Attention teachers! Get ready to unleash your creativity once again. Beginning on April 1, you can submit for a Bright Ideas grant.

The Bright Ideas grant is available to all K-12 teachers who have an innovative and creative learning project. These grants can be as much as $2,000. Teachers can submit more than one application either as an individual or as a team. Applicants who have applied in the past and were not selected are encouraged to reapply.

Recent winner Trudy Mertz from West Cabarrus High stated that Union Power Cooperative’s Bright Ideas grant was effortless when applying! “As a special education teacher, I am always looking for ways to fund our classroom and purchase the necessary equipment to help create an adaptive environment that is safe and engaging for all students.”

For two consecutive years, Mertz has received a Bright Ideas grant for her Workplace Enterprise and Living and Learning Adaptive Independence projects. These projects help teach students transitional skills and foster independence while focusing on post-secondary opportunities! Mertz expressed, “I am truly thankful for the support Union Power Cooperative shows to the education community! They believe in students and invest in their future!”