Bright Ideas Grant Program Sponsored by Jones-Onslow EMC and North Carolina’s Touchstone Energy Cooperatives

Mission Statement The Bright Ideas grant program, sponsored by Jones-Onslow EMC and North Carolina’s electric cooperatives, strives to improve education in North Carolina classrooms by awarding grants to teachers for innovative, classroom-based projects in grades K-12 that would not otherwise be funded.

Historical Information Continued Totals Jones-Onslow EMC The Bright Ideas education grant program began in The totals for Jones-Onslow EMC since then… More than 1200 projects have been sponsored More than 425,000 students have benefited from Bright Ideas grants More than $933,00 has been awarded in the schools we sponsor over the past 19 years More than $65,000 is awarded annually

Why Bright Ideas Continued? The Bright Ideas Grant Program was designed to distribute mini-grants to support innovative, creative, and effective initiatives that cannot be covered by traditional school funding. The grants are awarded for projects in any discipline and are intended to help school personnel by acquiring needed materials, teaching units, and hands-on opportunities to enhance their student’s education.

Why Bright Ideas Continued? The proposals are evaluated based on their ongoing benefits and the possibility for replication in other educational settings. The grants supplement, not replace, state and local funds. Grants are available to all public school teachers and principals, grades K-12, at 42 schools in Jones and Onslow counties, as well as the Topsail area of Pender County. Educators are eligible regardless of whether their school is served by Jones-Onslow EMC or another utility.

Selection Criteria The grant idea must… Directly involves students Clearly define goals Demonstrate innovative teaching methods Prove it will provides ongoing benefits Have measurable results

Qualifications Applicant must be a teacher in a North Carolina certified K-12 school. Applicant may submit only one proposal for an individual project each year. If you apply individually you may be part of a team application. The school principal must review and approve project proposal. Requests for salaries or professional development will be denied.

Timeline Application process opens in August Applications are distributed to all school principals and teachers in Jones, Onslow, and the Topsail Area of Pender County. Deadline: September 27th - Apply online at Grant recipients are notified in October Awards Banquet is held in November

Grant Amounts Individual teachers can apply for grants up to $500. Teams of educators can apply for grants up to $2000.

Grant Amounts Continued When applying, teachers should only ask for the amount they need to successfully administer a project. In order to allow more teachers to benefit from the Bright Ideas program, partial funding of a project may be awarded.

How Can Teachers Apply? Online at