North Carolina’s electric cooperatives are proud to continue supporting local education in their communities, knowing that these investments help shape the next generation of learners and leaders.

In 2025, North Carolina’s electric cooperatives awarded more than $812,000 in Bright Ideas education grants, supporting 741 innovative learning projects. Collectively, the program has now awarded $17 million to fund more than 16,000 projects, empowering four million students across the state since 1994.

These grants help educators reimagine learning, building lesson plans and hands-on projects that spark curiosity.

“Supporting education is an investment in the future of our communities,” said MaKayla Killens, public relations specialist at Piedmont Electric Cooperative. “Through the Helping Hand Foundation and the Bright Ideas program, we’re proud to empower educators with the resources they need to bring innovative ideas to life and create meaningful learning experiences for students across our service area.”

Three decades of Bright Ideas

This past year marked 31 years of the Bright Ideas program, supported by all 26 of North Carolina’s electric cooperatives and serving educators in all 100 counties. But before Bright Ideas reached educators in every corner of the state, the program’s roots were planted along the coast.

In 1994, Brunswick Electric employee Judy Gore was in the check-out line at K-Mart in Whiteville, North Carolina behind a local teacher who was purchasing school supplies for a project. After striking up a conversation with the teacher, Gore learned the educator was using her own money to pay for the materials—something that was becoming common for teachers funding nontraditional projects.

At the time, Gore was already helping develop a new program to assist students in the co-op’s service area. That interaction with a local teacher at K-Mart inspired an idea: a program to help educators fund projects without having to dip into their own pockets. In May 1993, Brunswick Electric awarded its first “Partnerships for Solutions” mini-grants of $250.

The rest of North Carolina’s electric cooperatives recognized the value in what Brunswick Electric was doing for their local teachers, and in August of 1994 the statewide Bright Ideas education grant program was born.

Empowering educators and students

Each year, the impact of the Bright Ideas grant program continues to grow, and so does the creativity of the projects educators submit for funding.

From hydroponic gardens and bee apiaries, to elephant DNA testing and hissing cockroaches that aid in search and rescue efforts, these grants have helped educators push the limits of learning.

“With support from Bright Ideas, we are able to expand our Hispanic library and better reflect the diversity of our school family,” said Avery Artis, principal at North Elementary School and a 2025 Bright Ideas winner from Piedmont Electric Cooperative. “These books help build pride, connection, and a stronger learning community for all of our students. This was my first time applying for a grant, and it truly represents Panda Pride in action.”

Applications for Bright Ideas grants open in April and run until September each year. All 26 of North Carolina’s electric cooperatives select Bright Ideas winners, with grants available in all 100 counties. North Carolina K-12 educators can learn more and apply at ncbrightideas.com.