CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Appalachian Power has awarded more than $48,000 in grants to teachers, schools and robotics clubs across West Virginia, Virginia and Tennessee.

Nearly $6,000 in Teacher Vision Grants went to educators for classroom projects. Another $42,000 went to schools and clubs for use with the FIRST robotics program.

Appalachian Power President and COO Chris Beam said the company has a strong commitment to education, especially STEM-based programs.

“Education is the key to a brighter future for our children,” Beam said. “We are committed to supporting our talented educators with our Teacher Vision Grants, and FIRST Robotics Grants, which enable students to gain experience in science and technology.”

The Appalachian Power Teacher Vision Grant program provides aid ranging from $100 to $500 to classroom teachers in the company’s service territory. Projects that have an academic focus and a goal of improving student achievement are eligible for consideration.

2021 Teacher Vision Grant Recipients

This year, through the FIRST robotics initiative, Appalachian Power provided 27 grants to schools and robotics clubs. Based on the club level, grants were provided from $250 to $6,000. 

2021 FIRST Robotics Grant Recipients

Appalachian Power has 1 million customers in Virginia, West Virginia and Tennessee (as AEP Appalachian Power). It is part of American Electric Power, which is focused on building a smarter energy infrastructure and delivering new technologies and custom energy solutions. AEP’s approximately 17,400 employees operate and maintain the nation’s largest electricity transmission system and more than 221,000 miles of distribution lines to efficiently deliver safe, reliable power to nearly 5.4 million customers in 11 states. AEP is also one of the nation’s largest electricity producers with approximately 31,000 megawatts of diverse generating capacity, including 5,200 megawatts of renewable energy.