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aiEDU Launches 2026 Community Catalyst Program to Broaden Access to AI Readiness in Rural and Indigenous Communities

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The new grant opportunity will award up to $50,000 to eligible school districts, educational service agencies, charter organizations, and nonprofits.

SAN FRANCISCO, May 1, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — The AI Education Project (aiEDU) is pleased to announce the third cycle of its 2026 Community Catalyst Program, a national grant opportunity designed to help build meaningful AI literacy through educator capacity, with a particular focus on supporting organizations serving rural communities and Indigenous communities.

The program will provide $25,000 grants and $50,000 grants to school districts, educational service agencies, charter organizations, and nonprofit organizations working to prepare educators and students for the realities of AI in teaching and learning. Applications opened May 1, 2026 and Letters of Intent are due May 21. Final awards will be announced on July 3, 2026.

“AI-readiness is strongest when communities of every size and geography help shape it from the start,” said Emma Doggett Neergaard, Chief Programs Officer at aiEDU. “Our Community Catalyst Program is intentionally designed to help rural and Indigenous communities lead this work in ways that reflect their students, their educators, and their future.”

In 2025, the Community Catalyst Program extended this work across the U.S., supporting 21 organizations, reaching more than 4,100 Indigenous and rural educators — a 71 percent increase over 2024 — and impacting more than 213,000 Indigenous and rural students, nearly ten times the number reached the previous year, through locally led AI-readiness initiatives. The program also delivered 64 in-person events in Indigenous and rural communities — more than five times the number held in 2024 — while expanding trainings, strategic advising, and professional learning across 17 states.

Last year, the program’s grantees themselves represented 10 states, with grantee-funded work ranging from Tribal-led AI sovereignty efforts to multi-district rural educator training models that equipped educators and families to engage with AI in ways that were locally relevant and culturally grounded. The 2026 program will build on this momentum by expanding opportunities for even more communities.

“As schools across the country navigate how to prepare students for an AI-driven future, meaningful progress depends on ensuring every community has a seat at the table,” said aiEDU’s CEO, Alex Kotran.

Funded projects may include:

Multi-session professional developmentProfessional learning communitiesTrain-the-trainer modelsInstructional coaching networksDistrictwide AI implementation planning

The 12-month grants will begin in summer 2026, with participating organizations selecting one or more support pathways from aiEDU, including:

Teacher Professional DevelopmentDistrict Leadership Capacity BuildingClassroom IntegrationCurricular Integration

For application details and submission information, visit aiedu.org/2026-catalyst.

About aiEDU 

The AI Education Project (aiEDU) is a nonprofit working to define, deliver, and catalyze AI readiness in K–12 education so every student is prepared to live, work, and lead in a world shaped by AI. Through high-quality curriculum, educator training, and systems partnerships, aiEDU has reached 48,000 educators and impacted 2.8 million students nationwide. The result: teachers who feel confident and capable, school systems that are better prepared for the future, and students who graduate with the AI competencies needed to thrive in an AI-driven world. Learn more at aiedu.org. 

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SOURCE aiEDU

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PR Newswire AEO & GEO Brand Report Now Available in Canada

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Canada’s largest, most trusted press release distribution service builds on its legacy in the country by offering brand-level AI visibility intelligence to government, investor relations and corporate communications teams.

TORONTO, Oct. 19, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — AI-powered search and generative answer engines are rapidly reshaping how audiences discover and evaluate brands. As a result, communicators are increasingly seeking data-driven insights into their organization’s presence within this evolving landscape. Today, PR Newswire announces that its AEO & GEO Brand Report is now available to customers in Canada to help them take their brand’s AI visibility to the next level.

Experience the full interactive Multichannel News Release here: https://www.multivu.com/pr_newswire/9424851-en-pr-newswire-launches-aeo-geo-report-ai-brand-visibility-in-canada 

The report, available in the PR Newswire Amplify™ platform, provides measurable insights into how AI models reference and position brands, helping customers across Canada understand their AI footprint and actively shape it through the world’s most trusted distribution network and powerful Multichannel Amplification™ solutions.

Strategic AI Search Insights for Communications Professionals

Powered by Trajaan, a Cision company, the report captures three distinct categories of data to provide a brand-level view of AI visibility:

Mentions: Measure your brand’s presence in AI-generated answers with a breakdown of share of voice, total mentions, ranking position and trend tracking over time.

Sources: Identify the webpages and domains that are being referenced in AI responses about your brand to better understand the sources shaping the narrative.

Answers: See real responses showing exactly how large language models (LLMs) are answering questions about your organization.

“The rapidly-evolving AI search landscape is changing how communicators are thinking about visibility. We’re proud to build on decades of experience working with Canadian PR, marketing and investor relations teams by extending the availability of the AEO & GEO Brand Report. These powerful brand-level insights will help our customers in the country effectively navigate this new era,” said PR Newswire President Matt Brown. “Combining the report insights with our trusted, Multichannel Amplification™ tools offers communications teams an industry-leading solution for reaching global audiences where they are and increasing visibility for their most important stories.”

Turning AI Insights into Smarter Content Strategy

Launching the new report natively within Amplify, the award-winning platform that recently celebrated its one-year anniversary, allows Canadian communications, marketing and IR professionals to move instantly from identifying an AI visibility gap to closing it via targeted multichannel content and distribution.

By leveraging PR Newswire’s purpose-built platform alongside Trajaan’s proprietary search intelligence data, PR and marketing teams can turn market insights and online search signals into actionable next steps. The report helps teams strengthen content planning and strategy, and optimize messaging for answer engines and generative engines across multiple content types. Then, through PR Newswire’s multichannel distribution solutions, communicators can reinforce their brand’s credibility signals with the world’s largest, most credible distribution network.

The wider availability of the report is the latest example of how PR Newswire is constantly innovating to help communicators around the world stay ahead of the curve in a fast-moving AI search landscape and reach target audiences wherever they are with on-brand content that resonates.

To learn more about the new capability and other features available in the Amplify Report module, visit https://www.newswire.ca/amplify-report-module/.

About PR Newswire

PR Newswire is the industry’s leading press release distribution partner with an unparalleled global reach of more than 500,000 newsrooms, websites, direct feeds, journalists and influencers and is available in more than 170 countries and 40 languages. From our innovative AI-powered PR Newswire Amplify™ platform, award-winning Content Services offerings, integrated media newsroom and microsite products, Investor Relations suite of services, paid placement and social sharing tools, PR Newswire has a comprehensive Multichannel Amplification™ catalogue of solutions to solve the modern-day challenges PR and communications teams face. For more than 70 years, PR Newswire has been the preferred destination worldwide for brands to share their most important news stories.

About Cision

Cision is the global leader in consumer and media intelligence, engagement, and communication solutions. We equip PR and corporate communications, marketing, and social media professionals with the tools they need to excel in today’s data-driven world. Our deep expertise, exclusive data partnerships, and award-winning products, including CisionOne, Brandwatch, PR Newswire, and Trajaan, enable over 75,000 companies and organisations, including 84% of the Fortune 500, to see and be seen, understand and be understood by the audiences that matter most to them.

 

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/pr-newswire-aeo–geo-brand-report-now-available-in-canada-302910235.html

SOURCE PR Newswire

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Swift Current Energy Appoints Scott Koziar as Chief Development Officer

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Industry veteran brings more than two decades of power sector experience as Swift Current scales development to meet rising U.S. electricity demand

HOUSTON and BOSTON, Oct. 19, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Swift Current Energy (Swift Current) today announced that Scott Koziar has joined the company as Chief Development Officer and a member of its executive management team. Koziar will lead Swift Current’s development organization and advance its portfolio of utility-scale solar, wind and energy storage projects as data centers, advanced manufacturing and other large loads drive the need for new power generation across the United States.

Koziar brings more than 20 years of experience in the power sector, most recently serving as Chief Development Officer at Apex Clean Energy, where he oversaw a 63 GW pipeline of utility-scale wind, solar and battery storage projects. During his tenure, Apex commercialized 12 GW of projects now in construction or operation.

“Development is at the heart of what we do at Swift Current, and Scott is a proven leader who knows how to build teams and move complex projects from concept to operation,” said Michael Arndt, Chief Executive Officer of Swift Current Energy. “That experience is especially valuable today. The power market is changing quickly, demand is accelerating, and customers need solutions at a scale we haven’t seen in decades. Scott’s leadership will help us move faster and capitalize on the opportunities we see across our portfolio.”

“I’m thrilled to be joining Swift Current and grateful for the opportunity to work alongside such an experienced team,” said Koziar. “What attracted me to the company was its relationship driven culture and its track record of taking on ambitious, complex projects. With electricity demand reshaping the opportunity for new energy development across the country, I’m excited to build on that track record and help move the next generation of projects forward.”

Rick Miller, who has served as Interim Chief Development Officer since August, will continue with Swift Current as Senior Vice President of Development and work closely with Koziar to advance the company’s development portfolio.

For Koziar’s full biography and more information about Swift Current’s leadership team, visit the company’s Team page.

About Swift Current Energy

Swift Current Energy is trailblazing a path for clean energy now. Founded in 2016, the company develops, commercializes, owns, and operates highly competitive, utility-scale solar, wind, and energy storage projects across North America. The company has commercialized 5 gigawatts (GW) of clean energy projects, owns and operates more than 1 GW, and has more than 10 GW in development. Swift Current Energy is majority-owned by funds managed by IFM Investors and Lookout Ridge Energy Partners.

For more information, please visit swiftcurrentenergy.com.

Media Contact

Ellie Malone
Ellie@InnovantPR.com

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SOURCE Swift Current Energy

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2026 Belt and Road Journalists Forum opens in Nanjing, driving global media consensus

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NANJING, China, Oct. 19, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — A report from JiangsuNow.

The 2026 Belt and Road Journalists Forum convened on Oct. 17 in Nanjing, capital of Jiangsu province, highlighting the pivotal role of journalists and media leaders worldwide in furthering Belt and Road cooperation and advancing global governance.

Under the theme “Convergence and Connectivity•Innovation and Progress•Media Transformation amid Global Changes,” the event brought together nearly 100 journalists and representatives of journalists’ organizations from over 50 countries and regions for in-depth exchanges.

A series of practical mechanisms and dialogue platforms aimed at expanding international media exchanges were launched or upgraded during the forum.

At the main forum, the third batch of “International Home of Journalists” partnership certificates were presented to journalists’ organizations from 10 countries, including Chile, Cabo Verde, Mongolia, and Zambia. Meanwhile, the Global South Journalists Workshop Program was launched.

The Belt & Road Journalists’ Station in Jiangsu was also inaugurated at the Xinhua Daily Media Group in Nanjing. The Belt & Road Journalists’ Station aims to provide foreign journalists with integrated services such as news coordination, information consulting, and cultural exchange. Building on previous stations established in China’s Chongqing and Jiangxi province, the new station will further bolster the service network, offering an efficient platform for overseas media to better understand and report on China.

Prior to the main forum, participants joined the “Global South Journalists Explore China” field trips from Oct 13 to 15. International foreign media representatives visited Nanjing, Suzhou, Changzhou, Nantong, and Lianyungang to gain firsthand experience of Chinese modernization. In parallel, a series of Dialogue between Mayor/Secretary and Overseas Media activities were held across the cities, offering the global community a window into China’s development through Jiangsu while highlighting the enduring spirit of the Belt and Road Initiative.

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/apac/news-releases/2026-belt-and-road-journalists-forum-opens-in-nanjing-driving-global-media-consensus-302912750.html

SOURCE JiangsuNow

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