| Type | Non-profit organization |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2000 |
| Headquarters | New York, NY |
| Key people | Charles Best, Founder |
| Revenue | $4,615,576[1] |
| Website | donorschoose.org |
DonorsChoose.org (run from www.donorschoose.org) is a United States based nonprofit organization that provides a way for people to donate directly to specific projects at public schools (sometimes known as peer-to-peer philanthropy).
DonorsChoose.org was started in 2000[2] by Charles Best, a teacher at a public high school in the Bronx. Since then, it has grown to serve all the public schools throughout the United States. As of August 2011, more than $86 million dollars had been donated to over 210,000 projects, helping more than 5,150,000 students in need.[3]
The organization collects proposals from teachers and makes them available to public schools through its website. Individual donors can select projects and contribute as much as they are prepared to. DonorsChoose.org then purchases necessary supplies and provides them to the schools, and generates a line-item budget which is sent to the donor. In addition, donors who contribute $100 or more to a project, or who complete the funding for a project, also receive a "thank-you package" of thank-you notes from students, photographs of the project, and a letter from the teacher.
DonorsChoose.org is supported by fulfillment costs optionally added to each donation, as well as private funding sources, such as Omidyar Network.
DonorsChoose.org appeared in a Doonesbury strip on September 9, 2007.[4] It was also mentioned in an interview with Craig Newmark on the October 18, 2007 episode of the Colbert Report,[5] and again on March 19, 2008 and September 27, 2011.[6][7]
Contents |
DonorsChoose.org is open to select schools.[8]
| Yes | No |
|---|---|
| Traditional public schools | Private schools or parochial schools |
| Public charter schools | Home school |
| GED (adult ed) programs run by public school system | Adult education (albeit pre-collegiate) run by university system |
| Pre-K programs directly run by public school system | Head start or other early intervention programs run by other governmental agencies or private contractors |
| Alternative schools run by the larger public school system (ex: school serving prison inmates, public boarding school) | |
| Federal- or state-run public schools (incl. Department of Defense K-12 schools) |
To request a grant for a classroom, there are certain eligibility requirements.[9]
| Yes | No |
|---|---|
| Public school teachers, librarians, guidance counselors, school nurses and full-time teachers who also act as coaches | Private school teachers, librarians, guidance counselors, school nurses and full-time teachers who also act as coaches |
| Public or Private school principals, administrators, PTA/PTO members, teachers' assistants, student teachers, substitutes, part-time after-school teachers, or staff developers |
Only "front-line educators" at public schools in the United States who have a part in implementing the grant may register and apply for a grant.
DonorsChoose.org has won several awards for its work, such as: