School business officials like you use DonorsChoose to support their students

More than 11,000 school districts in the United States have received over $700 million of philanthropic funding for learning resources through our website. A select cohort of districts have partnered with us to do even more. They maximize the use of our non-profit crowdfunding platform and make it a more intentional part of their district's national philanthropic engagement strategy.

Easily monitor materials coming into the district and receive new resources at no cost to teachers or schools

When you become a district partner, you'll be able to monitor materials coming into the district and receive new resources at no cost to teachers or schools with ease. As part of our free District Partnership Program, school business officials get:

Free, regular reporting on all resources delivered to your teachers, and updates on the resources teachers request
Resources to help create a crowdfunding policy that aligns with ASBO best practices and meets industry standards for transparency, integrity, and student safety
Early notification of funding opportunities on DonorsChoose

Become a district partner

Trust & Transparency

We’re a 501(c)3 nonprofit that prioritizes efficiency, transparency, and accountability. Whether you’re a donor, teacher, or administrator, you know where every dollar goes. That’s why Better Business Bureau, Charity Navigator, Charity Watch, and Guidestar award us their highest ratings.

What our partners are saying

We're the platform preferred by school business officials. We provide a safe, systematic way for donors and foundations across America to support your teachers and students. We send resources to teachers, never cash.

“DonorsChoose provides the crowdfunding safeguards our district needs. They ensure the process is fiscally accountable and transparent, keeps our business office informed, and protects student privacy.”

Susan Harkin, Chief Operating Officer Community Unit School District 300

District Partnership Program Member

“DonorsChoose makes it easy to monitor, through detailed reporting, all of the resources being delivered to our schools. When schools closed due to COVID-19, they seamlessly implemented a work-around process to ensure the donors could still donate to projects and materials could be sent directly to the district warehouse.”

Andrea O'Hara, Strategic Sourcing Officer San Diego Unified School District

District Partnership Program Member

“It is common for our schools and teachers to make requests for donations, and it's great to be able to offer them an option like DonorsChoose that meets internal control and cash handling requirements. Accountability over money and assets is a critical part of maintaining public trust.”

JoLynn Berge, Assistant Superintendent for Business and Finance Seattle Public School

Association of School Business Officials International

We're proud to have worked with the Association of School Business Officials International (ASBO) to help school business leaders become better informed about crowdfunding best practices. Below are key factors to consider in evaluating crowdfunding platforms. DonorsChoose checks off all three:

Financial transparency &accountability
Privacy and safety
Integrity Controls

ASBO International Crowdfunding Toolkit

Crowdfunding best practices to help ASBO members make effective decisions to support their schools. (ASBO membership required for access)

Crowdfunding: Supporting Teachers and Fiscal Accountability

How districts can increase access to educational resources while mitigating risk in the business office.

DonorsChoose Materials Ownership Policy

Materials funded through DonorsChoose are the property of the public school classroom. We ship items directly to verified teachers and schools, and we notify the principal and other registered teachers at the school when they're on their way. If a teacher changes schools, the materials remain property of the original school unless that school's principal gives consent for the teacher to bring those materials to their new school.

For more information on ASBO International, visit asbointl.org.

We bring funding to the table

On average, 75% of the funds given to a classroom project comes from people and organizations beyond the teacher’s personal network, which makes our site especially useful for teachers in low-income communities. Our corporate and foundation partners have given more than $550 million to classrooms so far.

classrooms have received funding

to classrooms

Want to stay up-to-date on all of the project funding available to your teachers on DonorsChoose? Become a partner to receive early notification of funding opportunities on our site.

Become a district partner

One-of-a-kind accountability

You may be familiar with traditional crowdfunding websites. We’re different. As a nonprofit charity founded 20 years ago, we've put in place measures to verify every teacher, school, item, and shipment. Here’s how we do it.

Verified public school teachers create projects on our site, requesting the exact items their classrooms need.

We vet every single project that teachers post, verifying the value of those items and making sure student privacy is protected.

Foundations, corporate partners, and individual donors identify projects they’d like to support and help fund them.

Once a project has been funded, we order and ship the teacher's requested items. We verify every school address, and we never send cash.

We alert the school’s principal and other registered teachers at that school in advance of every shipment via fax and email, so they know when to expect the materials.

After materials arrive, teachers report on how those materials are being used in their classroom.

How can I get reporting for my school district?

We're a 501(c)3 nonprofit, and we keep detailed records on materials shipped to each classroom: the exact items, their value, and the date we shipped them.

Just complete this quick form to get free, customized reporting on the project requests your teachers post and the materials funded for your district.

Student Safety

We've worked with online safety experts to create protective guidelines for the teacher's profile and for photographs of the funded project. We also vet every project before it's posted to ensure that the teacher's request never includes any student identifying information.

See how your district uses DonorsChoose

Questions? We'd love to chat!

Email us at districts@donorschoose.org.

Become a district partner

Help teachers & students in your hometown this season!
Use code HOME at checkout and your donation will be matched up to $100.

School business officials like you use DonorsChoose to support their students

Easily monitor materials coming into the district and receive new resources at no cost to teachers or schools

What our partners are saying