Energy Scholarships

Visit the “Energy Scholarships” student page

There are many opportunities available for students — and teachers — to apply for scholarships in energy-related fields. Student awards often include scholarships, as well as cash awards and learning materials. Teacher awards can include scholarships for continuing education, fellowships, tuition for professional development programs or conferences, and grants towards classroom materials, projects, or trips.

Here are some examples of the opportunities available for teachers:

• Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellowship Program

• Ignited Summer Fellowship

• Northern New Mexico Math & Science Academy for Teachers

• American Electric Power Teacher Vision Grants

• FirstEnergy STEM Classroom Grants

• Flint Energies Bright Ideas Teacher Grants

• SRP Classroom Connections Grant Program

• Annual National Energy Conference for Educators

Tips for Students

Would you like to help your students to take advantage of these awards? Here are some tips to get them started:

• Share, share, share.
  Do you use email, shared docs, a web page, or some other mode to communicate with students and parents? If so, you can use it to share scholarship opportunities as they come to your attention. Many students don’t apply for available awards simply because they don’t know they exist. Building awareness for both students and parents is a vital first step.
• Explore together.
  Do your students have a few minutes of downtime now and then between assignments? This is a great time for them to search for opportunities you and your students aren’t aware of. Create a class challenge and give a reward to students who locate and share scholarship opportunities with the class. Create a shared list that everyone can view, add to, and use to apply for available awards.
• Take a little time to talk about best practices.
  Choose a scholarship that might be open to your students and spend 10-20 minutes together reading the instructions, looking at the requirements, and understanding how the awards are granted. Many times, students and parents are intimidated by processes that are new to them, like applying for scholarships. Spending a little time helping students become familiar with how to apply makes the process much less daunting.

Tips for Teachers

Want to apply for a grant or scholarship yourself? Here are some ideas on what to do next:

• Find a buddy.
  Work on a submission with another teacher in your building or district, or ask a colleague to read through your submission before you apply. It’s always helpful to work collaboratively to generate ideas, to simplify complex explanations and to make sure you put your best work forward.
• Take it one step at a time.
  Many applications have multiple parts. Check the application’s timeline and break the work up into manageable chunks so that you don’t feel overwhelmed. Make sure to move any tasks that require asking colleagues or administrators for recommendations to the front of the timeline, so that the person being asked has enough time to complete their part.
• Dream big.
  Many grants or scholarships seek out innovations in education related to STEM as they make their awards. Don’t be afraid to share your big idea for what’s coming next.