Rhode Island Energy and PPL Foundation Bring ‘Powering a Brighter Future Scholarship’ to the Ocean State

Rhode Island Energy announced today that the PPL Foundation has opened its annual scholarship program, inviting women and underrepresented students pursuing careers in engineering, technology and trades to apply. For the first time ever, Rhode Island students will also now be eligible to apply for the scholarships. Rhode Island Energy is part of the PPL Corporation (NYSE: PPL) family of companies.

The ‘Powering a Brighter Future Scholarship’ program will award more than $1 million over the next decade in an effort to advance diversity, equity and inclusion, and attract more women and underrepresented students to careers that will help shape our energy future.

“PPL Foundation has a long history of encouraging and supporting young people to join the energy field and identifying future leaders to help us advance our shared clean energy goals,” said Dave Bonenberger, president of Rhode Island Energy. “We couldn’t be more thrilled these scholarships will now be offered to young Rhode Islanders, at the same time promoting diversity and inclusion in these fields. It’s going to be exciting to hear about the first group of recipients.”

The scholarship program is open to students who live within communities served by PPL’s Pennsylvania and Rhode Island utilities. Non-traditional students, such as adult learners and those in need of funding in later years of their educational career, are also eligible to apply for scholarships.

Up to $150,000 in scholarships will be awarded annually through the following opportunities:

• 25 Power Scholars awards to women and underrepresented students pursuing degrees in engineering and information technology. The $5,000 awards are available to students entering any year of full-time, post-secondary education at a college or university.
• 10 Powerful Tech and Trade awards of $2,500 each to women and underrepresented students entering any year of a full-time, post-secondary career training at a community college or technical school in PPL’s service territories in Pennsylvania and Rhode Island.

To learn more about the scholarship programs and how to apply, please visit https://www.pplweb.com/communities/brighter-future-scholarships/. 

The foundation also announced today that it is now accepting the next round of applications for its Empowering Communities grant program. The program provides grants of $1,000 to $50,000 to support nonprofits focused on education; diversity, equity and inclusion; and sustainable communities in Rhode Island. Grant applications will be accepted from now until March 15. Interested organizations can learn more about the application process through a webinar being held on Feb. 9 at 11:30 a.m. To register for the webinar, click here.

In December, PPL Foundation announced its inaugural selection of Rhode Island grant recipients, awarding $500,000 in funding to support 29 nonprofit organizations working to improve the lives and well-being of individuals throughout the state. PPL Foundation was established by PPL Corporation, Rhode Island Energy’s parent company, to support programs that improve lives in areas served by PPL’s utilities. Since 2015, it has awarded more than $20 million to nonprofit organizations making a difference in their local communities. The next round of grant recipients will be announced in May 2023.

About the PPL Foundation
PPL Foundation is an independent, non-profit organization. Funded by PPL Corporation shareowners, the foundation was formed to support community initiatives in the areas served by PPL Corporation’s utilities. Through strategic partnerships, the PPL Foundation supports nonprofit organizations that are engaged in innovative and groundbreaking work to create vibrant, sustainable communities; advance diversity, equity and inclusion; and support children’s success from cradle to career in both Pennsylvania and Rhode Island.

About Rhode Island Energy
Rhode Island Energy provides essential energy services to over 770,000 customers across Rhode Island through the delivery of electricity or natural gas. Our team is dedicated to helping Rhode Island customers and communities thrive, while supporting the transition to a cleaner energy future. Rhode Island Energy is part of the PPL Corporation (NYSE: PPL) family of companies addressing energy challenges head-on by building smarter, more resilient and more dynamic power grids and advancing sustainable energy solutions. For more information visit www.RIEnergy.com  and stay connected on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.