(SAINT PAUL, Minn.) January 15, 2026 – Google has awarded KidWind a $180,000 grant to support KidWind’s flagship program, the KidWind Challenge, and to provide virtual training for educators. The grant will ensure KidWind can continue to provide support to the hundreds of participating teachers and coaches of student teams as they implement the KidWind curriculum in their classrooms and participate in local and regional KidWind Challenges, culminating in the 2026 World KidWind Challenge in May, 2026.

“KidWind Challenges get students excited about the promise and opportunities of clean energy, help them develop STEM skills, and prepare them for future careers in clean energy,” said Michael Arquin, founder of KidWind. “With this critical support from Google, we will be able to support and manage over 40 regional KidWind Challenges in 2026 plus our culminating event, the KidWind World Challenge being held in Madison, Wisconsin this May! Clean energy education at all levels is the key to helping the public better understand these technologies and the benefits they provide to climate and communities.”

The KidWind Challenge is a hands-on competition where student teams design and showcase small-scale energy projects. It gives students across the nation the opportunity to build, test, explore, and understand clean energy technology at a manageable scale.

The grant from Google will enable KidWind to provide the direct support to coaches and teams who participate in the challenge to help increase their participation in the program and ultimately help KidWind prepare more students for continued STEM study and careers in this vital and growing field of clean energy. The grant will also help KidWind provide virtual training for educators who can’t participate in in-person training.

For more information about the KidWind Challenge, visit https://kidwind.org/challenges/.

About the KidWind Challenge:
The KidWind Challenge is the ultimate clean energy learning experience. Students discover the promise and limitations of clean energy technology while designing, building, and testing a functional wind turbines and solar structures, and competing with their peers in a supportive environment. The KidWind Challenge was developed in 2009 by the KidWind Project, an international leader in clean energy education, and has been embraced and supported by leading energy industry companies since its start. For information on how to get involved, go to https://kidwind.org/challenges/.

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Jessica Axt, Public Relations for KidWind
(410) 975-9638
jessica@kehcomm.com