DonorsChoose is a nonprofit crowdfunding website that allows public school teachers to request classroom materials and project funding directly from donors. Educators create specific project listings—such as science kits, books, or art supplies—and individuals or organizations can choose to fund them.

At the DOE, teachers receive only $250 at the start of the school year for classroom supplies, and that amount must cover everything. As an enrichment STEM teacher serving 180 students each week, that budget is quickly used up just on basic items like STEM folders and pencils. Because of this, I rely heavily on DonorsChoose to fund hands-on, engaging science projects that my students otherwise wouldn’t have access to.