Kicking off April 1, the Bright Ideas grant program has become an important part of North Carolina classrooms. A grant is the perfect way to get funding for an important lesson in the 2025-2026 school year, especially among the changing times! The application period ends September 15, which leaves some time for busy educators like yourself, to get bright ideas recorded and submitted. Teachers who apply before August 15 were entered to win one of five $100 Visa cards.
Bright Ideas is a mini grant program designed to reward innovative, creative teaching ideas. Teachers who are interested in applying for one of the grants should visit www.ncbrightideas.com to complete an application online. Teachers can apply for up to $2,500 per grant from South River EMC. In 2024-2025, the Cooperative awarded a over $60,000 in grants to local educators. Teachers are asked to submit applications online for consideration, the Cooperative does not accept applications through any other means.
In 1994, the Bright Ideas Grant Program was introduced into North Carolina's schools by the state's electric cooperatives. Since that time, the program has been motivating teachers to continually find creative and innovative methods for inspiring their students to learn. In that time, South River Electric Membership Corporation has funded $1.7 million in projects and programs for schools in Harnett, Sampson, Cumberland and Johnston counties.
In 2024, we received 121 applications and were able to fund 41 projects totaling $59,760. Winners were notified in November. The Bright Ideas Grant Program received a grant of $10,000 from the Operation Round Up program!
All grants are reviewed by a third-party panel of judges. Applications are assigned a classification number and have all identifying information removed before being presented to the committee to provide an unbiased process.
Congratulations To Our 2024-2025 Recipients! We're looking forward to what teachers have to offer!
If you have questions about South River EMC's Bright Ideas Grant program, contact Julie McLeod at 910-892-8071 x 2151 or sremc@sremc.com. Of course, you can always visit the official Bright Ideas Grant Web site www.ncbrightideas.com.
