McMinnville Electric System announced today that West Elementary School, located in McMinnville was awarded a $10,000 grant through Tennessee Valley Authority’s School Uplift program.
Tight budgets and aging buildings leave many schools facing a difficult decision between funding learning programs and making needed facility upgrades. Since 2021, TVA has invested $13 million in School Uplift grants and helped over 440 schools solve that problem and save on their energy bills.
School Uplift’s year-long energy management training program helps school districts make smart energy choices that improve the classroom learning environment and save money through decreased energy use. Participating schools compete to earn $10,000 to $200,000 grants by cutting their energy waste through behavioral changes and by engaging students, faculty, staff and community.
“School Uplift is another way we’ve partnered with TVA to invest in our community,” said Brittany Davis. We are so excited that West Elementary earned this grant, which will enable administrators to improve facilities and make the school more efficient, healthy and comfortable for teachers and students. The faculty, staff and students committed to prioritizing energy efficiency over the last school year and earned this grant through their hard work.”
On average, participating schools have saved nearly 10% on their annual energy bills from behavior changes alone. When savings from grant-funded energy upgrades are added, this year’s School Uplift participants have estimated total energy savings of 5.33 GWh.
“Every dollar invested helps schools allocate resources to what truly matters – providing quality education for our children,” said Ray Knotts, Senior Director of TVA's Demand Management. "We’re proud of the winners of this year’s School Uplift grants, who are dedicated to reducing energy waste and building a stronger future.”
TVA EnergyRight and McMinnville Electric System will continue to recruit K-12 schools for the 2027-2028 school year. Visit EnergyRight.com/school-uplift or contact TVA's Lori Brown at llbrown6@tva.gov or McMinnville Electric System to express interest in participating
About TVA
The Tennessee Valley Authority is the nation’s largest public power supplier, delivering energy to more than 10 million people across seven southeastern states. TVA has one of the most diverse energy systems – including nuclear, hydro, solar, gas, and advanced technologies. To prepare for the future, TVA is making significant investments in its power system toward new generation and transmission.
TVA is a self-supporting corporate agency of the United States, receiving no annual federal appropriations and deriving virtually all of its revenues from sales of electricity. TVA maintains some of the lowest energy costs and highest reliability in the nation. TVA’s residential rates are lower than those paid by over 80% of customers of the top 100 U.S. utilities and industrial rates are lower than those paid by over 90% of customers of the top 100 U.S. utilities. In addition, TVA provides flood control, navigation, and land management for the Tennessee River system, and assists local power companies and state and local governments with economic development and job creation. Learn more at TVA.com.