Avangrid Foundation Awards Grant to Gulf of Maine Research Institute for STEM Education

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01/06/2026

Avangrid Foundation Awards Grant to Gulf of Maine Research Institute for STEM Education

Grant will enable transformative STEM experiences for middle school students

Photo: Gulf of Maine Research Institute students’ artwork and thank you notes. Courtesy of Avangrid Foundation

Orange, CT — January 6, 2026 — The Avangrid Foundation, the philanthropic arm of leading energy company Avangrid Inc., a member of the Iberdrola Group, today announced that it has awarded the Gulf of Maine Research Institute (GMRI) a $50,000 grant in support of their educational initiative, LabVenture: Building STEM skills for Maine. The grant will help the GMRI deliver immersive, hands-on science learning for approximately 8,300 middle school students across Maine.

“The future of the energy industry depends on a new generation of leaders who are not only passionate about innovation but equipped with the scientific literacy and problem-solving skills to drive meaningful change,” said Avangrid CEO Jose Antonio Miranda. “At Avangrid, we recognize that investing in STEM education today is essential to building a smarter, more reliable energy future tomorrow.”

“At the Avangrid Foundation, we believe that access to STEM education is essential for building resilient and growing communities and preparing young people to lead in an increasingly complex world,” said Pablo Colón, Director of Corporate Citizenship and Executive Director of the Avangrid Foundation. “The Gulf of Maine Research Institute offers transformative educational opportunities, and we are proud to support their mission encouraging and inspiring the next generation of scientists, innovators, and leaders across Maine.”

The grant will enable GMRI to reach 70% of Maine’s 5th–6th grade cohort, with a strong focus on underserved communities—including low-income, New Mainer, rural, and Wabanaki students. In addition to student engagement, GMRI will provide educators with wrap-around curriculum support and professional development to extend the impact of LabVenture beyond the lab and into classrooms statewide.

“Over the past 20 years, we’ve reached more than 170,000 Maine students with LabVenture, making it the most shared out-of-school learning experience in our state. We believe that no matter where a student wakes up in the morning, they deserve access to engaging and transformative STEM learning. We’re so appreciative to the funders like Avangrid Foundation who join us in this belief,” said Leigh Peake, GMRI Chief Education Officer. LabVenture, now celebrating its 20th year, is designed to ignite curiosity and build scientific confidence among Maine’s 5th and 6th graders. Through interactive experiences at GMRI’s Cohen Centre for Interactive Learning, students become scientists for a day—examining plankton under microscopes, analysing NASA satellite data, and exploring marine biodiversity in the Gulf of Maine. The program blends technology, inquiry-based learning, and diverse scientific role models to foster climate and STEM literacy in a rapidly changing world.”

About Avangrid: Avangrid, Inc. is a leading energy company in the United States working to meet the growing demand for energy for homes and businesses across the nation through service, innovation, and continued investments by expanding grid infrastructure and energy generation projects. Avangrid has corporate offices in Connecticut, New York, Massachusetts, Maine, and Oregon, and operations across 25 states with approximately $50 billion in assets. Avangrid owns and operates seven electric and natural gas utilities, serving more than 3.4 million customers in New York and New England. It also owns and operates nearly 100 energy generation facilities across the United States with a capacity of more than 11 Gigawatts, enough to power over 3 million homes. Avangrid employs approximately 8,500 people and was named among the World’s Most Ethical Companies in 2026 for the eighth consecutive year by the Ethisphere Institute. Avangrid is a member of the Iberdrola Group. For more information, visit www.avangrid.com.

About Iberdrola: Iberdrola is one of the world's biggest energy companies and a leader in renewables, spearheading the energy transition to a low carbon economy. The group supplies energy to almost 100 million people in dozens of countries. With a focus on renewable energy, smart networks and smart solutions for customers, Iberdrola’s main markets include Europe (Spain, the United Kingdom, Portugal, France, Germany, Italy and Greece), the United States, Brazil, Mexico and Australia. The company is also present in growth markets such as Japan, Taiwan, Ireland, Sweden and Poland, among others.

With a workforce of nearly 40,000 and assets in excess of €141.7 billion, across the world, Iberdrola helps to support 400,000 jobs across its supply chain, with annual procurement of €12.2 billion. A benchmark in the fight against climate change, Iberdrola has invested more than €130 billion over the past two decades to help build a sustainable energy model, based on sound environmental, social and governance (ESG) principles.