named programs · 7 · from sources
What they call their work
Caring Classrooms
Community giving page supporting teachers who seek additional resources for their classrooms
Hurricane Florence Recovery Fund
Support for teachers and students in the Carolinas after major flooding and destruction from Hurricane Florence in 2018
Hurricane Michael Recovery Fund
Assistance for schools and communities along the Florida panhandle and Southeast after Hurricane Michael in 2018
Music Makes Our Students Smarter
Giving page dedicated to funding music education projects in classrooms
Rebuild Joplin Schools
Initiative to restock classrooms in Joplin, Missouri after the 2011 tornado destroyed over 260 classrooms
Rebuild Moore Schools
Effort to support schools in Moore, Oklahoma after the 2013 EF-5 tornado destroyed two schools and damaged others
Superstorm Sandy Recovery Fund
Program to support hundreds of classrooms along the east coast that were flooded or damaged by Superstorm Sandy in 2012
activities · 6 groups
What they do
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Teacher & Classroom Innovation Grants 2 activities
- Distribute funding and materials to support teacher-led classroom projectsHas distributed over $1.3 billion in total, including $314 million in one year and over $140 million in the 2022–23 school year alone, to fund an average project cost of $551, delivering resources directly to teachers after hand-reviewing all proposals.
- Facilitate classroom project funding for public school teachers nationwideEnables teachers from 84% to 86% of U.S. public schools to create and post classroom project requests for resources such as books, art supplies, and science equipment, fulfilling hundreds of thousands of projects across the country.
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Honor and Memorial Recognition Programs 1 activity
- Ensure donor engagement and recognitionReviews, processes, and mails handwritten student thank-you notes to donors within 24 hours, fulfilling donor recognition while protecting student privacy as part of ongoing appreciation efforts.
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Website Accessibility Implementation 1 activity
- Improve website accessibility for equitable user accessWorks to enhance website accessibility to ensure all users, including those with disabilities, can equally access and use the DonorsChoose platform.
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Public School Support Fundraising 1 activity
- Operate a donor platform for classroom project contributionsMobilized over 1.9 million individual donors to fund 2 million classroom requests, enabling donors to explore, support, and receive updates on projects, including through gift cards and account credits.
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School-Specific Educational Support 1 activity
- Support student learning in historically underfunded schoolsHas delivered over $1 billion in resources to more than 65,000 historically underfunded schools, providing essential materials and learning experiences to students in high-need communities.
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Uncategorized 2 activities
- Provide fast-track options for essential classroom suppliesOffers a streamlined request process allowing teachers to post essential supply needs in about 3 minutes, with items shipped as funding becomes available to accelerate support.
- Respond to natural disasters affecting schoolsProvided recovery support for hundreds of classrooms damaged by Superstorm Sandy (2012), tornadoes in Joplin, MO (2011) and Moore, OK (2013), and historic flooding in Louisiana (2016), including restocking completely destroyed schools.
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financials · form 990 · fy2024
revenue
Total revenue$150.81M
Contributions & grants$146.67M97%
Program service revenue$00%
Investment income$4.14M3%
Other revenue$0
expenses
Total expenses$159.83M
Program expenses90%
Admin / overhead2%
Fundraising8%
Salaries & benefits$27.57M
Grants paid out$0
Largest expense lineCompensation
balance sheet
Total assets$138.21M
Cash$70.28M
Investments$50.75M
Liabilities$2.85M
Net assets$135.37M
Liquid reserves9.1 mo
4 years on record · 2020–2024 · YoY revenue -22.3%
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2024
Who runs it
paid leadership · 11
| Name | Title | Hours/wk | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| ALIX GUERRIER | CEO | 40 | $539K |
| GEOFFREY HILL | CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER | 40 | $405K |
| KATIE BISBEE | CHIEF MARKETING OFFICER | 40 | $382K |
| JULIA PRIETO | CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER | 40 | $382K |
| OLIVER HURST-HILLER | CHIEF TECHNOLOGY OFFICER | 40 | $372K |
| ABIGAIL FEUER | CHIEF STRATEGY OFFICER | 40 | $301K |
| DANIEL BETZ | VICE PRESIDENT, PRODUCT & DESIGN | 40 | $287K |
| MICHAEL WALKER | VICE PRESIDENT, ENGINEERING | 40 | $283K |
| NANCY MOND | VICE PRESIDENT, ENGINEERING | 40 | $266K |
| ALI ROSEN | VICE PRESIDENT, BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT | 40 | $260K |
| DAVID CRANE JR | SENIOR STAFF ENGINEER | 40 | $255K |
board members · 14
- AILEEN ADAO — BOARD MEMBER
- AMANDA CALZADA — BOARD MEMBER
- CHARLES BEST — BOARD MEMBER
- JEFF WEINER — BOARD MEMBER (TO OCT 2024)
- KRISTIE JONES — BOARD MEMBER (TO OCT 2024)
- MARIA MOATS — BOARD MEMBER
- MITCH COHEN — BOARD MEMBER (TO OCT 2024)
- NASIR QADREE — BOARD MEMBER
- PEDRO NOGUERA — BOARD MEMBER
- PETER BLOOM — BOARD MEMBER
- RICHARD LOVETT — BOARD MEMBER
- SHAN-LYN MA — BOARD MEMBER
- STEPHEN COLBERT — BOARD MEMBER
- THERESIA GOUW — CHAIRMAN
relationships · 49
Who they work with
- AASA Network — Recognized by AASA as the PreK-12 crowdfunding platform of choice.
- ACLU Partner — W. Kamau Bell, board member, serves as ACLU Celebrity Ambassador for Racial Justice.
- Acrew Capital Partner — Theresia Gouw, Board Chair of DonorsChoose, is a founding partner at Acrew Capital.
- Amazon Business Partner — Vendor partner providing access to education and teacher supplies, books, electronics, and other classroom materials.
- Best Buy Education Partner — Partner providing technology resources such as computers, cameras, projectors, and TVs for classroom use.
- Blick Art Materials Partner — Vendor partner supplying quality art materials for school, work, or pleasure.
- CDW Partner — Provider of technology solutions including hardware, software, cameras, projectors, and audio/visual equipment for education.
- Caring Classrooms Partner — Community created to support teachers seeking additional classroom resources
- Carolina Biological Supply Company Partner — Supplier of science and math products for kindergarten through university-level educators, offering hands-on experiment kits and curricula.
- Charity Navigator Government — DonorsChoose has received the highest possible rating from Charity Navigator.
- Charity Navigator Government — Rated DonorsChoose with the highest possible rating
- Charity Navigator Government — Rated DonorsChoose with the highest rating for financial health and accountability.
- Charity Watch Government — DonorsChoose has received the highest possible rating from Charity Watch.
- Charity Watch Government — Rated DonorsChoose with the highest possible rating
- Charity Watch Government — Rated DonorsChoose with the highest possible rating.
- Donor Relationships Team Partner — Team available to assist donors with large gifts, custom partnerships, and support inquiries
- Grainger (Lab Safety Supply) Partner — Distributor of safety equipment and laboratory supplies, including protective gear, microscopes, and lab instrumentation.
- Guidestar Government — DonorsChoose has received the highest possible rating from Guidestar.
- Guidestar Government — Rated DonorsChoose with the highest possible rating
- Guidestar Government — Recognized DonorsChoose with a high transparency rating.
- Kaplan Early Learning Company Partner — Provider of early childhood products including manipulatives, dramatic play resources, and special needs materials.
- Kindness Rocks Partner — Community initiative supporting students in need through donations
- LEGO Education Partner — Provider of playful learning resources including blocksets, STEM sets, robotics, and coding tools for elementary and middle school students.
- Lakeshore Learning Partner — Supplier of standards-based early childhood and elementary education materials and classroom furniture developed by teachers.
- Louisiana Flood Relief Partner — Initiative supporting recovery of classrooms damaged by historic flooding in Louisiana
- Mahogany Books Partner — Independent bookstore specializing in books by, for, or about people of the African Diaspora, supporting diverse classroom libraries.
- Midtown NYC office Partner — Location where in-person volunteer activities are coordinated and conducted.
- Music Makes Our Students Smarter Partner — Giving page that has raised over $5 million for classrooms
- NAESP Network — Recognized by NAESP as the PreK-12 crowdfunding platform of choice.
- Nasco Partner — Supplier of over 50,000 products for arts and crafts, science, special education, and other educational areas.
+ 19 more
strategies · 5
How they approach the work
Named approaches extracted from this org’s sources. Where others share an approach, follow it to see the full set of orgs running it.
- Donor Engagement Through Choice and Recognitionmethodology: donor_engagement_modelBy offering donors flexible, choice-driven giving options and reinforcing impact through rapid student thank-you notes, DonorsChoose increases donor participation and retention because personal recognition and autonomy in giving strengthen emotional investment.
- Equity-Targeted Funding Modelmethodology: equity_targeted_fundingBy prioritizing and highlighting underfunded and high-poverty schools—particularly in rural and Southern U.S. regions—DonorsChoose directs donor support to classrooms with the greatest resource gaps, because targeted visibility reduces systemic inequities in public education funding.
- Full-Service Fulfillment to Reduce Teacher Burdenmethodology: full_service_fulfillmentBy managing procurement and logistics after funding is secured, DonorsChoose ensures timely and accountable delivery of materials, because removing administrative tasks allows teachers to focus on instruction rather than supply-chain coordination.
- Support for First-Time Teachers Through Incentivesmethodology: first_teacher_supportBy doubling early donations to first-time teachers’ projects, DonorsChoose increases funding success during critical early career stages because matching incentives reduce donor hesitation and amplify visibility when new teachers lack established support networks.
- Teacher-Led Crowdfunding for Classroom Needsmethodology: teacher_led_crowdfundingBy enabling teachers to directly request and crowdfund specific classroom resources, DonorsChoose ensures that funding addresses real-time, localized educational needs because teachers are best positioned to identify gaps in student support.