All year long, teachers across the country submit requests through DonorsChoose, giving us a clear picture of what their classrooms are missing. Some needs are universal. Some are specific to a zip code, a community, and even regional weather. 

The tens of thousands of classroom projects posted so far in 2026 form the most detailed, teacher-sourced picture of what teachers and their students in every corner of the country need this spring. All told, students in Maine and students in Maui share more in common than you might expect — and the differences between them matter just as much. 

What we learned: 44 states (and Washington, DC) have the same #1 request

Of all the materials a classroom could, teachers in the majority of states have the same #1 request: Books. Replacing dog-eared copies, expanding from a single novel to a class set, diversifying and updating materials, filling out different reading levels, snagging the hottest new titles — teachers everywhere need help stocking their shelves.

From Ms. Kim Hong in Jackson Heights, NY who requested copies of Anne of Green Gables, Diary of a Wimpy Kid, The One and Only Ivan, Mo Willems’ Elephant and Piggie series, and the entire Hunger Games boxed set: 

“The average age of the books in our library is 1998, which means that many titles are over 30 years old. Some materials dating back more than 50 years; our library collection is very outdated. Our children deserve new, diverse, and high-quality resources that better reflect and serve our students’ needs.”

Mr. Hill in Harvey, IL explains the deeper reason why a wide range of books is so important: 

“Beyond academics, these books create a sense of belonging. Our library is now a destination where students see their interests valued, sparking organic ‘book talk’ and community. Your support ensures that every student, regardless of their background, has access to the stories they love.”

And the six states that didn’t have books as their top-requested item? They all requested food items most, but books was their #2. 

What we learned: Some states break the mold

No one-size-fits-all approach works for America’s classrooms. Classrooms in the Deep South request household disinfectants more than any other region. Rugs are especially popular in Vermont. Goldfish crackers and animal crackers top nearly every classroom snack list, except for Tennessee and West Virginia, which are all in on Pop-Tarts.

And sometimes the most vital items are directly dependent upon the weather. Hearing directly from teachers about their specific classroom needs is the only way to ensure students get exactly what they need.

From Alaska (Ms Ibarra’s classroom):
“With temperatures often plunging well below zero, children are at a higher risk for hypothermia and frostbite because their smaller bodies lose heat faster than adults. In Alaska, winter gear isn't just about comfort—it’s a safety essential.”

To Florida (Mr. Taylor’s classroom):
“Our Tampa school struggles with an old air conditioning unit that doesn't work properly when it is working at all. In addition, the humidity in our Florida classroom constantly approaches 100%. Students are constantly leaving the class to go find an area where the air conditioning functions, missing valuable instructional time.”

What we learned: There really is a Big 3

35 states have the same three items in their top three most requested resources: books, classroom snacks, and educational toys.

As Ms. Harper in Detroit, MI put it: “New school, new school year, new students. Same needs!” Her request for books from the Llama, Llama and Pete the Cat series, magnetic letters and numbers, and Play-Doh mirrors the needs of classrooms across the country. Books, snacks, and educational toys are universally needed — and appreciated — classroom materials.

Curious about what your favorite state needs most right now? Here’s the full list:

Full List

Alaska
Books
Food 
Markers & Highlighters

Alabama
Books
Food
Household Disinfectants

Arkansas
Books
Food
Markers & Highlighters

Arizona
Books
Food
Educational Toys

California
Books
Food
Educational Toys

Colorado
Books
Food
Educational Toys

Connecticut
Books
Educational Toys
Food

Delaware
Books
Educational Toys
Educational Toys

Florida
Books
Food
Educational Toys

Georgia
Books
Food
Household Disinfectants

Hawaii
Books
Food
Markers & Highlighters

Iowa
Books
Food
Educational Toys

Idaho
Books
Food
Educational Toys

Illinois
Books
Food
Educational Toys

Indiana
Books
Food
Educational Toys

Kansas
Books
Food
Educational Toys

Kentucky
Books
Food
Educational Toys

Louisiana
Books
Food
Headphones

Massachusetts
Books
Food
Educational Toys

Maryland
Food
Books
Educational Toys

Maine
Books
Food
Markers & Highlighters

Michigan
Books
Educational Toys
Food

Minnesota
Books
Food
Educational Toys

Missouri
Books
Food
Educational Toys

Mississippi
Books
Food
Household Disinfectants

Montana
Books
Markers & Highlighters
Food

North Carolina
Books
Food
Educational Toys

North Dakota
Food
Books
Educational Toys

Nebraska
Books
Food
Educational Toys

New Hampshire
Books
Markers & Highlighters
Educational Toys

New Jersey
Food
Books
Educational Toys

New Mexico
Books
Food
Educational Toys

Nevada
Books
Educational Toys
Markers & Highlighters

New York
Books
Food
Educational Toys

Ohio
Books
Food
Educational Toys

Oklahoma
Books
Food
Educational Toys

Oregon
Books
Food
Educational Toys

Pennsylvania
Food
Books
Educational Toys

Rhode Island
Books
Food
Educational Toys

South Carolina
Books
Food
Headphones

South Dakota
Books
Food
Educational Toys

Tennessee 
Books
Food
Educational Toys

Texas
Books
Food
Educational Toys

Utah
Books
Food
Educational Toys

Virginia
Books
Food
Educational Toys

Vermont
Books
Food
Rugs

Washington
Books
Food
Educational Toys

Washington, DC
Food
Books
Educational Toys

Wisconsin
Books
Food
Educational Toys

West Virginia
Books
Food
Educational Toys

Wyoming
Books
Food
Educational Toys

Youth-led community service doesn't just impact communities. Research shows that when students engage in just one hour of community service a week, they're more likely to graduate, and teens report that service supports their career readiness, connection, and resilience.

The Allstate Foundation is committed to empowering youth ages 5 – 25 to serve and improve communities. As the country's most trusted platform to connect the public to public schools, DonorsChoose shares those values — and that's why our three-year partnership is still going strong.

Our Strategy: Keep teachers in focus so students can shine

In 2023, The Allstate Foundation knew it wanted to inspire a movement of youth-led community service. Teachers are an essential part of that puzzle, and DonorsChoose is the perfect platform for empowering every teacher to get the specific materials their students need to succeed.

Enter: The Allstate Foundation's Service Stars campaign, a partnership with DonorsChoose and TIME for Kids that provides $500 grants to public school teachers to facilitate youth-led service projects in their classrooms and communities. Designed to make service accessible and actionable, teachers create community service projects around a range of "missions" that empower students to identify community needs, take action, and build leadership skills through real-world service — and they do it all on the DonorsChoose platform. Here's how our youth-empowerment partnership has evolved over time:

2023-2024: Service Stars comes to DonorsChoose

For Year 1 of the Service Stars campaign and DonorsChoose's involvement, we kicked off the school year with a "mission of the month," funding classroom projects that focused on impact themes such as boosting literacy, fighting hunger, or spreading kindness.

2024-2025: Expanding support year-round

During Year 2 of the Service Stars campaign, DonorsChoose and Allstate heard from teachers nationally. Their excitement to bring multiple mission-focused projects into their classrooms led us to expand grant opportunities to fund all Service Stars mission-related projects. We worked closely with The Allstate Foundation and TIME for Kids to help teachers request supplies related to all Service Stars missions, beyond the monthly rotating theme.

2025-2026: We deepen our reach and impact

For Year 3, The Allstate Foundation renewed Service Stars at $1.7M. TIME for Kids and The Allstate Foundation also gifted elementary school grantees TIME for Kids Activity Books to continue igniting learning for curiosity-driven students and teachers.

Our Impact: Funding thousands of classroom projects to engage thousands of students across the country

Three years in, Service Stars has evolved into a streamlined, high-engagement national campaign, funding thousands of projects and reinforcing The Allstate Foundation's commitment to youth empowerment, innovative social impact, and community leadership. Since 2023, we have awarded over $3.5M in grants to fund more than 6,000 classroom projects, reaching over 200,000 students across more than 1,500 public schools across the country. We asked several teachers who've benefited from the Service Stars campaign to share their stories.

"At Van Horn High School, our students face many challenges, but this project gave them the chance to lead with heart. With your support, we created a meaningful opportunity for students to recognize their peers, spread positivity, and experience the joy of giving 'just because.' Each week, students took pride in rolling through the halls with the Kindness Kart, celebrating classmates who showed perseverance, compassion, and kindness. In doing so, they learned that even the smallest gestures can create ripples of happiness and build a stronger, more connected school community. Together, we didn’t just deliver snacks — we delivered smiles, encouragement, and a reminder that kindness matters."

– Tammy Anderson, grades 9-12, Independence,MO

"For Lunar New Year, my students and I launched a project focused on cultural appreciation, community engagement, and spreading kindness. We began by learning about the traditions, values, and history behind Lunar New Year celebrations from various cultures including Chinese, Korean, and Vietnamese communities. We hosted a Lunar New Year fair at school, promoting inclusivity and cultural awareness. Parents and students came to participate in making fortune tellers, headbands, and dragons. On Lunar New Year, students received red envelopes with stickers and a Gator dollar as they entered in the morning. We made the lion head out of the materials and it was used as a photo opportunity for the event."

– Diane Yokoyama, preK-2nd grades, Los Angeles, CA

"We more fully fitted our campus clothing closet so that students feel like they are shopping for great finds and actually look forward to visiting Frederick's Wardrobe. Initially intended for our foster and homeless students, we wanted to make it a welcoming and fun place for all students. With help from D.C. and The Allstate Foundation, we were able to do that!"

– Heather Dougherty, grades 9-12, Atwater, GA

We are so grateful to team up with generous partners like The Allstate Foundation, who prove that when we keep teachers at the heart of our strategy and give them the tools they need, students — and communities — can soar.

Want to see how your foundation or company can empower communities while supporting student learning?

Contact our team today.

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We say we appreciate teachers — on coffee mugs, at school board meetings, in graduation speeches, on social media, in the rhetoric of politicians of all stripes. We mean it, too. But appreciation has its limits. Words alone become a comfortable substitute for the harder thing: actually giving teachers what they need to do their jobs.

No one knows students like teachers.

Teaching requires subject-matter expertise, but also expertise in child development, social-emotional learning, conflict resolution, and the art of reaching a child who is difficult to reach. Teachers know their students best — they know who is excelling at math, who is struggling with reading, who focuses better when they sit near the front. They know who has a new sibling, whose parents just went through a divorce, who loves all things baseball, who is shy but quietly hilarious. They know things that no algorithm or standardized test can capture. Teachers are often the first adult outside a family to recognize a child's potential or spot a child in crisis. It’s impossible to overstate the difference a good teacher can make in the trajectory of a child’s life. 

This doesn’t add up.

On average, teachers report spending $655 of their own money per year on supplies for their students and classroom. And according to this study from the Economic Policy Institute, the relative gap between teacher wages and those of similarly educated professionals reached a record high of 26.9% in 2024. In addition to out-of-pocket spending, 49% of teachers report working at least one alternate job to supplement their teacher salary. 

For anyone who values education, those numbers send a strong signal: Students aren’t always getting the supplies they need. And despite heroic efforts, teachers can’t fill the gap on their own.

“You give us structure and stability.”

The pressure to provide for students is further complicated by a growing mental health crisis in America’s classrooms. More than 60% of teachers report being concerned or very concerned about their students’ mental health, and high school teachers are the most concerned. 

This is one more way that the expectations placed on teachers have expanded dramatically. Teachers are increasingly one of the most vital sources of stability in children’s lives and are striving to make their classrooms havens where learning can still happen.

In the words of Ms. K from Minnesota, a teacher who requests supplies on DonorsChoose:

“This year has brought significant change to our classroom community. During a period of deep disruption in the Twin Cities, nearly half of my students moved to a temporary virtual learning option our district offered… We had to rebuild routines, relationships, and our classroom identity very quickly. Your donations helped anchor us during that transition. The new supplies gave us structure and stability at a time when we needed it most.”

A well-resourced classroom isn't a luxury. It's a necessary environment that creates the stability and warmth that children depend on — especially when navigating difficult home circumstances or an unstable world outside school.

Show up. Give back. Fund a classroom.

Want to help but not sure how? Fortunately, teachers have taken the guesswork out of lending a hand. They are requesting exactly what their students need. 

When you fund a teacher’s request on DonorsChoose, you support a teacher in a tangible way. Appreciation becomes action. The teacher spending their paycheck on books, crayons, and construction paper can stop dipping so deeply into their own pocket. The teacher with a room full of both eager and struggling readers can supply books for every level. The teacher who dreams of bringing robotics to their students can bring that dream to life. The classroom becomes what it's supposed to be — a place of possibility, not scarcity.

Teachers have always shown up for our kids. It's time we show up for them.

Research shows that when students are given what they need to become strong readers, everything changes. Literacy skills can be a gateway to better mental health, improved self-esteem, stronger social skills, better report cards, and even fulfilling jobs down the line — and that's a gateway we need to keep open.

Humble Bundle, a trusted digital storefront for video games, software, and books, is no stranger to the power of literacy and giving back. They know that all students deserve positive, high quality educational experiences, and that many of those experiences begin with literacy skills.

When we teamed up with Humble Bundle, we knew we'd make an impact. But a 3X match offer totalling over $300,000 that supported 80,255 students and 741 teachers who'd never received funding before? Now that's a story worth telling. 

Funding literacy to fund the future

A key piece of our partnership meant first featuring DonorsChoose as Humble Bundle's August 2025 Charity of the Month. As the featured charity, 5% of all subscriptions went to DonorsChoose for the month.

Then, from August through September, DonorsChoose became a part of the IGN Gamescom Bundle, and customers could choose how much of their payment went to DonorsChoose.. Funds raised through both these campaigns supported a 3X match offer supporting middle and high school literacy projects on the DonorsChoose platform, with a specific focus on Literacy: Books and Reading Nooks for grades 6-12. The match offer also prioritized teachers who had never before received funding.

By combining these two donor communities and offering a sizable match offer, Humble Bundle and DonorsChoose were able to amplify literacy needs and help more classroom projects receive funding: over $300,000 in donations successfully funded 755 projects, supporting 741 teachers at 689 schools and – most importantly of all – empowering 80,255 students to learn and grow.

A+ projects funded for superstar teachers

We went straight to teachers to learn how resources funded by Humble Bundle were put to use. Here's what they had to say:

Of all the incredible projects funded by these campaigns, a few stand-outs caught our eye. Check out what these classrooms are able to achieve with generous donor support:

English Classroom: Engaging with Classic Literature

Mrs. Lucareli, Grades 9-12 
Camarillo, CA
Mrs. Lucareli had a mission: get her English students excited about Homer's gripping epic, The Odyssey. But the only version her district gave her was too challenging for her high school students, who struggle with their literacy skills. With Humble Bundle's help, Mrs. Lucareli was able to purchase graphic novel editions of The Odyssey that are more visually accessible, while supplementing with excerpts from Homer's original format. Now, all her students can experience why people still rave about one of the oldest surviving works of literature!

Sign, Shine, and Succeed: Empowering Deaf Learners

Ms. McPherson, Grades 9-12
Reno, NV
Ms. McPherson loves working with her Deaf and Hard of Hearing students, and wants them to be able to learn from materials that speak to their experiences. She worked with her students to make a wish list of ASL books, learning materials, bookshelves for a new classroom library, and a snack list that will help them stay fed and ready to learn. Thanks to Humble Bundle, this classroom just became a safer, more accessible, more inclusive place for all her students to thrive! 

Promote Literacy in My Science Lab

Ms. Hensley, Grades 6-8
Katy, TX
Ms. Hensley sees firsthand every day the link between literacy skills and success in the sciences. In recent years, she'd noticed a drop in her middle school students' basic academic vocabulary. When students increase their literacy skills, they become more able to turn science from an abstract subject to one with real-world implications. The Humble Bundle campaigns fully funded her request for a library of and subscription to Science World Magazine, which will help her students broaden their vocabulary and see specific scenarios of science in action!

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By partnering with education nonprofit DonorsChoose to pair professional development with classroom resources, state departments of education are achieving learning outcomes at accelerated rates while honoring the autonomy of teachers and the individual needs of each student. 

The Challenge: Accelerate literacy outcomes across the state

After his election in late 2024, Governor Matt Meyer spent the first 100 days of his term tackling the issues he found to be most urgent – and that meant declaring a statewide literacy emergency. As the Delaware Department of Education knew all too well, students across Delaware were struggling to hit reading goals, while their teachers lacked the resources and materials to support their success. Improving literacy outcomes across subject and grade level would take a comprehensive program that provides teachers with access to both professional development around The Science of Learning and additional classroom resources. And, as every good teacher knows, those new lessons would need some way to be put into action in order to drive a truly successful campaign.  

DDOE also identified 66 schools as needing extra literacy support. Wanting to make sure the students with the highest need got additional support, they knew that designating funding specifically towards those schools would prove crucial to accomplishing statewide literacy outcomes.

The Solution: Use DonorsChoose to turn professional learning into classroom action

DonorsChoose is a nonprofit that gives public school teachers the ability to request resources that will help their students learn, and connects them with supporters eager to bring their ideas to life. Since our founding in 2000, 6.6 million donors have contributed $1.9 billion, bringing nearly 3.5 million teacher requests to life. Our platform is easy to use and provides an ongoing resource for teachers beyond dedicated campaigns. Our focus on trust and integrity has consistently earned us top ratings from charity watchdogs like Charity Navigator. 

The Delaware Department of Education worked with our team to create a multi-pronged initiative, integrating our partnership into a broader state strategy including professional development and coaching. DonorsChoose served as the mechanism for translating lessons learned in those courses and coaching sessions into direct classroom implementation. DDOE worked with expert teachers to develop recommended literacy resources and bundles, and teachers were encouraged to select from vetted materials aligned with the Science of Reading. 

On October 10, DDOE launched the initiative. Every public school teacher was eligible to participate, regardless of grade level or subject area, and was encouraged to apply literacy strategies across disciplines (like math teacher Ms. Lockerd, who created a project to help students decode word problems). Each participating teacher received a donation of up to $750 to fund their classroom project. $1.1 million of the total $3 million was allocated for 66 schools identified as needing the most literacy support, ensuring students with the highest needs were especially uplifted.

The Results: Rapid allocation of funds focused on literacy in 10 days

Our partnership was able to fund $3 million for literacy-focused classroom projects, allocating the majority of those funds within only the first 10 days of launch. 4,251 teachers and projects received funding – that's more than half of all public school teachers in the state of Delaware, with 244 schools participating in total. By pairing professional learning with classroom resources, and respecting the autonomy and needs of working teachers, the Delaware Department of Education proved how combining a top-down change with bottom-up empowerment can enhance student learning.

For five years, DonorsChoose, the Hawai'i Department of Education (HIDOE), and renowned philanthropists Marc and Lynne Benioff have shared a common vision: support every public school in Hawai'i and inspire early-career teachers to remain in their profession. Since partnering, $25 million has been invested in supporting budding educators and classroom needs across Hawai'i.

The Challenge: Empower first- and second-year Hawai'i teachers while funding classrooms in every public school statewide

When early-career teachers set up their classrooms, they're often starting from scratch. Always wanting the most for their students, teachers frequently dig into their own pockets to buy the extra materials and resources that will make their classroom feel like a unique, comfortable, and engaging place of learning. That kind of financial strain puts an incredible burden on educators, and that kind of burden can make a teacher leave their profession altogether.

But the Hawai'i Department of Education discovered that when teachers across all career stages begin their years with fully stocked classrooms, they're better able to inspire their students' learning and more likely to stay in the classroom. If HIDOE could find a simple, equitable way to grow the funding pie and get teachers and students all the tools they need from day one, educators would have an easier time staying in the classroom. And with year-round funding available to all teachers, HIDOE could inspire sustained student success statewide.

The Solution: Year-round funding through DonorsChoose, paired with aid from noted philanthropists Marc and Lynne Benioff

DonorsChoose is a nonprofit that gives public school teachers the ability to request resources that will help their students learn, and connects them with supporters eager to bring their ideas to life. Since our founding in 2000, 6.6 million donors have contributed $1.9 billion, bringing nearly 3.5 million teacher requests to life. Our platform is easy to use, and provides an ongoing resource for teachers beyond dedicated campaigns. Our dedication to trust and integrity has consistently earned us top ratings from charity watchdogs like Charity Navigator. 

HIDOE partnered with DonorsChoose to launch multiple campaigns, funding teachers’ requests every fall and spring semester. For first- and second-year teachers, an up-to $1,000 donation delivered early in the fall semester allows them to fully stock their classrooms. Teachers were given multiple months to request materials and qualify for this donation, allowing them to assess their new students' needs and adapt accordingly. For all teachers in Hawai'i public schools, fall and spring campaigns also fully funded projects posted by any Hawai'i teacher, up to $750. In the fall and at the end of the year, $1,000 gift codes are awarded to the 15 Teachers of the Year. 

Marc and Lynne Benioff matched every dollar given by HIDOE, doubling the impact of state investment, expanding the reach of this campaign, and enabling broader participation with additional support for early-career educators.

The Results: Five years of teacher support and $25M in classroom resource funding statewide

Pairing state education resources with our exceptional crowdfunding platform and philanthropic support has proved to be a winning combination. In five years, our partnership has contributed a total of $36.5 million to the Hawai'i education system, with $25 million coming directly from HIDOE and matched by Marc and Lynne Benioff funding. 50,163 teacher projects have been fulfilled — and we're only just getting started.

With 9,414 teachers on the receiving end of this support and 29,490 classroom projects already funded, strong statewide participation is just one of the outcomes of our alignment. By running a funding campaign every fall and spring semester and adding DonorsChoose to their toolkits, the state is ensuring that teachers begin their careers with fully equipped classrooms, resources are equitably distributed, and teacher retention is supported through early investment. In Hawai'i, educators and students are cared for, from the first day of school to the last.

In July 2025, DonorsChoose launched the iHeartRadio Thank a Teacher campaign with longtime partner iHeartMedia. The contest recognized public school teachers who are shaping the future and highlighted the important role that teachers play in educating, mentoring, and inspiring students, despite facing limited resources and funding challenges.

During the contest’s run, iHeartRadio invited the public to nominate outstanding teachers who are going above and beyond to make a difference in their students’ lives. Select teachers were featured on their local iHeartRadio stations throughout the school year. 

In September, DonorsChoose randomly selected the first five winners to each win $5,000 DonorsChoose gift cards to provide supplies for their classrooms. Now, in February 2026, the last five winners are here! You can find all of the winners below.

Keep up the support for teachers! Use promo code THANKATEACHER and find a local teacher to support – and DonorsChoose will double your donation!

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Winter 2026 Winners

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Lisa Elkhay

2nd Grade Teacher

Brightwood Elementary School

Springfield, MA

What makes this teacher special, in the nominator’s words:

Mrs. Elkhay sincerely cares about all of her students. She differentiates and accommodates to meet the needs of all of her students. She is a leader on her second grade team being the veteran teacher. She also participates in after school activities with her students such as being a Girls on the Run coach for girls in grades 3-5 and being a basketball coach for students in grades 5 and 6. She is a truly dedicated teacher that deserves recognition for all of her work throughout her teaching career.

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Kathy Kaze

1st Grade Teacher

Leman Academy of Excellence

Parker, CO

Nominated by: Susan

What makes this teacher special, in the nominator’s words:

There is none better! Kathy cares deeply about each of her scholars, going above and beyond to provide them with what they need. She is a fabulous team member, too!

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Michelle Kelley

9th-12th Grade Life Skills Teacher

Mesquite High School

Mesquite, TX

Nominated by: Lynne

What makes this teacher special, in the nominator’s words:

Michelle teaches high school special ed. She has the patience of a saint. She cares about all of her students as if they were her own. Not only is she great with her students, she’s fantastic with communicating with their parents. I don’t know how she does it!

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Courtney Sem

Kindergarten Teacher

Stanley Public School

Stanley, ND

Nominated by: Nate

What makes this teacher special, in the nominator’s words:

Childhood dream was to be a kindergarten teacher, she makes an everlasting positive impact on all the young lives that she teaches. She taught for 8 years, took a break for maternity leave, and got the opportunity to start teaching again in Stanley.

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Lynda Worthington

Intervention Specialist

Open Door School

Coal Grove, OH

Nominated by: Shelli

What makes this teacher special, in the nominator’s words:

Lynda is a truly amazing teacher! She is the first to volunteer to help any of her co-workers. Her students love her so much. She goes above and beyond for them. Lynda is constantly trying to find new approaches to help her students improve. She loves all the kids in the school.

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Fall 2025 Winners

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Robert Brightbill

9th-12th Grade Teacher, Building Construction Technology

Dauphin County Technical School

Harrisburg, PA

Nominated by: Debra

What makes this teacher special, in the nominator’s words:

Mr. Brightbill is extremely knowledgeable in his field. Not only does he share his knowledge with his students, but he also instills giving and compassion in his students, teaching them to give back and pay it forward. He is very active at the school as well as in the community. He has the knowledge, skills, and compassion. He's just a great man and very deserving individual.

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Catherine Burke

5th Grade Math and Science Teacher

Gene Witt Elementary School

Bradenton, FL

Nominated by: Cara

What makes this teacher special, in the nominator’s words:

Catherine is amazing. She is always willing to help anyone and teaches students at their pace to ensure they understand the lesson. She volunteers to tutor students after school who need additional help - free of charge. She also attends the monthly School Advisory Council and PTO meetings to stay involved and provide her opinion from the teacher point of view.

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Beata Karczewski

9th Grade Science Teacher

Southeast Career Technical Academy

Las Vegas, NV

Nominated by: Ayesha

What makes this teacher special, in the nominator’s words:

Ms. Karczewski recently moved to Southeast Career Technical Academy from Bob Miller Middle School. She is an exceptional science teacher who truly loves sharing her passion for science with her students. She has been a Science Olympiad coach for many years and mentored students who have achieved multiple awards for the Science Olympiad state competition in Nevada. She spends endless hours on the weekend and will make multiple trips to the hardware store to help students succeed in their events. She is an outstanding mentor and colleague!

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Tiffany Lancaster

Pre-K Special Education Teacher

Plummer Elementary School

Washington, DC

Nominated by: James

What makes this teacher special, in the nominator’s words:

Mrs. Lancaster is an exceptional teacher. She uses her own money to provide a calm and entertaining area for her students. She treats each child like they're her own. She is a lifesaver in her community.

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Kimberly Yonts

3rd Grade Teacher

Kirkwood Elementary School

Clarksville, TN

Nominated by: Kalin

What makes this teacher special, in the nominator’s words:

Mrs. Yonts loves all of her students. She makes every effort to ensure all of her students reach their full potential. Most importantly she runs her classroom with love, respect and discipline. Because of this, her students perform really well. Parents love her. She is one of the most requested teachers by parents and fellow teachers. This is why I nominate Mrs. Kimberly Yonts. She deserves it.

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When employees are engaged at work, businesses are more productive, more profitable, and cut their turnover rates in half. Partnering with DonorsChoose empowers organizations to design and implement custom employee engagement campaigns that prioritize authentic, meaningful impact in both their workforce and their communities. When your organization and DonorsChoose combine forces, everyone wins.

We're always looking for ways to support our partners in hitting their business impact goals. In 2024, we launched Classroom Connections, a digital, micro-volunteering activity that connects employees to students through the simple act of letter writing. Through our accessible, scalable, and experiential employee engagement program, organizations create a path from heartfelt connection to increased engagement.

How it works

Classroom Connections begins with companies supporting students by funding classroom projects. After receiving funding, teachers are encouraged to work with their class to write pen-pal letters to donors — and employees, in return, can engage by responding to those letters, either on their own time within a submission window or during structured employee events.

This simple program targets four key values:

• Accessible to all employees — Classroom Connections engages every employee, including frontline and hourly staff, in a meaningful volunteer experience that boosts inclusivity, participation, and CSR progress.
• Scalable and flexible — Small and tight-knit or large and distributed: our program  can be deployed across any workforce, all while minimizing overhead and maximizing engagement.
• Turnkey and low-lift for HR — Classroom Connections is a fully designed experience with minimal lift, delivering high-impact programming without costing HR extra time or effort.
• Heartfelt connection to drive engagement — Employees hear directly from students and make an immediate impact. This direct person-to-person program creates memorable experiences that drive participation, satisfaction, and company pride.

DonorsChoose partners Optimum and Power Home Remodeling joined us to pilot Classroom Connections

Optimum needed to engage a diverse, dispersed workforce at scale, so together we customized our approach to fit their needs. Ten thousand employees received an email inviting them to respond to letters from the students supported by Optimum. Employee resource group leaders joined a virtual letter-writing session, and every employee was given the flexibility to participate in any way that worked for their daily workflow. Together, we engaged employees at 84 field and corporate offices, and even succeeded in achieving senior leadership participation.

Power Home Remodeling aimed to build employee connection and culture through a virtual gathering. Power hosted a Giving Tuesday call with around 200 employees. As a group, employees read student letters and wrote responses, coming together virtually from near and far to engage and make an impact.

These two adaptations prove that Classroom Connections is adaptable, scalable, and accessible, and empowers an organization of any size to engage their employees and achieve impact goals.

Educators share the value that Classroom Connections brings to their classroom

“My students were excited to write real letters to professionals, which gave their writing a meaningful purpose. Instead of simply completing an assignment for a grade, they were communicating with real people in the workforce.… And seeing their letters acknowledged and answered made a lasting impact. It validated their efforts and showed them that their words matter.”

— Ms. Cheatham, Ezra Nolan Middle School 40

“Many of our students’ parents haven’t graduated high school, so having this opportunity to be noticed by and connect with business professionals is huge for opening the doors of possibilities for my students.”

— Ms. Gallin, Edna M Rollins Elementary School

“It allowed for a research project about what Optimum does for their community. Many of my students found it interesting that there are jobs outside of coding. When they think of technology based jobs they always think of coding. Now they are considering jobs in technology fields.”

— Mr. Goldberg, Freehold Intermediate School

Ready to make connections and inspire engagement?

Contact our team through our Partner Center to discuss how your company can engage employees through our classroom letter writing program!

Inside the Ripple STEM Innovation Challenge

This past fall, the Ripple STEM Innovation Challenge invited teachers across the country to think boldly about exploration, discovery, and creative thinking in the classroom. Powered by Ripple, longtime DonorsChoose partner and champion of education, this challenge encouraged educators to design STEM projects that would make their students’ eyes light up — part of Ripple’s $15 million commitment to supporting students and teachers on DonorsChoose.

More than 28,000 STEM projects submitted on DonorsChoose by early October were automatically entered into the challenge. An esteemed judging panel (including artist and activist John Legend, Yale psychology professor Dr. Laurie Santos, early childhood expert Monica J. Sutton, and the Ripple team) selected five standout winners, who each received a $100,000 DonorsChoose gift code to turn their classroom into the STEM wonderland of their dreams.

From latch-hook crafts to quadcopters, this challenge celebrated the brilliance of teachers everywhere.

Curious to see what a $100,000 prize winning project looks like? Check out the winners:‍

‍Empowering STEM Education Through Innovative Coral Restoration‍

Chayanee Brooks – Pahala, HI – Ka'u High & Pahala Elementary School
With the help of a 3D printer and coral fragments, students at Ka'u High and Pahala Elementary will get a hands-on opportunity to learn the principles of designing and fabricating structures at a micro/macro level, and direct exposure to in-demand STEM careers. 

Talk to the Hand: STEM-ovation in Robotic Arm Prosthetics!

Eric York – Tulare, CA – Tulare Union High School
Inspired by E-nable's open-source prosthetic community, this high school robotics teacher aims to teach his students how to design and fabricate their own prosthetic arms — and, in the process, show them the engineering design process and how their handiwork can make a difference.

Makey Makey Music Lab: Hands-On STEM through Sound and Code

Mark Bilotta – Monroe, CT – Jockey Hollow School
Technology meets tunes in this high school music teacher's project. By exploring STEM concepts through hands-on activities like coding music, building DIY instruments, and experimenting with sound science, Mr. Bilotta's students will transform from listeners into makers, bridging STEM and art to open up new career possibilities and dreams. 

Hydroponics in Action: Growing Chemistry Careers

Pravesh Shiwnarain – Jamaica, NY – York Early College Academy
Using hydroponic kits, grow lights, and tools like pH and EC meters, Mr. Shiwnarain will help his students conduct experiments that connect directly to real-world STEM careers and see firsthand how chemistry is the foundation of sustainable food systems and environmental problem-solving.

Green Chemistry Innovators: Student-Designed Sustainable Products

Ragaa Khalil – Los Angeles, CA – Torres Engineering & Technology Academy
Ms. Khalil is redefining the traditional chemistry lab class by transforming her students into environmental scientists. Utilizing the 12 Principles of Green Chemistry, Torres chem lab students will work in teams to identify climate issues, research sustainable alternatives, formulate eco-friendly products, and conduct rigorous testing with new lab materials and tools. 

Inspired? Submit a project and bring these stellar ideas to your classroom.

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When classrooms celebrate world cultures as part of an affirming and expansive learning environment for students, young children are more able to develop a positive sense of identity and build self-esteem. 

Lunar New Year is one of the world's most vibrant holidays centered around good fortune, lucky foods, and togetherness. This year, Lunar New Year falls on Tuesday, February 17, 2026. Celebrated by more than 1.5 billion people worldwide, this colorful and rich holiday provides a great opportunity for teachers looking to bring other cultures into the classroom. For the fourth year in a row, we’re partnering with Panda Express, the largest family-owned and operated Asian dining concept in the U.S., for our Lunar New Year partnership, doubling donations to related projects and sharing a free Lunar New Year curriculum.

Starting today, December 15, Panda invites you to create a project to help students learn about and celebrate Lunar New Year for doubled donations.

Create a project

Panda Express’ Let’s Explore! Lunar New Year Program

In addition to doubling donations, Panda Express is sharing its “Let’s Explore!: Lunar New Year” program, a fun, free and educational resource for educators who are looking for ideas to bring Lunar New Year to life in their classrooms. 

The curriculum includes eight interactive activities that explore the rich traditions of Lunar New Year, like the meaning behind lucky foods eaten during the 15-day long celebration, the symbolism of lucky red envelopes, the importance of zodiac animals, and more. ‍

Sign-up for this limited-time interactive curriculum today!

Lunar New Year Project Inspiration

Looking for inspiration to take your classroom celebration to the next level? We want to share a few of our favorite Lunar New Year projects funded by Panda last year!

Mrs. Martes requested paper lanterns, dragon decorations, and books to help her students learn about Lunar New Year as part of a school-wide emphasis on celebrating culture.

“I am a firm believer that students who learn about different cultures during their education feel more comfortable and safe with these differences later in life.”

Mrs. Goo requested what she needed for read aloud stories and crafts with her first graders.

“My students are very inquisitive and always have questions to ask. Celebrating Lunar New Year is important to our classroom family.”

Ms. Jimenez brings her own culture into the classroom by teaching her students about Chinese holidays, especially Lunar New Year.

“This project is very important to me, and sharing the Lunar New Year books, decorations, and Chinese foods from Panda Express will bring a new experience to my students. We will learn about the Lunar New Year using the Panda Express curriculum along with eating foods from their restaurant.”

Want a few more ideas? Check out all the Lunar New Year projects funded by Panda Express last year!

We hope you’ll join us in deepening cultural education for today’s youth and acknowledging the cultural significance of one of the world’s most celebrated holidays! Create your project.

A corporate partnership with DonorsChoose is the easiest, most direct way to direct your support for local classrooms on a national scale. By combining targeted, hyperlocal giving with data-rich feedback, we deliver custom, branded partnerships from one of the most trusted education charities in the country. Our partnerships have received recognition as best-in-class corporate social responsibility and impact campaigns, showing that when companies partner with DonorsChoose, you give students the resources they need — all while driving bottom-line success.

Check out this round-up of the awards our partnerships have won over the years, and see what we mean!

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Ripple Pledges $25M to Support U.S. Classrooms and Teachers: Anthem Award

2025 Bronze Award & Anthem Community Voice Award | Category: Education, Art & Culture, Corporate Social Responsibility, Community Engagement Categories

In 2025, Ripple committed $25 million, mainly in stablecoin Ripple USD, to DonorsChoose and Teach For America to support U.S. classrooms. This initiative addressed urgent student needs—teacher prep, tutoring, and learning materials—to improve outcomes, reduce resource gaps, and boost economic mobility. By involving Ripple employees, Ripple reinforced its giving culture and highlighted digital assets’ role in charity.

Samsung, Solve for Tomorrow: PR Daily Nonprofit Communications Award

2023 Winner | Category: Corporate/Nonprofit Partnership
Samsung's annual national competition gives students in grades 6–12 the opportunity to ask big questions and find big solutions through STEM — win up to $100,000 for their classrooms. With DonorsChoose pitching in to collaborate with vendors on prize fulfillment, Solve For Tomorrow continues to encourage students to explore, highlighting the benefits of increased funding for project-based, innovative STEM learning.

Panda Restaurant Group, Panda Cares: Ragan Communications CSR & Diversity Awards

2023 Winner | Category: Corporate-Community or Nonprofit Partnership
Panda Cares, the philanthropic arm of Panda Restaurant Group, teamed up with DonorsChoose to fund 25,800 teacher projects, deliver more than 9,000 meals to classrooms, and bring the "Let's Explore! Lunar New Year" curriculum to more than 4,000 classrooms. Bonus: with more than 4,400 engagements across Twitter/X and Facebook, this partnership sparked a sense of pride and community connection!

Nature Made, #TeachHealthy: Engage For Good Halo Awards

2022 Silver | Category: Education
In 2021, Nature Made and DonorsChoose partnered to supply teachers with hand sanitizer, PPE, air purifiers, and other health and wellness resources to help keep students and teachers stay healthy. #TeachHealthy activated nearly 18,500 individual donors through the match offers, funded more than 13,000 classroom projects, and helped to position Nature Made as a brand that cares about the big picture when it comes to wellness.

T-Mobile, #GiveThanksNotPranks: PR Daily Social Media & Digital Awards (2022), Shorty Impact Awards (2021)

Categories: Cause Marketing/CSR, Non-Profit Partnership
Forget April Fools Day: T-Mobile's campaign, #GiveThanksNotPranks, encourages people to express gratitude on April 1 instead of playing pranks, and part of that expression of gratitude meant matching donations to DonorsChoose. By donating $1 to DonorsChoose anytime someone shared a story of appreciation on social media with the hashtag #GiveThanksNotPranks and tagged @TMobile, T-Mobile directed $1,050,000 to teacher requests and garnered more than 10 million social media impressions.

Samsung, Solve for Tomorrow: Engage for Good Halo Awards 

2021 Silver | Category: Education
When COVID-19 presented new challenges for Samsung's annual STEM competition 'Solve For Tomorrow,' the program pivoted to become more accessible for applicants and teachers alike. Partnering with DonorsChoose meant Samsung could extend its commitment to STEM programs, creating the Samsung Solve for Tomorrow Teacher Academy with MindSpark, another DonorsChoose partner.

Google.org, #ISeeMe: Ragan Communications CSR & Diversity Awards 

2021 Winner | Category: Education or Scholarship Program
Our partnership with Google.org took a two-pronged approach to make sure students across the country could see their identities reflected in their learning environment: support teachers from underrepresented backgrounds, and help bring diverse learning materials into the classroom. With 4,800 projects funded at 3,300 schools and $2 million applied to resource requests, we're proud to have helped build the impact of Google.org's #ISeeMe campaign.

Volkswagen, Drive Bigger:  Engage for Good Halo Awards: 

2020 Gold | Category: Education
To put the power of giving directly into consumer hands, Volkswagen dealerships distributed DonorsChoose gift cards to any customer who visited during the Drive Bigger campaign, as well as fully funded classroom projects in their market areas. The result was impressive: 640 participating dealerships across the US exceeded their sales goals during the campaign period, and $233,000 was distributed through donation card funding, benefitting nearly 500,000 students across the country.

Ripple, #BestSchoolDay: Engage for Good Halo Awards

2019 Silver | Category: Education
By setting their sights on making a record-breaking donation in a single day using a digital asset (XRP), blockchain-based global payments company Ripple was able to fully fund every active project on DonorsChoose, plus an additional 10 local projects per participating employee. To make the moment even more special, DonorsChoose Board Member Stephen Colbert announced this #BestSchoolDay campaign on The Late Show.   

PNC, Grow Up Great: Engage for Good Halo Awards

2018 Silver | Category: Education
PNC Bank's Grow Up Great is a $350 million, multi-year, bilingual initiative in early childhood education founded by one of the nation's largest banks. To continue that work, PNC awarded a $5 million grant to DonorsChoose specifically for supporting pre-K teachers and classrooms, thereby enabling DonorsChoose to expand our platform to include project requests from Head Start teachers across the nation. 

PwC, Summer Intern Data Program: Engage for Good Halo Awards

2018 Gold | Category: Employee Engagement
In order to attract and retain talented, passionate interns, PwC wanted to offer a skills-based employee volunteerism program that both allowed interns to develop their professional skills as well as have a hand in shaping PwC's giving. Partnering with DonorsChoose, PwC created five philanthropic experiments, each supported by a donation of $100,000, so that we could learn the best ways to put resources in the hands of as many students as possible. 

Staples, Think It Up: Engage for Good Halo Awards

2016 Silver | Category: Education
For Staples, school supplies are an essential component of its business. Think it Up, a national initiative to support student-powered, teacher-led DonorsChoose projects in classrooms across the country, was a natural extension of this work. With a $10 million pledge over three years, a PSA featuring Nick Jonas, and a national sweepstakes, Think It Up made a huge impact for classrooms across the country.

General Growth Properties, Celebrate Schools!: Engage for Good Halo Awards

2014 Gold | Category: Education
After a successful first year of experimenting with different marketing strategies, General Growth Properties and DonorsChoose teamed up to take their learnings and affect major change. By targeting their shoppers with personalized communication campaigns, offering in-mall shoppers DonorsChoose gift cards as incentives for joining tiered membership levels, and hosting Celebrate Schools talent shows at every mall location, the Celebrate Schools campaign successfully brought 10,484 classroom projects to life — and 88% of the shoppers responsible for activating all that funding were first-time donors to DonorsChoose.

Horace Mann, Turning Agents Into Educators: Engage for Good Halo Awards

2013 Gold | Category: Education
Horace Mann insurance agents know that when they first focus on creating relationships with the educators they serve, providing insurance and retirement products can become a collaborating, sincere relationship. Teaming up with DonorsChoose, Turning Agents Into Educators was a cause marketing campaign that allowed agents to develop relationships and access their target customers, introducing new educators to the benefits of DonorsChoose.

Clear Channel Communities & Chase Bank, Tools for Classrooms: Engage for Good Halo Awards

2013 Silver | Category: Education
Combine Clear Channel's robust audience, Chase Bank's financial commitment to lifting up local communities, and DonorsChoose's national network of teachers in need. Roll that all into a three-month radio campaign promoting a match donation offer led by Chase on DonorsChoose that airs nationally on 850 radio stations, reaches 237 million monthly U.S. listeners, and features the trusted voices of recording artists like Pitbull and Kelly Clarkson speaking up about literacy, poverty, music education, and self-esteem. The result: a winning partnership that makes a huge impact.

Groupon & JPMorgan Chase, G-Team Philanthropic Deal: Engage for Good Halo Awards

2012 Silver | Category: Transactional
When JPMorgan Chase committed $500,000 to underwriting DonorsChoose gift cards that would be sold via the daily deal site Groupon, they intended the promotion to last a week. Instead, the deal sold out in under 48 hours, drawing in everybody from passionate JPMorgan employees to first-time Groupon customers (30% of which were brand new users), making this deal the fastest sell-out for a Philanthropic Deal in Groupon history.

Microsoft-Bing, Our School Needs: Engage for Good Halo Awards

2011 Gold | Category: Digital Marketing
When Microsoft released search engine Bing in 2009, they knew they needed to distinguish their brand from other search engines while still keeping their customers' needs at the forefront. Funding 2,711 public school DonorsChoose classroom projects across the country established Bing as the search with a conscience, earning them high marks in the Engage for Good Halo Awards. 

SONIC Drive-In, Limeades for Learning: Engage for Good Halo Awards

2010 Silver | Category: Broadcast Video
Sometimes, affecting positive change in the world means meeting customers where they're at — literally. When consumers visited any SONIC during the 2009 Back-to-School Season and purchased a small Route 44-sized fountain or frozen drink, they received a code to vote online for their favorite public school teacher project on DonorsChoose, a strategy that led to funding nearly 1,500 projects and contributions of more than $630,000.

Crate & Barrel, Gift Card Distribution: Engage for Good Halo Awards

2008 Silver | Category: Transactional
This campaign had two objectives: deepen Crate & Barrel customer loyalty, and inspire civic engagement through DonorsChoose. By sending DonorsChoose gift certificates to select customers in three waves that incentivized funding the classroom project of their choice, Crate & Barrel was able to engage 15,000 customers — an extraordinary 12% direct mail response rate — and generate more than $500,000 to fund 6,000 classroom projects.

Interested in learning how your organization can partner with DonorsChoose to exceed your business goals? 

Visit our Partner Center and contact our Partner team today!

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The most popular way to give on DonorsChoose is to support a classroom project. But did you know there are ways to give that go beyond a single classroom? For philanthropic gifts that invest in brighter futures for public school students, here are three high-impact giving strategies to make part of your charitable giving plan.

1. Become a DAF Donor with DAFPay

Let’s talk about donor-advised funds, also known as “DAFs.” A Donor-Advised Fund (DAF) is a charitable giving account. You make a tax-deductible contribution to your account, and the balance stays invested in the market, growing tax-free, until you’re ready to give to your favorite non-profit.

Check out DAFPay today — and if you haven’t set up a DAF yet, this is a really great time to begin. (You can start one with as little as $20).

2. Give Back to a Whole Community with School-Wide Support

Did you know your DonorsChoose gift can go to a school, not just a classroom? Whether it’s a school in your local community, your alma mater, or a relative’s school, you can give whether or not they have current projects on our site. In fact, giving when they don't have projects let's the teachers know the support is there for them when they need it. 

Search for a school you want to champion and make a lasting investment for all of its students.

3. Focus on Far-Reaching Impact with DonorsChoose Funds

When you want your generosity to address the biggest, most critical needs in education, DonorsChoose Funds are your answer. Our funds are designed for those who want to make a larger, more comprehensive impact across schools and classrooms. 

When you give to a DonorsChoose fund, your gift is pooled with gifts from other members of the DonorsChoose community. These funds  support classrooms, fuel key programs, and fulfill urgent needs throughout the year as a powerful, collective force. 

Explore the fund of your choice: Public Schools | Equity | Basic Needs  

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