Nicor Gas awards $100,000 in grants to support career readiness and educational initiatives in 2025
NAPERVILLE, Ill., April 9, 2026 - Building on its dedication to create opportunities and foster a skilled and diverse workforce in the communities it proudly serves, Nicor Gas is announcing $100,000 in grants awarded to organizations in 2025 that support educational and career readiness programs.
“At Nicor Gas, we believe that investing in education and career readiness is essential to building stronger communities. We support initiatives that empower students with the skills, resources and opportunities they need to succeed in a changing workforce. By helping individuals prepare for meaningful careers, we’re not only fueling personal growth but also strengthening the future of our communities and our industry,” said Jackie Nagel, manager of Community Engagement at Nicor Gas.
Nicor Gas awarded 23 organizations with grants of up to $5,000 to support their educational and career readiness programs including:
Metro Chicago:
Greater Chicago Advanced Manufacturing Partnership (GCAMP) — Supports a program that introduces young people to technical careers in modern manufacturing.
Cook County:
West Cook County Youth Club — Provides an after-school homework program promoting strong study habits and STEM programming.
Youth Job Center — Supports a job preparation and placement program for high school and post-secondary students.
YWCA Metropolitan Chicago — Supports a construction and trade training program for youth ages 18-25 in the south suburbs.
DeKalb County:
Northern Illinois University Foundation — Supports the sponsorship of the annual STEM Fest, a free event that offers hands-on STEM activities, presentations and exploration of STEM careers.
DuPage County:
Alive Center — Supports STEM lab programs including a makerspace, 3D printing and a STEM Exploration Day Event.
Career and Network Center — Supports job seekers with career coaching, mentorship and skill-building workshops.
CREO DuPage — Supports a comprehensive college preparatory program for seniors in high school.
Kidsmatter Foundation, Inc. — Supports a sponsorship of the annual community job fair that includes community employers and resources for job searching.
Literacy DuPage — Provides individual tutoring sessions to support ESL learners to acquire English speaking, reading and writing skills.
North Central College — Supports a program for first generation college students including resources, career readiness workshops and networking opportunities.
Reading Power, Inc. — Provides a one-on-one tutoring program for K-2nd grade to support reading proficiency.
Kane County:
Center for Success — Provides college preparation for high school students including tutoring, application support, college visits and STEM classes.
Girl Scouts of Northern Illinois — Provides hands-on STEM activities including coding and robotics, engineering and design and environmental STEM activities.
Literacy Volunteers Fox Valley — Supports volunteer tutor training workshops to support ESL learners.
Marklund Children's Home — Provides a functional academics program to improve learning outcomes for students with disabilities.
Valley Sheltered Workshop’s (VSW) — Provides a workplace readiness program for high school students with cognitive disabilities.
McHenry County:
SparkForce, the FMA Foundation — Supports summer manufacturing camps for students ages 12-16.
McLean County:
Illinois State University — Supports a sponsorship of the 2026 ISU Business Week, exposing students to skill-building sessions and leadership workshops.
Junior Achievement of Central Illinois — Provides an online career expo including exposure to careers in manufacturing, healthcare, technology and business careers.
Will County:
Compudopt — Provides hands-on, age-appropriate computer and technical skills programs for 1st-12th grade students.
New Day Employment Network — Provides employment readiness and job skills training for individuals reentering from county detention facilities.
The Bridge Teen Center — Supports a job skills training program through real life experiences at the Bridge Thrift Store.
To learn more about Nicor Gas’ commitment to educational initiatives and career readiness programs, visit www.NicorGas.com/Community
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About Nicor Gas
Nicor Gas is one of four natural gas distribution companies of Southern Company Gas, a wholly owned subsidiary of Southern Company (NYSE: SO), and serves 2.3 million customers in more than 650 communities across Northern Illinois. Ranked as a Most Trusted Utility Brand by Escalent, Nicor Gas is fueling customer choice, innovation, economic growth and a sustainable energy future. Nicor Gas is working to keep bills as low as possible as we continue providing access to clean, safe and reliable natural gas. For more information, visit nicorgas.com.
Media Contact:
Nicole Frett
nfrett@southernco.com