2018 Kerala Floods Relief Effort

DTE Energy Foundation to Match Employee, Retiree, and Contractor Gifts Made Through the DTE Energy Employee Disaster Relief Fund

The DTE Energy Employee Disaster Relief Fund will accept gifts to support public charities providing relief to the victims of the Kerala floods in India. To encourage support of these efforts, the DTE Energy Foundation will match donations by DTE employees, retirees, and contractors dollar for dollar. Gifts will be accepted from Tuesday, September 25, 2018, through Friday, October 12, 2018.  Gifts will be accepted in amounts ranging from $10 to $1,000 per person.

To be eligible for matching funds, gifts must be made online by credit card to the DTE Energy Employee Disaster Relief Fund by visiting this site.  Gifts made directly to other relief efforts, while meaningful, will not be matched by the DTE Energy Foundation.

About the Kerala Floods

Beginning in August 2018, severe floods affected the south Indian state of Kerala due to unusually high rainfall during the monsoon season.  It was the worst flooding in Kerala in nearly a century.  More than 400 people died, and at least a million people were evacuated.  The flooding has affected hundreds of villages, with thousands of homes damaged or destroyed by floodwaters that some estimated at nearly ten feet high.  An estimated 6,200 miles of roads were also destroyed.  The flooding also caused the closure of the airport in Kochi.  Media reports estimate the flooding has cause $3 billion in damage to Kerala.

Your Support

The generosity of DTE Energy employees, retirees, and contractors is deeply appreciated.  The DTE Energy Foundation is grateful to be able to continue to match your caring support of those in need.  Ultimately, the charities providing relief services that will be supported through this matching gift opportunity will be recommended by an advisory committee to the fund.  The Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan will help provide background information and guidance to that advisory committee as it makes its grant recommendations.

In order for your gift to be deductible, federal tax law requires that we notify you that your gift to the DTE Energy Employee Disaster Relief Fund is under the “exclusive legal control” of the Community Foundation. Please note that this mandatory notification does not alter the ability of the advisory committee to recommend grants from the fund. If the recommended organization loses its tax exempt status, has closed, or for some reason, your gift becomes impossible, impractical or illegal to fulfill, the Board of Trustees of the Community Foundation is required by law to use its variance power to support a similar cause or charitable purpose in line with the recommendation. Please contact us if you have any questions.