DTE Energy - 1792 Exchange

Rating Overview

DTE Energy is Medium Risk.

DTE Energy often yields to political activism in shaping corporate governance, potentially alienating consumers, dividing employees, and harming shareholders. The company implements race and identity-based policies that replace merit, excellence, and integrity with preferential treatment and outcomes DTE Energy occasionally embraces corporate initiatives that redirect its central focus from business goals to partisan policies and divisive issues at times. This approach fails to safeguard free exercise, free speech, and free enterprise.

Rating Criteria

Corporate Weaponization Risk Levels
Criteria	Risk Level
Cancellations	Medium Risk
Discriminatory Philanthropy	Lower Risk
Employment Protection	High Risk

Corporate Weaponization ⓘ

Corporate Governance and Public Policy Risk Levels
Criteria	Risk Level
Advocacy Bias	Medium Risk
Funding	High Risk
Political Actions	Lower Risk

Corporate Governance and Public Policy ⓘ

Rating Criteria Detail

Criteria Risk Level Rationale

Corporate Weaponization

Criteria:

Has canceled customers, suppliers, or vendors due to their political views or religious beliefs OR corporately boycotts, divests, or sanctions regions, people groups, or industries.

Risk Level:

Medium

Rationale:

DTE Energy received a score of 20 on the 2025 Corporate Equality Index (CEI) from the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), a political stakeholder group. The company recruits employees based on sexual identity issues. The company discriminates against vendors that do not promote divisive sex and gender policies, indicating it prioritizes sexual issues over merit (1)(2). However, DTE Energy has not publicly canceled customers, suppliers, or vendors based on political views or religious beliefs (3).

Criteria:

Charitable giving (including employee matching programs) policies or practices discriminate against charitable organizations based on views or religious beliefs.

Risk Level:

Lower

Rationale:

DTE Energy does not discriminate against charitable organizations based on views or beliefs. Its charitable giving focus areas are “arts and culture, community transformation, economic progress, education and employment, environment and human needs” (1).

Criteria:

Employment policies fail to protect against viewpoint or other discrimination and/or are ideological in nature.

Risk Level:

High

Rationale:

DTE Energy does not provide viewpoint protections for its employees (1). The company prioritizes diversity in its supply chain (2). DTE Energy likely requires unconscious bias training (3).

Corporate Governance and Public Policy

Criteria:

Uses corporate reputation to support causes, organizations, or policies hostile to freedom of expression.

Risk Level:

Medium

Rationale:

DTE Energy’s CEO Gerardo Norcia signed the CEO Action for Diversity & Inclusion pledge, which includes a commitment to promote DEI through bias education training in the workplace (1)(2). Otherwise, there are no publicly known cases of the company using its reputation to advance ideological causes or policies (3).

Criteria:

Uses corporate funds to advance ideological causes, organizations, or policies hostile to freedom of expression.

Risk Level:

High

Rationale:

DTE Energy is a corporate partner of the National LGBT Chamber of Commerce and supports the Detroit Regional LGBT Chamber of Commerce (1)(2). In 2021, the company donated $153,000 to the Tides Foundation (3). In 2020, DTE Energy donated $35,000 to the Michigan Roundtable for Diversity and Inclusion, $35,500 to the YWCA of Greater Flint, $72,000 to the YWCA of Metropolitan Detroit, $28,500 to the YWCA of West Central Michigan, and $228,500 to the Tides Foundation (4). In 2019, the company donated $80,000 to the Michigan Roundtable for Diversity and Inclusion, $150,000 to the Tides Foundation, and $25,000 to the YWCA of Metropolitan Detroit (5). In 2018, DTE Energy donated $25,000 to the Affirmations Lesbian Gay Community Center, $30,000 for the Michigan Roundtable for Diversity and Inclusion, and $75,000 to the Tides Foundation (6). DTE sponsored the Motor City Pride in 2025 (7). The company is a sponsor of Motor City Pride 2026 (8).