Avangrid Foundation Awards $50,000 Grant to Monroe Community College Foundation to Support Students Facing Financial Emergencies

ROCHESTER, N.Y.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov 5, 2026--

The Avangrid Foundation, the philanthropic arm of leading energy company Avangrid Inc, member of the Iberdrola Group and parent company of Rochester Gas & Electric, today announced a $50,000 grant to the Monroe Community College Foundation to help students at Monroe Community College overcome unexpected financial challenges and continue making progress toward graduation.

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The grant will support MCC Assist, an emergency microgrant program that provides eligible students with grants of up to $500 for immediate needs such as housing, food, childcare, transportation, and emergency car repairs. These expenses can mean the difference between remaining enrolled and stopping out before completing a degree.

“An unexpected expense should not become a permanent barrier to a student’s education,” said Pablo Colón, Executive Director of the Avangrid Foundation. “Our partnership with Monroe Community College has helped students overcome financial challenges, remain focused on their education and prepare for meaningful careers. By investing in student success, we are also helping strengthen the workforce and communities that depend on the skills and contributions of MCC graduates.”

"For 13 years, the Avangrid Foundation has recognized that student success requires more than access to a classroom," said Gretchen Wood, Executive Director of the MCC Foundation and Vice President of Institutional Advancement at MCC. "Their continued generosity helps ensure that a temporary financial setback doesn't become a permanent barrier to earning a degree. We're incredibly grateful for their commitment to our students and our community."

More than half of MCC students experience some form of basic-needs insecurity, underscoring the importance of resources that help students remain enrolled when an unexpected expense arises. MCC Assist is part of the college’s broader approach to student success, combining academic programs, personalized support and emergency resources that help students persist through short-term challenges. During the 2025–2026 academic year, MCC Assist awarded more than $70,000 in emergency assistance to 266 students.

The latest grant continues a 13-year partnership between the Avangrid Foundation and Monroe Community College. During that time, the Foundation has provided $650,000 in cumulative support to help MCC students overcome financial barriers and pursue their educational goals.

About Avangrid Foundation: The Avangrid Foundation is an independent, nonprofit organization that funds philanthropic investments that primarily impact communities where Avangrid, Inc. and its subsidiaries operate. Since 2001, the Avangrid Foundation and its predecessors have invested more than $45 million in partnerships that focus on building sustainable, vital and healthy communities; preserving cultural and artistic heritage; advancing education; and improving people’s lives. The Avangrid Foundation is committed to advancing the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals in the United States. For more information, please visit https://www.avangrid.com/avangrid-foundation.

About Avangrid: Avangrid, Inc. is a leading U.S. energy company investing in grid infrastructure and power generation projects to deliver reliable energy and meet growing electricity demand. With approximately $50 billion in assets and operations across 25 states, Avangrid is helping modernize the U.S. electric grid, improve system resiliency, and support economic growth for the customers and communities it serves.

Avangrid owns and operates seven electric and natural gas utilities, serving more than 3.4 million customers in New York and New England. Avangrid also has nearly 100 energy generation facilities across the United States and more than 11 gigawatts of installed capacity. Avangrid has more than 8,300 employees and was named among the World's Most Ethical Companies in 2026 for the eighth consecutive year by the Ethisphere Institute. Avangrid is a member of the Iberdrola Group.

About Monroe Community College: Monroe Community College, based in Monroe County, New York, was founded in 1961 and is part of the State University of New York (SUNY) system. With four main campuses, MCC offers more than 100-degree, credit, and non-credit programs. MCC is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE), is a member of the League of Innovation in the Community College, and is one of ten community colleges participating in the Aspen College Institute’s Unlocking Opportunity: The Post-Graduation Success and Equity Network.

About the Monroe Community College Foundation: The Monroe Community College Foundation is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt not-for-profit organization established in 1983. The MCC Foundation seeks philanthropic investments from private and corporate donors to advance academic innovation and success at MCC.

Pictured L to R: Trish Nilsen, CEO of NYSEG and RG&E, Pablo Colón, Director of Corporate Citizenship and Executive Director of the Avangrid Foundation, and Dr. DeAnna Burt-Nanna, MCC President

NEW YORK (AP) — Five retired umpires have sued their retirement plan from their work for Major League Baseball and the plan's retirement committee, alleging they are owed additional money.

Joe West, Tom Hallion, Gerry Davis, Larry Vanover and Jerry Layne filed the lawsuit on Sept. 29 in federal court in New York.

They claimed their benefits were not correctly calculated and alleged they should receive additional money under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974. Their lawyer, Paul B. Holmes, said Thursday the amount owed the five is in excess of $5 million.

West said that when he brought up the issue to the retirement committee, he was offered a relatively small sum. West said MLB senior vice president and chief employment counsel Steven Gonzalez told him: “If you don't like the number, sue us.”

“Does Steve Gonzalez not know my history with dealing with lawsuits?” West said.

West, who worked a record 5,460 regular-season games from 1976-2021, was awarded $500,000 in damages in 2021 for a defamation suit against former All-Star catcher Paul LoDuca.

MLB declined comment Wednesday, citing the pending lawsuit. The suit was first reported by USA Today.

West and Davis retired after the 2021 season, Hallion after 2022, and Layne and Vanover at the end of 2024. The suit was filed against the American Leagues and National Leagues of Professional Baseball Clubs Retirement Income Plan for Umpires and that entity's retirement committee.

“In some of the issues you could argue it both ways, but in a couple of the issues it was pretty clear that they were just shorting the umpires,” Holmes said. “And so we went through the process and we went through settlement talks. I think these guys were willing to take something less than 100% of what we thought they were entitled to just to avoid litigation and be done with it, but MLB’s offers were not very competitive.”

These umpires sued as individuals. The Major League Baseball Umpires Association is not a party.

“The union wanted to stay out of it,” Holmes said. “It's not a big union and they're not pension experts.”

U.S. District Judge Ronnie Abrams scheduled a pretrial conference for Dec. 11.

See AP’s full MLB coverage here

FILE - Home plate umpire Joe West works during the first inning of a baseball game between the Tampa Bay Rays and the Toronto Blue Jays Tuesday, Sept. 21, 2021, in St. Petersburg, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara, File)