FAQ
Eligibility & who needs to approve it
Whether you qualify, whether private-school teachers qualify, and when your district has to sign off.
- Do I have to be a certain kind of teacher to qualify?
- Usually the gate is simple and about employment. DonorsChoose requires you to be a full-time (or at least 0.75 FTE) front-line educator at a public, charter, or Head Start school. The NEA Foundation requires current NEA membership. Fund for Teachers requires at least three years of teaching and 50% or more of your time in direct instruction. Read the one eligibility line first — it's usually the whole test.
- Do private-school teachers qualify?
- Sometimes, but not for everything. DonorsChoose is not open to private-school teachers. Others are — Voya Unsung Heroes and Fund for Teachers include private-school educators, for example. Always check the specific program; 'public only' is common but not universal.
- Do I need my principal's or district's approval?
- Often yes — and it's worth checking before you apply, not after. Many districts require administrative approval before staff apply for a grant in the school's name, and school-board acceptance for grants above a dollar threshold. Three things usually trigger sign-off: the dollar amount, the funder type (government sub-awards get more scrutiny than a small private grant), and obligations like matching funds or ongoing costs. Even for personal awards, anything you buy for the classroom may become district property — so ask first. This is 'confirm your district's policy,' not legal advice.
- What is DonorsChoose, and who can use it?
- DonorsChoose is a nonprofit crowdfunding platform: you post a classroom project, supporters donate, and DonorsChoose buys the materials and ships them to your school — you never receive cash. It's free for teachers (a flat fee and a suggested donation are paid by donors, and donors can reduce or remove that donation). To use it you must be a full-time or 0.75+ FTE front-line educator at a public, charter, or Head Start school.
The single most common reason a good application gets rejected is a missed eligibility rule you could have read in thirty seconds. Start here, then check who has to approve it before you invest the time.
Next step
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