Aug 1, 2018
PPL Foundation grants empower educators
Teachers can apply for grants to support STEM education
ALLENTOWN, Pa. — Teachers often have great ideas but lack the money to make them a reality. The PPL Foundation would like to provide funding power for teachers to bring their ideas to life and spark students’ interest in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM).
The PPL Empowering Educators program is designed to help K-12 teachers provide hands-on learning opportunities to enhance the classroom experience.
Through these competitive grants, teachers can receive $1,000 in funding for educational projects such as science fairs, energy conservation projects, renewable energy demonstrations, math competitions and more.
Last year, some of the projects that received funding ranged from building solar-powered cars to developing a school makerspace, a collaborative work space where students can explore and share innovative ideas.
The grants are open to K-12 teachers in school districts in the 29 Pennsylvania counties served by PPL.
To be eligible for an Empowering Educators grant, teachers must submit a contest application online at pplempoweringeducators.com.
This year, PPL will award $25,000 in Empowering Educators grants. Since the program’s inception in 2003, PPL has awarded more than $200,000 for projects in more than 140 schools.
“Innovative ideas and technological know-how are so important for the future success of students and society as a whole,” said Lissette Santana, manager of corporate relations for PPL. “PPL supports teachers’ efforts to strengthen students’ skills and fuel their excitement about STEM subjects.”
Twenty-five (25) teachers will receive $1,000 for supplies to help make their projects a reality. Each team will be judged on its project proposal, its school need, and potential overall impact.
The teams will celebrate their completed projects during a regional reception in June 2019.
Applications will be accepted online from Aug. 1, 2018 through Sept. 30, 2018.
Grant recipients will be notified via email by Nov. 1, 2018. Each project must be completed by May 1, 2019. A final report must be submitted online by May 10, 2019.
Lori Cirucci (far right), a teacher and science content leader at Broughal Middle School in Bethlehem, designed the Roller Coaster curriculum to give students a hands-on lesson on kinetic energy and the forces of motion. With help from an Empowering Educator Grant from the PPL Foundation, Cirucci was able to purchase supplies so that all of the school’s eighth-graders could design and build their own roller coasters.
Lynette Miller, a teacher at Fermanagh-Mifflintown Elementary School in Juniata County, is using fairy tale-themed kits that teach basic science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) concepts. Each kit features a problem children have to solve, and teaches them about the design process, creativity, and cause and effect. Miller purchased the kits using a $1,000 Empowering Educators grant from the PPL Foundation.
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About the PPL Foundation
The PPL Foundation promotes the development of sustainable communities and children’s success from cradle to career, contributing more than $2 million annually to a wide variety of nonprofit organizations. For more information, visit www.pplcares.com.
For further information: Lissette Santana, 610-774-5997 The PPL Foundation
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