Duke Energy Foundation awards more than $311,000 in grants to support K-12 education initiatives in 15 Indiana counties

PLAINFIELD, Ind., March 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The Duke Energy Foundation has awarded $311,246 in grants to 22 different K-12 education programs in 15 Indiana counties for 2021.

The grants support summer reading programs; energy, engineering and environmental education programs; and programs that support under-represented, low-income or diverse audiences.

"We all know many students missed out on several learning opportunities last year," said Stan Pinegar, Duke Energy state president for Indiana. "I am proud that we are able to offer these grants to students in communities throughout our service territory with the hope of helping those students catch up, restore their passion for learning and encourage them to meet and exceed their educational goals."

"Duke Energy Foundation funding is critical to supporting literacy development during the summer for our primary students," said Amy Etienne, principal at South Crawford Elementary school in Crawford County.  "This funding from the Foundation will support our summer reading program and provide valuable time for our students to learn."

The Foundation makes these grants available through the company's "Powerful Communities" program, which helps power the lives of customers and the vitality of communities through charitable giving.

The complete grant recipient list includes:

COUNTY	ORGANIZATION	FOCUS	GRANT
Boone	Zionsville Education Foundation	Help teachers with resources they need to address education challenges during the pandemic	$10,000
Crawford	Crawford Co. Community School Corp.	Summer school for selected students to improve basic literacy skills	$25,000
Daviess	Vincennes Community School Corp. / Washington Learning Academy	Improve WLA learning environment through purchase of Student Emotional Learning curriculum	$10,000
Decatur	Decatur Co. Community Schools	Literacy camp to help young readers with 1-on-1 instruction	$10,000
Hamilton	Carmel Education Foundation	Summer school program for rising second-grade students to improve reading skills	$20,000
Knox	North Knox Primary School	Summer school program to help first and-second-grade students to improve reading skills	$10,000
Hendricks	Danville Community School Corp.	"Warrior Whiz" summer education remediation program	$11,506
Hendricks	Plainfield Community Schools	Summer reading camp to improve reading and math skills	$10,000
Hendricks	The Imagination Lab	One-day intensive summer Odyssey for Plainfield elementary students	$10,000
Howard	Kokomo School Corp.	Summer Discovery Program for early elementary students	$20,000
Howard	Northwestern School Corp.	Reading remediation for students in grades 1-4	$9,240
Howard	United Way of Howard Co.	Program to improve literacy skills for students	$15,000
Lawrence	United Way of Lawrence Co.	Conduct STEM-related courses for grades K-6	$10,000
Monroe	Foundation for Monroe Co. Community Schools	Provide professional development for up to 150 teachers to build equity-centered education skills	$10,000
Ripley	Kids Discovery Factory	Renovate and expand donated building to permanently house Kids Discovery Factory	$10,000
Ripley	Milan Community Schools	Three-week summer remedial reading program for selected students in grades 1-3	$10,000
Tippecanoe	Purdue University	Projects include a summer camp devoted to empowering women in business, and PROJECT TEACH, which helps high school students explore careers in teaching	$50,000
Vermillion	South Vermillion Community Schools	Summer reading program to support early literacy	$15,000
Vigo	Chances and Services for Youth and Camp Rave / Terre Haute Children's Museum	CASY and museum combine to offer science and literary curriculum for K-5 students to address summer "brain drain"	$11,000
Vigo	Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology	Professional development for STEM teachers who teach in grades 6-12	$10,000
Vigo	Vigo County School Corporation	Team Vigo Summer Edition	$15,000
Wabash	Wabash County YMCA	SPARK – Summer Program of Awesome Reading for Kids	$10,000

Duke Energy Indiana and Duke Energy Foundation

Duke Energy Indiana, a subsidiary of Duke Energy (NYSE: DUK), provides about 6,600 megawatts of owned electric capacity to approximately 840,000 customers in a 23,000-square-mile service area, making it Indiana's largest electric supplier.

The Duke Energy Foundation provides philanthropic support to meet the needs of communities where Duke Energy customers live and work. In Indiana, the foundation contributes more than $2 million annually in charitable gifts, and is funded by Duke Energy shareholder dollars. More information about the foundation and its Powerful Communities program can be found at duke-energy.com/foundation. 

Media contact: Lew Middleton
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SOURCE Duke Energy