DonorsChoose.org
Project Title
As an emergency response to the COVID-19 pandemic for project support of the Graduate Together/XQ Special Fund
Date
Sep. 10, 2020
Duration
6 months
Description
Across America, a student’s zip code determines the quality of their education. Students who don’t have access to a great education aren’t able to access opportunities after school. There is an achievement gap in education caused by inequity that perpetuates cycles of poverty. Parallel to the achievement gap runs an opportunity and resource gap across schools. Often, teachers in under resourced communities foot the bill to address this disparity, spending an average of $500 out of pocket on classroom materials each school year. At a time when graduating seniors are traditionally celebrating their accomplishments and preparing for college, the COVID-19 crisis has introduced new economic and social distance burdens that could inhibit students’ preparation for their next steps after high school. With a grant from the Corporation, DonorsChoose, a crowd-sourcing platform that makes it easy for anyone to help a classroom in need, will support teachers in getting graduating seniors the resources they need to start their college experience on the right foot. Teachers will be invited to create projects on the DonorsChoose site that provide resources for students as they enter their first year of college, including technology, dorm room necessities, and food and hygiene essentials that students might otherwise not have access to.
Website
Project Title
For support of a family engagement challenge and dissemination
Date
Jun. 13, 2019
Duration
19 months
Description
A family’s income level or zip code often determine the quality of education that their children receive. Research shows that parent and teacher partnerships are a powerful way to support student learning, but teachers need exposure to best practices and innovative ideas that enable these partnerships to flourish. As a crowdfunding platform with over 3.5 million donors to date, DonorsChoose.org (DonorsChoose) has engaged the public in directly funding classroom projects. Since its founding in 2000, teachers at more than 80 percent of all American public schools have used DonorsChoose.org to request resources to support the needs of their students and families, bringing 1.3 million classroom projects to life, and about 75 percent of projects funded come from teachers working in low-income communities. With support from Corporation, DonorsChoose.org will launch a Family Engagement Challenge to surface best-in-class ideas on family engagement and propagate these ideas to classrooms nationwide.
Website
Project Title
For support of Houston-area schools recovering from Hurricane Harvey
Date
Jun. 14, 2018
Duration
12 months
Description
Six months after Hurricane Harvey hit Houston, teachers are still struggling with the impact of closed schools and displaced families. Many educators lack support in rebuilding their classrooms and providing their students with the resources and materials they need to succeed. As a crowdfunding platform with over 2 million donors, DonorsChoose.org has engaged the public in directly funding classroom projects with a focus on high poverty regions. The organization’s partners and donors have raised over $3 million for classrooms in affected areas, representing over 3,400 projects at 537 schools. With support from the Corporation, DonorsChoose.org will enable teachers in hurricane-affected areas in Houston to receive a dollar-for-dollar match on their classroom projects. The matching grant would inspire $300,000 in donations from the public, double recovery efforts, and more effectively improve the lives of students and their communities.
Website
Project Title
For parent engagement projects
Date
Sep. 07, 2017
Duration
15 months
Description
Research shows that when parents are involved in their children’s education, often by harnessing a network of educators, student academic achievement improves. In the current landscape of new standards, methods, and terminology, as well as possible shifts in national and local funding, families are often left uninformed and disconnected from their children’s education. Through a set of 200 parent engagement events, DonorsChoose.org will meet this parental demand by directly joining families with educators in partnerships to support their children’s learning. Over the past seventeen years, more than 400,000 teachers at three-quarters of public schools (overwhelmingly within high poverty regions) created project requests on DonorsChoose.org, and more than 2 million citizen donors have contributed to projects. To incubate venues for parent engagement, DonorsChoose.org will invite public school teachers nationwide to create projects requesting materials for family engagement events. The Corporation will bolster their efforts in two ways: (1) provide $200,000 in matching gifts to double citizen donor impact and (2) enable at least 2,000 parents (identified by respective teachers) to contribute $300,000 worth of gifts to their children’s classrooms. The Corporation’s support will both proliferate face-to-face engagement, and support parental ownership and decision-making power within schools.