With back-to-school season right around the corner, educators are getting ready to stock their classrooms with supplies in anticipation of an exciting school year. North Carolina’s electric cooperatives are offering a special incentive for educators who apply early for a 2024-25 Bright Ideas education grant – a little help with those last-minute items on their wish list.
All educators who apply before the early bird deadline of Aug. 15 will be automatically entered into a drawing to win one of five $100 gift cards. The five winners will be randomly selected and awarded their prize by their local electric cooperative. Last year, nearly 400 educators submitted applications ahead of the early bird deadline.
30 years of Bright Ideas
A shared initiative of all 26 of North Carolina’s electric cooperatives, the Bright Ideas education grant program was created in 1994 to bring learning to life in classrooms across the state and support projects that may otherwise not be funded.
Thirty years later, North Carolina’s 26 electric cooperatives have collectively awarded nearly $16 million in grants, supporting more than 14,700 projects and benefiting close to four million students statewide.
“Tri-County EMC and all of North Carolina’s electric cooperatives are committed to investing in education in our local communities and supporting our state’s educators, students and schools through the Bright Ideas grant program,” said Deidra Grantham, manager of marketing and communications at Tri-County EMC. “We encourage all of our state’s outstanding educators to apply for a Bright Ideas grant this year and we are excited to partner with them to help bring their creative classroom projects to life.”
Tri-County EMC awards Bright Ideas grants to local educators. (Photo courtesy of Tri-County EMC).
Apply for a 2024-25 Bright Ideas grant
Bright Ideas grants are available to K-12 educators in all 100 North Carolina counties and funding is awarded for projects across a variety of curriculum areas including art, history, math, reading, science, technology and more. Educators can apply as individuals or as a team.
The number of grants awarded each year varies, but nearly 600 grants were awarded statewide last year totaling approximately $700,000. Winners received grants ranging from $300 to $3,000 to help create memorable and lasting educational experiences for North Carolina students.
The final deadline for submitting grant applications is Sept. 15 for most cooperatives, however interested applicants are encouraged to visit their local co-op’s website to find more information on application requirements and deadlines.
To learn more about the program and apply, please visit www.ncbrightideas.com.