Supplies, materials & no-cash programs

Not every win is a $5,000 check — and honestly, the supply programs are where most teachers should start. They’re fast, the eligibility is simple, and several never make you touch a dollar of income.

Start here: DonorsChoose

DonorsChoose is the default first stop. You post a project, supporters fund it, and DonorsChoose buys the materials and ships them to your school — you never handle cash. It’s free for you; the small fees come out of donations. It’s technically crowdfunding, not a grant, which means no competition and no district approval, but also no cash in hand. To use it you must be a full-time (or 0.75+ FTE) front-line educator at a public, charter, or Head Start school.

Supply boxes and small rebates

• Kids In Need — Supply A Teacher ships two big boxes of supplies to teachers at schools where at least half of students qualify for free or reduced-price meals. No cash, very little friction.
• Pets in the Classroom reimburses $75–$125 for a classroom animal, and opens July 1.

Environment and garden projects

• Captain Planet’s ecoSolution Grants fund $500–$2,500 youth-led environmental projects.
• Whole Kids ($3,500) and KidsGardening ($750 + supplies) both fund school gardens. Their current cycles are closed — Whole Kids reopens in late winter, KidsGardening in the fall — so bookmark them now.

Captain Planet, Whole Kids, and KidsGardening amounts verified to each funder (accessed 2026-07-04); their exact next-cycle deadlines weren't posted at our last check, so we've left specific dates off until they are.

Because DonorsChoose ships materials instead of paying you, it also sidesteps the tax question entirely — more on that in the getting-paid FAQ.