Bright Ideas Education Grants

About this program

EnergyUnited, together with North Carolina’s Electric Cooperatives, is accepting 2026 Bright Ideas Education Grant applications via the NC Electric Cooperatives Bright Ideas portal to support innovative, classroom-based K–12 projects in North Carolina that are not typically funded by schools. The NC Bright Ideas program has operated for 30 years and has awarded more than $1 million to K–12 teachers since 1994; no specific award amounts are listed on this posting. Eligible applicants are K–12 teachers located within EnergyUnited’s service area in North Carolina, and proposed projects must directly benefit classroom learning and fill funding gaps the school cannot cover. Applications are open; see the NC Electric Cooperatives Bright Ideas application portal for submission instructions and any deadlines.