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[No funding remains] The Montana Office of Public Instruction is donating $500 to qualifying Montana literacy and math projects, while funds last

Updated September 30th: This funding opportunity has concluded. No more projects will receive a one-time donation going forward.

The Montana Office of Public Instruction (OPI) will provide $500 to Montana educators’ projects to assist them in supporting their students' learning and well being. ($500 in total project costs, including fees, is about $390 in resources.) 

$1.5 million in total funding is available for this program, and we anticipate that there will be high interest in this funding opportunity. We will update this page when funds are running low and when none remain. For the best chance of receiving funding for projects, educators should submit projects as soon as possible. While funds last, donations to eligible projects will be made shortly after a project is approved. 

How to qualify:

  • Teach K-12 in a Montana public school. Head Start centers do not qualify for this funding opportunity.
  • Create a new project on or after 9:45 AM MST on August 20, 2024.
  • On the HI page enter the campaign code “MONTANA” by clicking "Apply a campaign code."
  • Ensure that your project’s total goal is under $500. 
    • Keep in mind that your $500 grant includes the materials cost, vendor shipping charges, applicable taxes and fees, and the suggested donation to DonorsChoose. To keep your total project goal at $500 you should request around $390 in materials; you will see the project’s total goal update as you shop. Note: not all vendors or items have free shipping.
      • In this example, the materials cost is $381.60, and after the remaining fees and suggested donation, the total project goal is $490.96. Therefore this project and its materials would be eligible because the goal is less than $500.
        • If the total project goal were to be higher than $500, then the project would not receive the one-time donation.
  • Request resources to accelerate your students’ academic learning and development in math and/or literacy and select the subject areas for Literacy or Mathematics.

Create your project

How you’ll receive funding

If your project meets the above criteria, it will be funded as soon as your project is reviewed by our team and posted on our site, while funds last. This donation covers up to around $390 in resources. You will then need to confirm your funding for us to process your materials order. If you don't confirm your funding, we will be unable to complete your project.

What won’t qualify:

  • Projects posted before August 20, 2024
  • Projects with a total goal over $500 (this includes all fees)
  • Materials from Teachers Pay Teachers 
  • Projects of the following types: Professional Development, Special Requests, Virtual Class Trip or Visitor
  • Projects posted by Head Start teachers

Frequently Asked Questions 

1. Which educators qualify; who is eligible? All Montana public school educators who teach students in K – 12th grade are eligible for the program. (Head Start centers are not eligible.) For the purposes of this program, “Montana educator” is defined as any full-time equivalent public-school employee who spends the majority of their time directly educating or counseling students. Read more at this link. Only one DonorsChoose account per teacher is permitted.
2. What resources can educators request? Educators can request classroom resources, including but not limited to supplies, technology, and instructional materials.
3. Can a non-educator nominate an educator and/or project? No. Funding through this partnership is intended to address the individual and specific need(s) of each educator and classroom. Educators must submit their own projects to participate in the program.
4. Can educators submit multiple projects for funding? No. An educator can only receive this donation on one project. Projects posted before August 20 at 9:45AM MST are not eligible for funding. It must be a new project. If a teacher has multiple projects available, the project posted first will receive the donation. Educators are encouraged to post additional projects to DonorsChoose and benefit from our community of donors. Projects, especially those under $500, typically have a 71% chance of being fully funded!
5. How can I ensure my project will be fully funded by the Montana Donation?

If your project’s total project goal is under $500 and categorized as a math or literacy project, then you will be fully funded by the $500 donation, while funds last. This means that you should request around $390 in materials.

Example project: “Kindness and Sharing”

With a materials cost of $385.45, and a total project goal of $499.88, this project would be fully funded by the $500 donation.

6. What is a thank-you package? After your project has been fully funded and you’ve received all of your materials, you’ll be prompted to upload a short essay and some photos showing the impact your materials had in your classroom.
7. What happens if my project's total goal is over $500? Your project will not receive the donation from the Montana Office of Public Instruction. To receive the Montana donation, your project’s total goal must be under $500. This equates to about $390 in materials.
Let’s say you realize that your project’s total goal is higher than the $500 amount AND has not received any donations, you can make any edits you’d like by returning your project to a draft status. You can do this by heading over to the Projects section of your Teacher account and clicking on the "Return project to draft" button underneath your project title. Once your project is in draft status, you can make any edits to your carted materials and lower your total project goal then resubmit your project.  Then, it will be re-screened by our team and re-posted if eligible. Read more about editing your project.
8. Does the $500 donation cover the DonorsChoose fees and suggested donation? Yes, the $500 donation includes those additional costs as they allow DonorsChoose to support these projects. These fees and the suggested donation cannot be removed from the OPI one-time donation.
9. I accidentally submitted my project. Can I make an edit? If your project is approved on our site AND has not received any donations, you can make any edits you’d like by returning your project to a draft status. You can do this by heading over to the Projects section of your account and clicking on the "Return project to draft" button underneath your project title. Once your project is in draft status, you can make any edits and resubmit it.  Then, it will be re-screened by our team and re-posted if eligible.

With thanks to the Montana Office of Public Instruction

Superintendent Arntzen is excited to offer this great opportunity to our Montana teachers. Your projects will help our students achieve academic success!

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