July 8, 2026, Press Release from the AEP Ohio Foundation:
GAHANNA, Ohio — The AEP Ohio Foundation is helping students stay engaged, fed and supported this summer through $70,000 in recent grants benefiting schools and nonprofit organizations across AEP Ohio’s service territory.
The funding is supporting a variety of programs, including summer meals, STEM education, scholarships, leadership development and enrichment opportunities for children and families.
 Grants In Action: Summer Meals Supporting Summer Reading
One of those grants is helping students at Federal Hocking Local School District in Athens County, where a $9,500 AEP Ohio Foundation grant provided breakfast and lunch for approximately 70 students attending a four-week summer reading boot camp.
For more than 20 years, Federal Hocking has operated community food pantries to help meet local needs. This summer, the district expanded its support by ensuring students participating in the reading program had access to nutritious meals while building literacy skills.
"We were trying to figure out how to provide meals for students attending our summer reading boot camp," said Federal Hocking Superintendent George Wood. "When AEP Ohio approved the grant, that was the moment we knew we could make the program work. We couldn't ask students to spend four or five hours here every day without making sure they had breakfast and lunch. This grant has made a real difference for our students."
A video highlighting the program and its impact is available on our YouTube Channel.
Funding Distributed Throughout Ohio
Recent AEP Ohio Foundation grants include:
Southern Ohio
- Federal Hocking Local Schools— $9,500 to provide meals for students participating in a summer reading boot camp
- inspiHER Leadership Foundation — $10,000 for a girls leadership retreat in Lancaster
- Meigs County Council on Aging — $5,000 for a youth summer enrichment program
Central Ohio
- See Brillance— $10,000 to expand monthly STEAM programs and engage students in hands-on experiences
- Ohio Academy of Science— $10,000 covers program costs, recruiting mentors & coaches and college scholarships
- Education Foundation for Freedom — $2,500 for STEM literacy and creative arts programming
Northern Ohio
- Buckeye Career Center Foundation — $5,000 in scholarships for students pursuing careers in the electrical and utility fields
- YMCA of Putnam County — $10,000 for a STEM summer camp
- Salvation Army of Findlay — $10,000 for youth summer enrichment programs
"Summer should be a time when children continue learning, growing and exploring new opportunities," said Melissa Clark, AEP Ohio external affairs manager. "These organizations are doing important work in our communities, and we're proud to support programs that help students and families thrive."
