EPB and TVA Present $56,500 in STEM Grants to 16 Chattanooga Area Schools

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (April 22, 2025) ― The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), in partnership with EPB and Bicentennial Volunteers, Inc. (a TVA retiree organization), awarded a total of $56,500 in STEM grants to 16 schools in EPB’s service area. These schools are among the 342 schools across TVA’s service area to receive $1.5 million this year in grants to develop science, technology, engineering and math education projects to help spark student interest in future careers in STEM-related fields.

Grants of up to $5,000 were awarded in a competitive process, with preferences given to applications that explored TVA’s primary areas of focus: environment, energy, economic development and community problem-solving. Any school that receives power from a local power company served by TVA was eligible to apply.

Schools and projects in EPB’s service area selected for the program include:

Battle Academy: "Makey-Makey" Music Mayhem ($1,500)
Big Ridge Elementary: “WonderLab: Building Bright Minds and Big Ideas by Exploring the Wonders of STEM" ($2,500)
Boyd-Buchanan School: “Growing Futures: Integrating Hydroponics into the STEAM Classroom" ($3,500)
Brainerd High School: “Macs Make Math teachers Mobile" ($5,000)
East Ridge Elementary School: Mini Makers Creating Sustainable Futures through Integrated Learning (K-5) ($5,000)
Fairyland Elementary School: Turning students into modern innovators! ($5,000)
Harrison Elementary School: “The 21st Century Classroom Project" ($3,500)
Lakeview Middle School: "Creating the Carnival" with Blueprint Build Class Packs By Sphero ($3,500)
Loftis Middle School: Conservation Mission: Marshland Classroom ($5,000)
North Hamilton County Elementary: Sticky Geniuses ($1,500)
Sale Creek Middle School: 8th Grade ($1,500)
Silverdale Baptist Academy: “Friar Branch Student-Led Biodiversity Research Project" ($2,500)
Soddy Daisy Middle School: Middle School Science ($5,000)
STEM School Chattanooga: “EcoRacer: The Custom Greenpower Challenge" ($5,000)
Thrasher Elementary School: Engineering the Future of Logistics - Rover & Drone Deliveries ($5,000)
Wauhatchie Forest School: “Forest Measurement for STEAM Learning ($1,500)

“TVA is proud to champion schools and educators who ignite a passion for STEM education in students throughout the Valley," said Bert Robinson, TVA East Region Executive. "By providing resources and opportunities for STEM learning, we’re fueling innovation and empowering the next generation to envision and create the energy systems of tomorrow.”

According to TVA, the agency and Bicentennial Volunteers, Inc. (BVI) have supported more than 730,000 students with nearly $8 million since 2018.

"At EPB, we are proud to support initiatives that empower the next generation of innovators,” said David Vanzant, a member of EPB’s Energy Services. “These grants help create new opportunities in STEM education to equip students with the skills they need to succeed in an increasingly technology-driven world, strengthening our communities and fueling future progress."

The competitive TVA STEM Classroom Grant Program is operated in partnership with the Tennessee STEM Innovation Network managed by the Battelle organization. Find a full list of recipients and information on how to apply for future STEM grants at tva.com/stem.

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About EPB

EPB is a customer-focused technology company that delivers innovative power and telecommunications solutions to the Chattanooga area in pursuit of its mission to enhance the quality of life for the community it serves. In 2010, EPB completed a 100% fiber optic network accessible to all its customers as the basis for launching America’s first community-wide Gig speed internet. The company still operates the world’s fastest community-wide internet service today at speeds up to 25 Gig. EPB also utilizes Chattanooga’s fiber optic network as the communications backbone for the most advanced and highly automated power distribution system in the United States. In 2022, EPB continued its commitment to keeping Chattanooga on the cutting edge by establishing our nation’s first commercially available quantum network—EPB Quantum Network℠. This effort aligns local job creation efforts with the national priority to accelerate the commercialization of quantum technology.

Since switching the lights on for its first electric customer in 1939, EPB has grown to serve more than 400,000 people across a 600-square-mile service area with cutting-edge infrastructure that integrates power distribution and fiber optic connectivity. At the same time, EPB keeps customer benefit at the center of all its efforts, earning recognition from J.D. Power as the #1 Mid-Sized Utility in the South for the last nine consecutive years based on customer satisfaction ratings. Learn more at epb.com.