Teachers spend hours upon hours throughout the school year educating the next generation to be intelligent, empathetic, capable adults who will help shape the world around us. Unfortunately many teachers pay out of pocket for a lot of the school supplies to enrich the programming for their students. These basic, essential supplies that come out of an individual’s paycheck can be a deterrent to future teachers moving into an education profession.
Below are three non-profit organizations that support teachers in some capacity. They have been looked up via Charity Navigator to ensure that at least 70% of your donations go directly toward program expenses and not administrative costs.
Donors Choose
This non-profit organization was started in 2000 by Charles Best, a teacher at a Bronx high school. He wanted his students to read Little House on the Prairie but unfortunately could only get his hands on one book. He then decided to create a website where teachers could post requests for goods and supplies they need in order to have a thriving classroom. Any teacher in any public school in America is able to post their needs and with just as little as $1 you can make a tax-deductible donation to a specific classroom project.
If you talk to any teacher in your life chances are they may know about Donors Choose as 86% of teachers in public schools have posted at least one project on the site.
An example of a project you can help fund
Teach For America
Teach for America is a well known organization that recruits leaders nationwide to become corp members. These members commit to teaching two years in low-income communities where they can make the most impact and learn the challenges and joys of teaching kids in areas that need support.
Below is an outline of the Teach for America model and roadmap so you can see how your donations support upcoming leaders in society.
TFA four part model approach
Schoolhouse Supplies
This non-profit organization is specific to the Portland, Oregon area by providing free school supplies to students in need. Their ultimate goal is to create a more equitable future for children despite their family’s income or racial identities. Some of the school supplies they need are as simple as a pencil for each student. This alleviates the stress, anxiety, and even shame in a student who may not have one prepared.
Unlike some other non-profits, Schoolhouse Supplies provides an opportunity to volunteer your time in person.
The list of non-profit organizations that support teachers is ever-growing and we will continue to update this article. If you have any suggestions please leave them in the comments and we will research them on our end!
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