At DonorsChoose, we love that back-to-school feeling. That “new locker to decorate, freshly sharpened pencil, whole year of endless possibilities ahead of you” kind of feeling.
We also know that it’s teachers who are the ones working hard to make that feeling happen every year. That’s why rallying support for our educators’ back-to-school projects is always important to us around here. This year, that support came through in a big way: Over 112,100 teachers received support this year!
By the Classroom
Thanks to $43M from 218,779 individual donors and 205 corporate and foundation partners, the amazing teachers on our site had exactly 108,833 classroom projects fully funded during back-to-school — ranging from calculators to band instruments to library books. Here’s just three of those thousands of classrooms — with words of thanks from the teachers themselves!
Books and Art Supplies for Mrs. Moskal’s Students
“Thank you so very much for the educational books and art supplies to bring our Great Lessons to life! … This year will be better than ever thanks to your generous donation! This really means the world to me and my students.”— Mrs. Moskal, “The Great Lessons”
Microscopes for Mr. Vinderland’s Kids
“HOT DIGGITY DOG! Thank you for fully funding our prepared microscope slide project on DonorsChoose! Your contribution will further understanding and comprehension in my science classroom — and microscopes are just dang cool to use. My students can't wait to use the materials you've helped to provide! We all appreciate you!” — Mr. Vinderland, “Everyone Loves Microscopes!”
Flexible Seating for Mrs. Schryver’s Class
“Thank you so much for helping to fund my project. My students were so thrilled to hear the news when the email arrived this morning. They are so excited to have a new table to sit at each day. I can barely wait to see their faces when it arrives ready for them. They will be over the moon with excitement.” — Mrs. Schryver, “Kindergarten Table”
By The Numbers
Of course, behind every heartwarming note of gratitude is also real, tangible impact. Don’t just take our word for it either, the numbers from this back-to-school season speak for themselves:
- $43M: Total funds from 218,779 total donors for back-to-school projects
- $524,390: The back-to-school daily average for donations raised on our site
- July 28: Our Biggest posting day so far with 7,192 total projects submitted by teachers who need items for their classrooms
- $62: The average donation given by individual donors during back-to-school season — it adds up so fast!
By Our Partner Power
In addition to the 218,779 supporters from our online donor community who showed up at this time, we also were honored to connect with 205 partners who gave generous match gifts and beyond for back-to-school, including:
- The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, who teamed up with our generous community of donors to support nearly 25,000 teachers at over 16,000 schools across the country in one incredible day.
- SONIC provided a 1.5X match for every single project across the country, up to $1M.
- 3M fully funded all STEM projects in St. Paul, followed by a 5X match and $200 first donation to STEM projects across St. Paul, North St. Paul, and Maplewood, Minnesota.
- Frances P. Bunnelle Foundation matched all donations to Equity Focus Schools in Georgetown County, South Carolina.
- Panda Cares doubled donations to every classroom furniture project for an amazing day of funding, creating countless wonderful learning environments with teachers.
That’s just to name a few big moments, too! Our entire all-star lineup of partners below gave critical funds for local schools and teachers across the country, and we seriously can’t thank them enough!
3M
Alaska Department of Education & Early Development
Allstate Foundation
Alpine School District Foundation
Altice USA
Amazon
Antioch Schools Education Foundation
Audrey Hillman Fisher Foundation
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
BJ’s Charitable Foundation
Bloomingdale’s
Calmenson Foundation
Carter's OshKosh B'gosh
Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Philanthropies
Charles Schwab
Chevron
The Chuck Lorre Family Foundation
College Football Playoff Foundation
Colorado Department of Education
Dial Soap
DICK’S Sporting Goods Foundation
Edmond Public Schools Foundation
Education Foundation of Sarasota County
Ferrero U.S.A., Inc.
Fiesta Bowl Charities
Frances P. Bunnelle Foundation
Gates Ventures
General Motors Corporation
Greater Cedar Rapids Community Foundation
H-E-B Read 3
Home Run Inn
Horace Mann
Horace Mann Foundation
Impetus Foundation
INK! (Investing in Kids)
Johnson Ohana Foundation
Mission Tiger
Kickstart
Kleenex
Lakeshore Learning
LOFT
The Montgomery Family Fund
National Corn Growers Association
The State of Oklahoma
OKCPS Foundation
Olathe Public Schools Foundation
Panda Cares
Perry and Donna Golkin Family Foundation
Peterson Family
Quill
Riot Games
San Antonio ISD Foundation
SDGE
State Farm Insurance
Subaru Hawai'i
Thea Foundation
Tracy Family Foundation
United Airlines
VanTrust Real Estate
Wawa Inc
….and a few anonymous partners too!
By The Possibilities Ahead:
More teachers hear about DonorsChoose every single day. And — as teachers get to know their students this year — they are continuing to request the perfect materials to help kids learn and grow. Right now…
- This back-to-school season 71,363 new DonorsChoose teachers joined DonorsChoose
- Right now, 3,584 total new teacher projects are submitted every day on average
Pretty tremendous, right? Every student deserves to enter a classroom that has what they need to succeed. And with the support of our amazing teachers and DonorsChoose community behind them, that’s exactly what they’ll have this year.
Want to make this back-to-school season the very best for a classroom in your community? Find teacher projects in your area today. (If you’re a teacher, you can learn more here.)
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