What is the Rising STEM Scholars initiative?

DonorsChoose, Equal Opportunities Schools, Kapor Center, and Kingmakers of Oakland are partnering with Google.org to help Bay Area schools expand the enrollment and success of low-income students & students of color in AP STEM courses. Teachers at participating schools will be able to post projects on DonorsChoose that will be fully funded by Google.org.

From pencils to 3-D printers, with DonorsChoose and the Rising STEM Scholars program you can request anything you need to enrich your students’ STEM experience at school. If you can imagine it, you can post a classroom project request for it.

How to Navigate this Hub

First, check out our list of participating schools to check if your school is eligible for funding from Google.org. For participating schools, teachers and school leaders can find answers to frequently asked questions about the Rising STEM Scholars initiative on this page, along with information about how DonorsChoose works. Jump to the section meant for you!

I’m a classroom teacher or other full-time educator who spends their school day working with students.
I’m a principal.
I’m not a principal or a teacher, but I’m a staff member or administrator at one of the participating schools.

Participating Schools

Abraham Lincoln High School, San Francisco, CA	Hercules High School, Hercules, CA	Santa Clara High School, Santa Clara, CA
Ann Sobrato High School, Morgan Hill, CA	Jesse Bethel High School, Vallejo, CA	Vallejo High School, Vallejo, CA
Branham High School, San Jose, CA	Leigh High School, San Jose, CA	Wallenberg High School, San Francisco, CA
Del Mar High School, San Jose, CA	Live Oak High School, Morgan Hill, CA	Washington High School, San Francisco, CA - All funding applied as of 4/1/20
El Cerrito High School, El Cerrito, CA	Pinole High School, Pinole, CA	Westmont High School, Campbell, CA
Encinal High School & Junior Jets, Alameda, CA	Prospect High School, Saratoga, CA	Wilcox High School, Santa Clara, CA

How teachers get started

How do I qualify for full funding?

You are a high school teacher in an eligible California high school.
Create a STEM project, and select a “Math & Science” subject area, which you can find under the “Why” section of project creation.
Keep your total project goal under $1,200, including taxes, shipping, fees, and the suggested donation to support DonorsChoose.org.

Create your project

How do I create a project on DonorsChoose?

It’s easy to create a classroom project on DonorsChoose. You’ll be asked to answer a few short essay questions and will be able to choose any items from our vendor directory which include stores like Amazon Business, Best Buy Education, and Lakeshore Learning.

Check out the official guide on how to create a project.

Most projects are straightforward—you choose items from the vendor directory. But sometimes STEM enrichment means a guest speaker, professional development, or a field trip. Those can all be projects too! There are special instructions for how to create projects like these—check out the Help Center articles on class trips and visitors, and professional development projects. Please note that any trip or visitor projects must take place after August 1st due to our new trip policy.

Looking for Inspiration?

Here are some examples of ways Bay Area STEM teachers have used DonorsChoose to get the supplies their classrooms need.

The students in Ms. Webb’s biology class at Burton High School are spending the semester creating a biodiversity index of the neighboring dog park.
Ms. Brawn keeps distance education engaging for her Westmont High School biology students with online interactive labs and simulations.
Ms. Walstrom’s classroom at Balboa High School used real cow brains for their first dissection!
Dr. Stamore’s students will soon be STEM Note-Taking Warriors at Lowell High School when they receive their pre-made tiny color diagrams, charts, and graphic organizers (and a color printer)!
Ms. Anna at City Arts & Tech High School is giving her students a hands-on experience when it comes to learning about energy efficiency with Kill A Watt meters.
Calculus students at Galileo Academy of Science & Tech will have graphing calculators to help them prepare for the AP exam thanks to Mr. Ring’s classroom project.

What if the item I want isn’t in your vendor directory?

Sometimes there’s a specific learning tool or item that you can’t find on our site. When this happens, teachers can make special requests projects. Here’s the relevant Help Center article: Creating a Special Request project.

Special requests are only for materials that aren’t found in our vendor directory. It’s always a good idea to check multiple vendors to see if someone unexpected has that item you’ve been wishing for!

What if my school is closed due to Coronavirus? Can I still get materials shipped?

If your school is currently closed but you’d still like to receive you materials, DonorsChoose may be able to ship your resources to a district-designated shipping location. You can request an update to your school’s address to a designated location by reaching out to our team. The address will be used for all the projects at your school.

We can also wait to send you your materials until the fall. When confirming funding for your fully funded project, you have the option to choose an order date as late as September 15th. If you have already confirmed funding for your project, you can reach out to our team to postpone your order.

You can check out all the ways our team is supporting teachers and projects during the Coronavirus in our help center.

Why isn’t the funding showing up?

If you successfully submit an eligible project, you will see a 10X Match Offer logo appear on your project page as soon as it is approved and live on the site, which means you will also be eligible for full funding.

Don’t worry if your project isn’t posted live on the site right away. Once you submit your project, it will be reviewed by our team. This can take up to a week. The Match Offer logo will not appear during Friends and Family Pre-Funding.

Why am I receiving emails about fundraising?

Teachers who post projects on DonorsChoose fundraise by asking friends, family, and community members to support their classrooms. Partner corporations and foundations give as well, and projects are usually funded through multiple kinds of supporters.

Google.org is supporting your school’s projects but before the funding is unlocked you’ll receive some emails from us with tips for fundraising (that’s just the regular way we do things).

Don’t worry about those emails, and feel free to contact us using our contact form if you have any questions. To learn more about how you can fundraise for your next project, outside of the Rising STEM Scholars initiative, visit our Teacher Toolkit—there’s tons of awesome and helpful information there.

What do I do if I have a question?

The easiest way to find answers to your questions is to visit our Help Center. If you can’t find your answer through the Help Center, you can get in touch with us through our contact form. If you have a question about how your school is working with DonorsChoose, ask someone on your Equity Team (Not sure who that is? Ask your principal or an administrator).

You can also ask other teachers! Our DonorsChoose Teacher Facebook Community is +18,000 teachers strong and filled with other educators who want to share successes and help newcomers like you.

How principals can make the most of their school’s funding

How do I get notifications about new projects at my school?

To be notified when a teacher posts a project at your school, sign up on our principal page for notifications. If you have technical questions about using DonorsChoose, please fill out our contact form.

How do I help teachers at my school get started with projects?

Host a training for your teachers! A DonorsChoose representative will come to your school and demonstrate how to use the site. To schedule a training, find your school contact below:

The following schools should contact Sarie at salper@donorschoose.org:

Jesse Bethel High School, Vallejo, CA	Pinole High School, Pinole, CA
Vallejo High School, Vallejo, CA	Washington High School, San Francisco, CA
El Cerrito High School, El Cerrito, CA	Wallenberg High School, San Francisco, CA
Hercules High School, Hercules, CA	Abraham Lincoln High School, San Francisco, CA

The following schools should contact Lindsay at lindsayb@donorschoose.org:

Leigh High School, San Jose, CA	Ann Sobrato High School, Morgan Hill, CA
Branham High School, San Jose, CA	Live Oak High School, Morgan Hill, CA
Del Mar High School, San Jose, CA	Encinal High School & Junior Jets, Alameda, CA
Prospect High School, Saratoga, CA	Santa Clara High School, Santa Clara, CA
Westmont High School, Campbell, CA	Wilcox High School, Santa Clara, CA

You can also print or share this flyer about the Rising STEM Scholars Initiative with your teachers to help them learn about project creation on DonorsChoose.

How staff or other administrators can make the most of their school’s funding

Who can create a project?

To use our website, you must be an educator at a public or public charter school, employed full-time by the school or district, and work directly with students at least 75% of the time. That means that most public school-employed classroom teachers, librarians, nurses, and school counselors are eligible. If your school is part of the Rising STEM Scholars initiative and you meet those requirements, DonorsChoose is for you! You can read more about eligibility here.

How do I encourage teachers at my school to post projects?

Host a training for your teachers and encourage everyone to attend. A DonorsChoose representative will come to your school and demonstrate how to use the site. They’ll share best practices with tips & tricks, and they’ll help your teachers create projects right then and there. To schedule a training, find your school contact below: