Teachers Can Apply Now For Co-op’s
2008-09 Bright Ideas Education Grants

French Broad Electric Membership Corporation is one of 27 North Carolina electric cooperatives which will fund the Bright Ideas Education Grant Program for the 2008-2009 school year. The cooperative has earmarked $25,000 for classroom-based projects. 

Teachers in public schools located in and near the cooperative’s service territory can learn about the program and apply online at www.ncbrightideas.com. Grants up to $1,500 are available. The deadline is September 26, but teachers who submit their application by late August will be entered in an earlybird drawing for a digital camera.

All North Carolina certified K-12 educators are eligible for a Bright Ideas grant.  Teachers may apply for only one grant each school year; however, teachers may apply each and every year.

Bright Ideas grants finance innovative and creative classroom projects that would otherwise go unfunded. North Carolina’s electric cooperatives have financed a variety of hands-on projects, including activities in music, art, history, language, reading, science, career-planning and information technology.

Simplicity is the hallmark of the application process. The primary elements are narratives explaining the project and how it will benefit students. A sample application is on the website as well as contact information for teachers who have questions or require more information.

Since it began in 1994, the state’s Bright Ideas program has awarded more than $5.9 million in grant money to North Carolina’s teachers to sponsor 5,500 projects benefiting more than 1 million students.

Bright Ideas is part of the electric cooperatives’ ongoing commitment to North Carolina communities.   North Carolina’s electric cooperatives serve more than 2.2 million people in 93 of the state’s 100 counties.