DONORSCHOOSE.ORG

DonorsChoose.org is a nonprofit website where public school teachers can submit proposals for supplies and materials to support projects that they feel show promise of increasing student achievement. Individuals interested in providing the support are invited to search the web, identify proposals and elect to fund them.

DonorsChoose.org was developed by Charles Best, a teacher in a Bronx public high school in 2001, and the concept grew quickly. In 2006, the project raised nearly $5 million in 2006 in four cities for use in classrooms primarily in low-income communities. DonorsChoose.org became a national organization in November 2007, with a commitment to develop active giving programs in Baltimore and three other mid-Atlantic cities in the next two years.
DonorsChoose.org is dedicated to addressing the scarcity and inequitable distribution of learning materials in public schools, and aims to improve public education by engaging citizens in an online marketplace where teachers describe specific student projects that individuals can fund based on their own personal interests.

Potential donors can search teacher proposals on the DonorsChoose.org website by area of interest or geographical location. Proposals range from Magical Math Centers ($200) to Cooking Across the Curriculum ($1,100). DonorsChoose.org verifies each proposal and coordinates the procurement of materials, and each donor receives a feedback package of student photographs and thank-you notes, as well as an expense report.
With a grant of $50,000 from The Abell Foundation, DonorsChoose.org has successfully launched the website initiative in Baltimore City public schools and the Baltimore community. Six months after its entry into Baltimore, 771 city teachers have registered projects for funding with DonorsChoose.org. In its first six months, visitors to DonorsChoose.org have funded 370 teacher projects in Baltimore City public schools, generating $135,000 in new resources for the schools. Another 135 teacher projects are partially funded and 130 proposals are waiting for initial funding.

The Abell Foundation expects that DonorsChoose.org will enable givers to link directly to Baltimore City teachers and attract new contributors to the Baltimore City Public School System. Interested individuals can log in on-line at www.DonorsChoose.org; organizations may also choose to buy DonorsChoose.org gift certificates for employees to use.