Four County EMC Kicks Off Bright Ideas Grant Program
April 1st, 2013
Teachers Can Apply Now for Education Grants up to $2,000!Four County EMC and North Carolina�s electric cooperatives have pledged nearly $600,000 to the state�s teachers in Bright Ideas education grant funding for the 2013-14 school year and are accepting grant applications beginning April 1. Grants of up to $2,000 will be awarded directly to educators for creative, hands-on classroom projects that would not otherwise be funded. Teachers can learn more and apply online at www.ncbrightideas.com.
“We are so pleased to give teachers new resources to make a difference for students by bringing their creative ideas to life,” said Gay Johnson, Director of Corporate Communications of Four County EMC
Four County EMC expects to award $19,860 in Bright Ideas grants this year to teachers in Bladen, Duplin, Pender and Sampson counties. The grants are available to certified K-12 teachers for innovative projects in any subject. Teachers can apply individually or as a team and are encouraged to apply online.
Applications will be accepted April 1 through September 20, but it could pay to apply early. Teachers who submit their applications by the early bird deadline of Friday, August 16 will be entered to win a $500 Visa gift card.
To apply, teachers must include a budget, explain the creative elements, implementation, goals and evaluation of the project, and have approval from the school principal. Applications will be judged in a competitive evaluation process, and judges will be on the lookout for projects that feature innovation and creativity. The application, grant-writing tips and examples of past winning proposals can be found at www.ncbrightideas.com.
North Carolina’s electric cooperatives created the Bright Ideas grant program in 1994 to improve education by engaging students in meaningful learning projects that encourage creative approaches. Since then, North Carolina’s electric cooperatives have contributed more than $8.5 million to teachers for 8,300 projects benefiting more than 1.5 million students.
“Year after year, we are amazed by the creativity and dedication that our teachers put into their applications,” Johnson said. “We’re proud to continue the co-op’s long tradition of supporting educators and investing in the future of our state.”
Four County EMC serves over 32,000 members in Bladen, Duplin, Pender, Sampson, Columbus and Onslow counties.
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