Bright Ideas, a grant program sponsored by the Irwin EMC Foundation and Irwin EMC, your Touchstone Energy Cooperative, awards teachers money for innovative lessons and projects to energize learning in their students in the classroom. The Bright Ideas program distributes money as grants of up to $1,000 for teachers who teach grades K-12 at public or private schools located Berrien, Ben Hill, Irwin, Tift, Turner or Wilcox Counties. Grants are not for professional development. Requests for technology must be clearly defined. Requests for iPads, e-readers, computers, field trips, alternative seating and guest presenters are strongly discouraged.
Eligibility:
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Any teacher who teaches grades pre-K-12 at any public or private school in Berrien, Ben Hill, Irwin, Tift, Turner or Wilcox Counties is eligible to apply for a Bright Ideas grant.
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Teachers may only be an applicant or team member of one project per school year.
Grant limits:
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The maximum grant amount is $1,000. Some grant requests may be partially funded.
Selection criteria:
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Innovative, creative learning experiences for students
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Clearly defined plan of implementation
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Benefits and directly involves ALL students per classroom (not a select group of students)
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Involves teamwork among faculty, students or collaborative partners
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Provides adequate budget summary
Applications are reviewed by a panel of judges who rank them based on the selection criteria. Because the evaluation process is competitive, partial funding may be awarded to allow more applications to benefit from the grant process. All decisions for grant funding are final.
Important dates:
Application deadline: Applications will be accepted May 1-August 28, 2023
Bright Ideas Prize Brigade will announce winners personally in teacher’s classroom during the fall!
Contact information:
For more information, contact Hope Paulk by phone at (229) 468-2311 or email at hope.paulk@irwinemc.com.