NEW YORK, Jan. 25, 2018 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- DonorsChoose.org, the education nonprofit that helps teachers with funding for classroom supplies and experiences, is proud to announce the site has funded 1 million project requests. To celebrate the funding of these first million projects, DonorsChoose.org is matching citizen donations for one day to all 40,000 projects live on the site on Thursday, January 25.
DonorsChoose.org was founded in 2000 by Charles Best, a history teacher in the Bronx, and opened to public school educators in all 50 states in 2007. Nearly 3 million people have given to classroom project requests on DonorsChoose.org, helping fund basic supplies, books, instruments, field trips, technology, and many other resources for classrooms across America.
"We're thrilled to celebrate this milestone with the teachers, donors, and partners who together have provided so many opportunities for America's students," said Best. "These million projects represent a million moments where the public told teachers, 'We've got your back.' I'm so proud that DonorsChoose.org has become a community where teachers and their ideas are valued, respected, and supported."
Over the past 18 years, teachers at 77% of all the public schools in America have created classroom project requests on DonorsChoose.org. While many teachers share their projects with friends and family, DonorsChoose.org has also built a network of citizen donors, corporations, and foundations eager to support teachers from across the country. The nonprofit estimates that over 80% of funded projects on the site receive at least one donation from a person or organization that doesn't personally know the teacher they're supporting, helping teachers broaden their network of supporters beyond friends, family, and local community members.
"DonorsChoose.org has been that open door that connects my classroom to so many donors, including people I have never met. I'm inspired by all of the people who care about our kids and the vision we have for our classrooms," said Genein Letford, a Los Angeles music teacher and a member of the DonorsChoose.org board of directors. Letford has had over 50 projects funded on the site, including requests for musical instruments, books, costumes for a school play, and college visits for students.
Founded in 2000, before the rise of social media and long before crowdfunding became a word, DonorsChoose.org — a 501(c)3 public charity — began as a way for teachers to access basic supplies, books, field trips, and other materials. In recent years, the site has expanded to support a variety of additional needs teachers encounter in the classroom: essential items such as coats and food for students struggling with poverty, recovery supplies for schools damaged or destroyed in natural disasters, professional development opportunities for teachers, and project requests led by middle- and high-school students.
In the past year, donors and partners have also pledged support for projects that support immigrant students, teach compassion and tolerance, help students displaced by storms in Puerto Rico, and foster discussions about mental and emotional health.
About DonorsChoose.org
DonorsChoose.org is the leading platform for giving to public schools. Teachers across America use the site to create projects requesting resources their students need, and donors give to the projects that inspire them. Since its founding by a Bronx teacher in 2000, nearly 3 million people and partners have given over $625 million to projects reaching 26 million students. Unique among education funding platforms, the DonorsChoose.org team vets each project request and ships resources directly to the school. Every donor receives photos of their project in action, thank-yous from the classroom, and a cost report showing how every dollar was spent. DonorsChoose.org was the first charity to make the top 10 on Fast Company's list of the Most Innovative Companies in the World. Visit www.donorschoose.org to learn more.
Contact
Chris Pearsall
media@donorschoose.org
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SOURCE DonorsChoose.org
