CNS contributes $100,000 in community grants to 17 nonprofits

Submitted

Awards recommended by Y-12 employees in 2021 focused on at-risk youth, food insecurity, mental health, and aid to frontline workers

Consolidated Nuclear Security, in partnership with East Tennessee Foundation, recently awarded 17 grants totaling $100,000 to nonprofit organizations in 10 East Tennessee counties: Anderson, Blount, Campbell, Claiborne, Hamblen, Knox, Monroe, Roane, Scott, and Sevier.

The CNS Employee Investment Advisory Committee at Y-12 National Security Complex reviewed dozens of grant proposals this year, conducted staff interviews, and made site visits before recommending funding based on the committee’s four focus areas for the year: at-risk youth, food insecurity, mental health, and aid to frontline workers.

With the latest round of community investment grants, Consolidated Nuclear Security topped $880,000 of investment in the East Tennessee community during the last five years, a press release said.

The CNS Community Investment Fund, established at Y-12 in 2015, is funded by CNS and managed by the East Tennessee Foundation, which serves 25 East Tennessee counties. The CNS Employee Investment Advisory Committee at Y-12 is a group of employees who serve two-year terms and recommend the distribution of funds. The committee allows employees to determine where corporate dollars are invested in their communities.

“The Community Investment Fund is designed to ensure employees are involved in determining how the company’s charitable donations are allocated,” said Jason Bohne, senior director of communications for CNS. “Through our partnership with the East Tennessee Foundation and the involvement of our employees, we are confident the money will have a positive impact in the region.”

“In five years, their grant making across East Tennessee has been substantial,” said Michael McClamroch, president and chief executive officer of ETF. “In 2020, at the start of the pandemic, they worked closely with us to deploy their grants to assist those organizations requesting disaster relief and recovery. This focus continues in 2021 with their grant-making.”

Since its inception, grants from the CNS Community Investment Fund have been distributed to organizations focusing on varied needs, such as school supplies for at-risk youth, school violence prevention, and meal delivery for seniors, the press release said.

The full listing of grants for 2021 is in the table below.  

Organization	Project summary
Aid to Distressed Families of Appalachian Counties (ADFAC)	School supplies for at-risk youth
CASA of Campbell County	Advocacy for abused and neglected children of Campbell County
CASA Monroe, Inc.	Fostering Futures: Supporting youth transitions into adulthood
CONTACT Care Line, Inc.	National suicide prevention hotline
East Tennessee Children’s Hospital	Grow with Me program to support at-risk youth
Family Promise of Knoxville	Safe-keeping prevention and diversion for at-risk youth
FISH Hospitality Pantries	Outreach for critical needs
Girls Incorporated of Tennessee Valley (GITNV)	Wellness initiative
Live Free—Claiborne	Family reunification program
Helen Ross McNabb Center	School-based behavioral health services at Willow Brook Elementary School
HOLA Lakeway	La Tienda de la Gente Project (The People’s Store Project)
The Mend House Sober Living Community for Men	To sustain the program
Metro Drug Coalition	Mental health first aid
Remote Area Medical	Free pop-up clinic and telehealth programs
SafeSpace	School violence prevention program
Scott County Shelter Society	Food stability and school resource funding
Senior Citizens of Campbell County (TN)	Prep-free, home-delivered meals

For more information, contact Jan Elston, vice president for competitive grant programs for East Tennessee Foundation, by phon at (865) 524-1223 or by email at [email protected] or contact Jason Bohne, CNS senior director of communications and public affairs, by phone at (865) 241-1400 or by email at [email protected].  

Consolidated Nuclear Security LLC operates the Pantex Plant in Amarillo, Texas, and the Y-12 National Security Complex in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, under a single contract for the U.S. National Nuclear Security Administration. CNS member companies include Bechtel National Inc.; Leidos Inc.; ATK Launch Systems Inc.; and SOC LLC.