Central Alabama Electric Cooperative Awards $30,000 Bright Ideas Grants to Autauga Teachers

Central Alabama Electric Cooperative announced its 2026 Bright Ideas grant recipients and identified Central High School science teachers Mary White, Jacques Mitchell and Alicia Thompson among awardees, while a CAEC social post said $30,000 will fund educators' classroom projects for the 2025/26 school year. The cooperative's mailing address for the program is listed as 103 Jesse Samuel Hunt Blvd., Prattville, AL 36066.

The Bright Ideas Grant Program is framed in application materials as funding hands-on classroom projects and supplemental instructional activities outside standard school budgets for the 2025/26 school year. The program's application rules require hard-copy applications post-marked by Dec. 5, 2025; individual teachers may apply for up to $750 and teams of teachers may apply for up to $1,500. Applicants must obtain a principal's signature on the mailed application and retain a copy for their records.

Central High School recipients were identified with project titles and specific classroom aims. Mary White received a Bright Ideas grant for a project titled "Sailing Through Systems," which focuses on teaching students about the digestive, respiratory and urinary systems. Jacques Mitchell received a grant for "Sweet Secrets of Leaves and Algae," designed to have students conduct experiments showing how plant and algae cells convert carbon dioxide and water into sugar and oxygen using sunlight. Alicia Thompson's project, "Seeing the Light," was awarded funding to support experiments that let students observe how light reflects and refracts using lasers, refraction tands and optic boards. School staff pictured accepting awards included science coach Shelley Wood and Career Coach Karen Hayes.

A statement that accompanied award photos read, "We are thankful to have such a generous company like Central Alabama Electric Cooperative who is willing to invest in our students’ education." The statement appeared alongside images identifying Mary White, Jacques Mitchell and Alicia Thompson as recipients and showing school staff accepting awards.

CAEC also posted that Autauga County educators received Bright Ideas funding, with a Facebook excerpt stating, "CAEC awards Bright Ideas Grants benefiting Autauga County students Autauga County educators receiving funding from this year's grants." The cooperative's public materials supplied no individual Autauga County recipient names, project titles or per-recipient award amounts in the excerpts provided; application materials indicate award caps but do not disclose actual disbursements for 2026.

Application and follow-up requirements listed in CAEC materials include proof of project completion by the end of the school year through photographs or visits by CAEC employees and trustees, a prohibition on using grant funds for equipment or capital investments (examples listed include iPads, tablets, computers and projectors), and form questions such as "Would you accept partial funding?" and "Will the items purchased with this grant be used for more than one school year?" For questions or to request application materials, CAEC lists phone numbers (334) 351-2125 or (800) 545-5735 ext. 2125 and email communications@coop.caec.com.