Dominion Foundation Offers $500,000 in Higher Education Grants

- Focus on post-secondary education to develop work force knowledge and skills

- Grants of up to $50,000 for Virginia schools

- Total of $500,000 to be awarded in the program

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Apr 01, 2010, 08:00 ET

RICHMOND, Va., April 1 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- The Dominion Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Dominion Resources (NYSE: D), is accepting applications for the Dominion Higher Educational Partnership, a new competitive grant program for Virginia colleges, community colleges and post-secondary training schools.

"Tomorrow's work force demands specialized knowledge and skills," said William C. Hall Jr., a vice president of Dominion and president of The Dominion Foundation. "This program is designed to increase student interest in critically important areas."

Information and the application form are available here: http://www.dom.com/about/education/grants/higher-educational-partnership.jsp or on Dominion's Web page at: www.dom.com, keyword "higher ed." Applications must be submitted online.

Grants will be for programs in business, skilled craft, engineering, environmental and technical studies and for student-led conservation programs.

A total of about $500,000 is expected to be awarded through the program, with an average grant of about $25,000. Grants of up to $50,000 will be awarded for exceptional programs, based in part on having immediate benefits for students, the campus and the community.

The deadline for applying for grants is June 10. The foundation will notify applicants in early August. Prospective applicants may contact Dominion's educational partnership coordinator by email at [email protected].

Dominion, its charitable foundation and its employees this year will donate millions of dollars and more than 125,000 volunteer hours in programs that help improve the quality of life for people in the states in which Dominion operates. The Dominion Foundation's focus areas include preservation of natural and historic resources, work force development and education, diversity initiatives, neighborhood and community development, and basic needs for food and shelter.

Dominion is one of the nation's largest producers and transporters of energy, with a portfolio of more than 27,500 megawatts of generation. Dominion operates the nation's largest natural gas storage system and serves retail energy customers in 12 states. For more information about Dominion, visit the company's Web site at www.dom.com.

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SOURCE Dominion Virginia Power