It may seem intimidating to write a grant but there are many that are simple and rewarding. My favorite place to get grants is Donors Choose. This site was created by Charles Best after being a Teach for America teacher in New York City. His school had no funds for materials and he didn’t even have books. His friends in corporate America wanted to support him but did not know how, so he created this website. You go to the site, create an account, and then request materials for a particular purpose.
Donors Choose will fund violin strings, soccer balls, bulletin board materials, etc. but the projects that include hands-on learning are funded first. Potential donors scroll through the site and click on projects that interest them. You should try to have a catchy title to engage potential donors. Include information about why this type of material is necessary for your students. Include demographic information such as % free/reduced lunch and % minority students. Many potential donors are interested in increasing diversity in STEM fields so this helps attract them. After you create the description you click on Amazon or other suppliers there to create a list of needed materials. One of the reasons I love Donors Choose is that they will also fund professional development. You share a description of the PD you wish to attend, the registration costs, your travel costs, hotel, and food costs, as well as incidentals. You can also view projects that other teachers have posted and were funded, so they provide exemplars for you.
When I was the Director of PreK-12 STEM for the 13,000 teachers in the Charlotte Mecklenburg school system, every one of my schools earned more than $100,000/year from Donors Choose. One year I had a single teacher get more than $175,000 for his students. I ran monthly meetings for teachers to come together to get help writing their first grant and it usually takes 30-45 minutes for the first one and 15-30 minutes after you do it the first time.
Once a funded selects your project, the materials show up at your school. To follow up, you write a Thank You note, take pictures of your students using the materials in the activity and post them. Easy peasy!
Hopefully, you can see the light at the end of the tunnel this year and I encourage you to find a teaching friend to write your first Donors Choose grant together.
