PLAINFIELD, Ind. (WTWO/WAWV) — The Duke Energy Foundation announced the awarding of over $300,000 in grants Thursday to more than 20 innovative K-12 education programs across Indiana.

The grants, according to a news release, will support programs based in Clark, Daviess, Knox and Vigo counties.

“Our educators and students are facing tremendous challenges teaching and learning as we emerge from the pandemic,” Stan Pinegar, president of Duke Energy Indiana, said. “It’s more important now than ever before that we support and invest in opportunities for our children in the communities we serve to thrive and reach their full potential.”

The grants will help support a wide range of educational programming for K-12 students, including summer reading programs, STEM education, programs that support underrepresented or low-income students and efforts to reverse academic declines due to disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

This year, grants were awarded to the following Wabash Valley organizations:

• Camp Navigate (Vigo County) – $5,000. Camp Navigate is an after-school care and summer camp program for children pre-K through eighth grade. The organization focuses on developing employability/soft skills, promoting healthy lifestyles and creating servant leaders. Funds will be used to support Camp Navigate’s Character Store. When students display leadership, teamwork and other positive traits, they will be rewarded with Camp Navigate “dollars,” which will allow them to purchase objects or privileges from the store.
• Indiana State University (Statewide) – $40,000. Funds will be used to support Indiana State University’s Power of Reading and Power of Math summits, which provide teachers with the opportunity to hear from nationally renowned speakers who offer new techniques and research to help improve instruction and outcomes for K-12 students.
• Ivy Tech Foundation (Vigo County) – $10,000. Funds will be used to support Cob and Cog, an annual competition held at Ivy Tech Community College’s Terre Haute campus in which area high school students compete in STEM-related challenges that require problem-solving, teamwork, effective communication and ingenuity. Through Cob and Cog, students are exposed to a fun and energetic environment that sparks interest in career opportunities in STEM fields.
• Maker13 (Clark County) – $10,000. Funds will be used to expand the nonprofit’s experiential learning programming in underserved communities and connect area youth with employers in STEM-related industries.
• Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology (Vigo County) – $12,960. Funds will support a summer professional development opportunity for sixth through 12th grade Indiana STEM teachers. The program emphasizes the integration of computer-mediated learning, adaptive pedagogy and advanced digital resources to augment online learning.
• Vincennes Community School Corporation (Knox County) – $10,000. Funds will enable the Vincennes Community School Corporation to offer Project Lead the Way programming. Pre-K through fifth grade students will have the opportunity to participate in hands-on activities in computer science, engineering and biomedical science.
• Washington Carnegie Public Library (Daviess County) – $10,000. Funds will support “STEMspiration: Change the Equation,” an out-of-school STEM program that aims to prepare students to step in and fill future STEM jobs in the community.