Educators, Apply for a Bright Ideas Grant Beginning April 1!
March 26th, 2019
Apply for a Bright Ideas grant beginning April 1. Four County EMC is once again partnering with local educators to bring learning to life through the Bright Ideas education grant program. Starting April 1, educators can submit an application 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 or at www.fourcty.org.
“The Bright Ideas grant program seeks to encourage teacher originality and student engagement by funding projects that take a creative approach to learning,” said Gay Johnson, Director of Corporate Communications. “Four County EMC is proud to be part of this long-standing effort to support both education and our local community.”
This year marks the 25th anniversary of the Bright Ideas Education Grant program. Four County expects to award over $19,500 in Bright Ideas grants this year to teachers in Bladen, Duplin, Pender and Sampson counties. The grants are available to K-12 teachers for projects in any subject, and educators can apply individually or as a team and are encouraged to apply online.
Applications will be accepted April 1 through Sept. 23, 2019. 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 North Carolina’s 26 independent electric cooperatives, including Four County EMC. In 2018, North Carolina’s electric cooperatives collectively set a record by awarding more than $675,000 in Bright Ideas funding – 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 $12.2 million in Bright Ideas grant funding, and more than 2.3 million North Carolina students have participated in 11,700 Bright Ideas-funded projects. Locally, Four County EMC has funded more than $400,000 to educators in our service area.
Four County EMC serves over 32,500 members in Bladen, Duplin, Pender, Sampson, Columbus and Onslow counties. For more information, visit www.fourcty.org