Local Teachers Can Apply for 2020 Bright Ideas Grants

For more than 25 years, EnergyUnited has partnered with local educators to bring learning to life through the Bright Ideas education grant program. Starting April 1, educators can apply for Bright Ideas grants of up to $2,000 for innovative, hands-on classroom projects that would not otherwise be funded. Educators can learn more and apply online at www.ncbrightideas.com.

EnergyUnited expects to award more than $40,000 in Bright Ideas grants this year to teachers throughout our 19-county service territory. The grants are available to K-12 teachers for projects in any subject, and educators can apply individually or as a team.

Applications will be accepted now through Sept. 15, 2020. Teachers who submit their applications by the early bird deadline of Aug. 15 will be entered to win one of five $100 Visa gift cards.

To apply, teachers must include a budget; explain the implementation, goals, creative elements and evaluation of the project; and have approval from their school’s principal. Applications will be judged through a competitive evaluation process, with judges looking for projects that feature inventive and creative approaches to learning. Grant-writing tips can be found at www.ncbrightideas.com.

Bright Ideas grants are available through each of North Carolina’s 26 electric cooperatives, including EnergyUnited. In 2019, North Carolina’s electric cooperatives collectively set a record by awarding more than $716,000 in Bright Ideas funding for 660 projects – the most awarded in a single year in the history of the program. Since the program began in 1994, educators statewide have received more than $12.9 million in Bright Ideas grant funding, and approximately 2.5 million North Carolina students have participated in 12,359 Bright Ideas-funded projects.