Update 2/2/22: As of 2PM MST 2/2/22, no new projects will receive funds from this opportunity, as all funds have been spent on eligible projects. We're so excited about the thousands of Utah teachers who got projects funded through this opportunity! There's other ways to receive funding on DonorsChoose - check out some of our fundraising tips.
Update 1/31/22: Funding for this opportunity is running low, and we expect all funding to be allocated to eligible projects within the next few days. We'll update here once funds are no longer available.
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The Utah State Board of Education will apply up to $1,000 to Utah educators’ projects requesting classroom resources to support students in response to COVID-19. Grants to eligible projects will be made shortly after a project is approved. If you are new to DonorsChoose, register here and come back to this page when your account is set up.
How to qualify:
- Teach PreK-12 in a Utah public school.
- Register at DonorsChoose.org/teachers if you don’t already have a DonorsChoose account.
- Create a new project on or after January 18th, 2022.
- On the “HI” page while creating your project, enter the campaign code UTAH by clicking "Apply a campaign code."
- Request resources to support students’ social, emotional, and mental well-being as well as the impacts of interrupted learning as a result of COVID-19. Keep in mind that your $1,000 grant includes the materials cost, applicable taxes and fees, and the suggested grant to DonorsChoose. To keep your total project goal at $1,000 you should request around $850 in materials.
- In your project essay, make sure to describe how the resources you’re requesting will help your students through pandemic-impacted learning.
What won’t qualify:
- Projects from Head Start programs teaching exclusively PreK will not be eligible.
- Projects requesting Teachers Pay Teachers gift cards will not be eligible for this opportunity.
- Professional Development projects are not eligible for this opportunity.
- In-person field trips are not eligible on DonorsChoose at this time. You can submit a virtual class trip instead!
How you’ll receive funding
If your project meets the above criteria, you’ll receive a $1,000 grant as soon as your project is reviewed by our team and posted on our site. Note that the $1,000 grant will include the allocation to support DonorsChoose, and your materials cost will likely be around $850 of that grant.
With thanks to the Utah State Board of Education
The Utah State Board of Education is honored to fund these projects on our site!
FAQs
Which educators qualify; who is eligible?
All Utah public school educators who teach students in Pre-K – 12th grade are eligible for the program. For the purposes of this program, “Utah 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.
What resources can educators request?
Educators can request classroom resources, including but not limited to supplies, technology, and instructional materials.
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.
Can educators submit multiple projects for funding?
Each Utah educator can only have one project funded through this Utah State Board of Education funding opportunity. However, educators are encouraged to post additional projects to DonorsChoose and crowdsource funding.
DonorsChoose project pages indicate that a portion of each project's cost is a “suggested donation to help DonorsChoose reach more classrooms.” Individual donors who give to projects on our site have the choice of opting out of that donation, but this language of “suggested donation” on the project best conveys to these types of donors how they can contribute philanthropically to projects. In the case of our state partners, to whom the benefits of partnership accrue directly to the school districts over which they have oversight, the "suggested donation" is not a donation, but is a Partnership Service fee that covers the services provided to implement the state's campaign, including supporting our overhead, teacher outreach efforts, and maintenance.