Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

The Tennessee Valley Authority, in partnership with Bicentennial Volunteers Inc., a TVA retiree organization, is awarding a record-tying $1.5 million in grants to educators to develop science, technology, engineering, and math education projects across the Tennessee Valley region.

Among schools receiving the grants is Elizabethton High School.

“We know STEM teachers across the region are inspiring students to become the workforce of the future and that’s why it’s so important for TVA to continue to support this grant program,” said Jeff Lyash, TVA president and CEO. “Providing additional resources to schools helps provide essential hands-on learning programs that equip students with skills that will help them be successful in whatever they choose to do in life.”

The competitive STEM classroom grant program is operated in partnership with the Tennessee STEM Innovation Network, managed by the Battelle organization. The program received 647 grant applications this year, and 342 were selected for funding. Since 2018, TVA/BVI has provided nearly $8 million in STEM grants supporting over 730,000 students.

“Bicentennial Volunteers, Inc. has a reputation for giving back to the community. BVI is proud to partner with TVA in empowering teachers to provide hands-on learning opportunities for students in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math,” said Kathy Black, president of BVI. “We believe that by enriching their educational experiences, we are helping create lifelong learners and building the workforce of tomorrow.”

Grants are awarded to meet the diverse needs of local communities. For example, University High School in Memphis is using its $5,000 grant to purchase robotic equipment and it will support the school’s dual enrollment-focused STEM career pathways.

At Todd County Middle School in Elkton, Ky., a $5,000 grant will be used to implement a 3D printing project to enhance STEM learning. The program will develop problem-solving and creativity and provide hands-on technical experience.

“This grant will enable us to create hands-on learning experiences where students can experiment, create, and innovate,” said Diane Ashcraft, STEM teacher at Corinth Middle School in Corinth, Miss., whose class received a $5,000 grant. “We plan to use the funds to purchase circuit kits, robotic components, and software that will allow them to design and code their own projects. We are excited to see the amazing projects and breakthroughs that emerge from this initiative.”

Grants up to $5,000 were awarded in a competitive process, and preference was given to grant applications that explored TVA’s primary areas of focus: environment, energy, economic development, and community problem-solving. Any school that receives their power from a local power company served by TVA was eligible to apply.

The Tennessee Valley Authority is a corporate agency of the United States that provides electricity for business customers and local power companies serving nearly 10 million people in parts of seven southeastern states. TVA receives no taxpayer funding, deriving virtually all of its revenues from sales of electricity. In addition to operating and investing its revenues in its electric system, TVA provides flood control, navigation and land management for the Tennessee River system and assists local power companies and state and local governments with economic development and job creation.