One of our cooperative principles is concern for the community, which means that we make an extraordinary effort to ensure that our communities are great places to live, work and raise a family.
We do this through various programs like the Bright Ideas education grants, supporting local teachers that are shaping our children and their futures. We fund these grants through our Helping Hand Foundation, which is supported by our generous members who round up their monthly electric bills to the next highest dollar.
Thanks to your help, we’ve contributed more than $650,000 to local educators since the Bright Ideas grant program began in 1994.
How to Apply for the 2023 Bright Ideas Grants
Local teachers who would like to receive up to $2,000 in funding for innovative classroom projects can submit a Bright Ideas grant application on our website by visiting pemc.coop/bright-ideas. The final deadline to apply is Sept. 4, 2023.
The applications will then be reviewed by a panel of judges and the winners will be announced this October. To learn more about how the Bright Ideas grant money has been used in years past, visit pemc.coop/bright-ideas-educator-grants to read stories about a few of the school projects we’ve helped to fund.
Help Us Support the Community
If you’re looking for ways to help support the community and programs like the Bright Ideas grant, consider making a donation to our Helping Hand Foundation. The contributions you make are tax-deductible and they directly benefit fellow members of our community.
If you’d like to make a donation, you can do so in any of the following ways:
- Online by visiting pemc.coop/donate
- Rounding up your bill to the nearest dollar
- Via mail by making checks payable to “Helping Hand Foundation” and sending them to P.O. Drawer 1179, Hillsborough, NC 27278
- Donating your capital credits by cashing or depositing them and donating online or by mail
If you need assistance donating, please call 800.222.3107 to talk to one of our friendly member service reps. As always, thank you for helping us support our community all year long!