TEACHERS APPLY NOW FOR BRIGHT IDEAS GRANTS AND A CHANCE TO WIN $500

The Bright Ideas education grant program, which awards funding to teachers in North Carolina for innovative classroom-based projects, is accepting applications. North Carolina’s Touchstone Energy cooperatives, including North Carolina Electric Membership Corporation in Raleigh, have earmarked more than $590,000 to distribute to teachers this coming school year. The final deadline to apply for a grant is in September, but educators who apply by the Aug. 15 “early bird” deadline will be entered into a drawing for a $500 Visa gift card.

“North Carolina Electric Membership Corporation is proud to support teachers whose creative and impactful educational programs truly make a difference for our children,” said Lindsey Listrom, Bright Ideas coordinator for the state’s electric cooperatives. “We hope this year even more teachers will apply by August 15 and have a chance to win the $500 Visa gift card.”

Certified teachers in K-12 classrooms are eligible to apply for Bright Ideas grants for creative projects that would otherwise go unfunded. Maximum grant amounts range from $1,000 to $3,000, depending on the sponsoring cooperative. Teachers can learn about the Bright Ideas program and apply online at www.ncbrightideas.com.

The drawing for the $500 gift card will be held on Sept. 1, and the winning teacher will be notified immediately and recognized on the Bright Ideas website and Facebook page.

Since the Bright Ideas program began in 1994, the electric cooperatives have awarded more than $7.3 million in grant money to North Carolina's teachers to sponsor more than 7,000 projects benefiting more than 1.3 million students.

The grant application includes an explanation and outline of the proposed project, its creative elements and its benefit to students in the classroom. A list of participating schools, a sample application and featured grants are available on the Bright Ideas website, along with contact information for Bright Ideas program administrators.

The Bright Ideas education grant program is part of the electric cooperatives’ ongoing commitment to North Carolina communities. North Carolina’s electric cooperatives serve more than 2.5 million people in 93 of the state’s 100 counties.

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