Grant Resources

After reading this week’s resources on grants and other funding, I have to say I feel very blessed to work in a district that provides the necessary resources for our students learning.  Although we might not have it all, we definitely have a lot to be thankful for.  Our district does a wonderful job at making sure we have all the necessary classroom resources we need. I do spend my own money on my class but usually it is for a fun extra activity.  For example, every year I purchase various student prizes to promote positive behavior or different crafts for fun art projects.  Never have I used my own money to buy necessities.  I was astonished to learn that 92% of teachers buy essentials, which could include toilet paper, soap, etc., for their classrooms out of their own pockets.  I am glad there are organizations available like the two I researched below that provide the funding for these teachers.   

After checking out www.donorschoose.org, I was really amazed at how easy the process is for requesting classroom items.  It is as simple as posting a request of what is needed and how it will benefit students.  Then waiting to see if the request is totally funded.  This changes my whole perspective on the grant writing process.  All this time I thought grants required invested time writing a novel on how the items requested would benefit students.  

If I were to use a grant resource, it would be the www.adoptaclassroom.org.  I like the idea of how this website connects donors with teachers.   Donors can make a contribution for the teacher to use and purchase the much needed resources for the classroom.  A 100% of all donations are marked for the classroom teacher in a form of online credit.  Teachers are then able to shop online from affiliated vendors that have partnered with the Adopt a Classroom organization.  The best part about this organization is the effort put into building a relationship between the donors and teachers.  The donors and teachers communicate throughout the year so the donors are aware of the difference they have made in the student’s learning.  This is also a great way to show students the impact giving brings.