2024. Following similar reductions in CEO compensation in 2023 ($1.5) and in 2022 ($1 million), the funds will once again be reallocated to support CNX Foundation initiatives, including a collaboration between CNX and the Community College of Allegheny County (CCAC) See more here.
CNX is partnering with CCAC to remove barriers and create career pathways for veterans, survivors of domestic violence and opioid addiction, and the formerly incarcerated by providing the knowledge and skills needed to access and thrive in the region’s evolving energy economy. Additional funding will support the Emergency GAP Fund, providing direct assistance to students experiencing financial hardship.
CNX Foundation welcomes organizations within our region to fill out an application below. Grant requests will be accepted from October 1st through November 30th, each year. Applications must be submitted online.
Supporting Substance Recovery
CNX Foundation invested $1 million to help patients in recovery take the first steps toward healing. Located in the heart of rural southwestern Pennsylvania, the facility (Penn Highlands Mon Valley) is the first of its kind to provide recovery care to these communities. The unit has physicians and nursing staff available around-the-clock, along with therapists, to support patients on their journey to recovery.
“Having the support of an organization that understands how important it is to serve the community is invaluable,” said Peter Adamo, Regional Market President Southwestern Region for Penn Highlands. “The opioid crisis affects not only the patient, but those we consider ‘extended patients’—their family members. If we do not turn this crisis around, it will continue to devastate entire communities across our region. I am so appreciative of the CNX Foundation and I am looking forward to our continued relationship.”
Supporting Local First Responders
CNX donated over $101,000 to first responders at more than twenty organizations—including $28,000 to Russell County, Tazewell County, and Buchanan County, Virginia—to support facility improvements, equipment, and supplies. CNX Foundation was proud to support the West Finley Volunteer Fire Company (VFC) with a $10,000 donation to fund its ALS battery system, which helps volunteer firefighters perform chest compressions in the field for up to 40 minutes. CNX Foundation is grateful to the West Finley VFC and other Appalachian first responders for providing essential services to our local communities.
Alleviating School Lunch Debts
CNX Foundation hosted two events—a golf outing and a clay shoot—to raise awareness for school lunch debts across the Appalachian region. Forty-three sponsors raised over $41,000 to pay off school lunch debts in seven school districts and helped alleviate financial burdens for struggling families and, in some instances, unlocked high school diplomas that were being kept from students for lack of payment. Beneficiary school districts included:
- Central Greene School District
- West Greene School District
- Kiski Area School District
- McGuffey School District
- Russell County Public Schools
- Buchanan County Public Schools
- Tazewell County Public Schools
“On behalf of the district, thank you for providing such a generous donation to assist our student lunch debt. We sincerely appreciate your generosity and will be sure to notify the families you have helped support. Thank you!” ~Jaclyn Walker, Director of Food Services at Kiski Area School District
Supporting Local Military and Veterans
The holidays can be tough on military families, especially if a loved one is deployed or unable to be home. CNX Foundation provided 115 holiday meal boxes to veteran families across the Appalachian region.
In Southwest Virginia alone, 72 veterans at the Veterans Administration clinic in Tazewell County, Virginia received Thanksgiving food boxes—courtesy of the CNX Foundation—as a thank you for their service to our country.
“This project was one small way we could say thank you to the veterans in our community for their service,” said Brian Green, Vice President of CNX Resources Virginia Operations. “We appreciate all that each of them have done through their service in various branches of the military to ensure that all of us enjoy the freedoms we enjoy today.”