Beginning April 1, 2022 educators can apply for grants up to $2,000 to fund innovative projects
Burgaw, N.C. – For more than 25 years, Four County EMC has partnered with local educators to bring learning to life through the Bright Ideas education grant program. Starting April 1, educators can apply for Bright Ideas grants of up to $2,000 for innovative, hands-on classroom projects that would not otherwise be funded. Educators can apply online on the NC Bright Ideas website.
“Our teachers go above and beyond for their students and we are happy to support them,” said Jeremy Dewberry, Marketing and Economic Development Supervisor. “Year after year, it is wonderful to see how these grants make a difference.”
Four County expects to award over $25,000.00 in Bright Ideas grants this year to teachers in Pender, Duplin, Bladen, 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.
Applications will be accepted from April 1 through September 15, 2022. Teachers who submit their applications by the early bird deadline of August 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 on the NC Bright Ideas website.
Bright Ideas grants are available through each of North Carolina’s 26 electric cooperatives, including Four County EMC. In 2019, North Carolina’s electric cooperatives collectively set a record by awarding more than $716,000 in Bright Ideas funding for 660 projects – 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 $13.6 million in Bright Ideas grant funding, and approximately 2.7 million North Carolina students have participated in more than 13,000 Bright Ideas-funded projects.
Four County EMC serves approximately 32,500 members throughout Bladen, Duplin, Pender, Sampson, Columbus, and Onslow counties. For more information about the electric cooperative, visit our wesbite.