Nevada Becomes First State in the U.S. to Directly Invest in Educator Projects on DonorsChoose Using Federal Relief Funds
Nevada committed $8 million to directly fund 10,000 individual educator requests for classroom resources on DonorsChoose
CARSONCITY, Nev. – Today, theNevadaDepartment of Education (NDE)announced the allocation of $8 million in Elementary and Secondary SchoolEmergency Relief (ESSER) funds to help K-12 public school educators getclassroom resources for the school year through DonorsChoose, a nonprofit crowdfunding website. The collaboration between NDE and DonorsChoose will provide Nevada educators with up to $800 in funding for their projects, empowering them to support theirstudents' success with classroom resources.
" Statewide, our educators have demonstrated unyielding persistence and ingenuity as they have gone above and beyond to help students weather the effects of the pandemic," said Jhone Ebert, State Superintendent of Public Instruction." With the support of Governor Sisolak and the Nevada Legislature, we are thrilled to have this opportunity to show appreciation for our educators by investing in their classrooms and providing them with the resources they need in this moment to address the impacts of interrupted learning."
" Nevada’s educators are some of the finest in the nation and have risen to the occasion again and again throughout the COVID-19 pandemic to support our students, families, and school communities,” said Governor Sisolak. “ In this moment more than ever, they deserve our support and admiration, and I am proud that we will be able to provide Nevada’s educators with resources to fund their classroom projects.”
As part of the partnership with NDE, DonorsChoose will ensure any requests for instructional materials align with the Nevada Academic Content Standards. For any requests for non-instructional items, DonorsChoose will confirm that projects relate to one of the priority areas for Nevada’s COVID-19 recovery and response: ensuring safe and healthy in-person learning environments conducive to students’ social, emotional, and academic development; access to distance education and technological capacity for teachers, students, and families; social and emotional support of students in response to the effects of COVID-19; or support of parents, families, and communities.
“We’re so grateful to collaborate with the Nevada Department of Education in such an innovative way to empower its educators and students during a critical time,” saidCharles Best, founder of DonorsChoose. “These grants are an investment in the frontline wisdom of Nevada’s educators that we know will help students across the State get off to a strong start this school year.”
Any Nevadafull-time equivalent K-12 public school employee who spends the majority of their time directly educating or counseling students is eligible to create a project. Eligible projects are anticipated to be funded within one week of posting. Projects will be funded up to $800 for resources, with an additional $154 in fees covered by DonorsChoose, for a total project sum of$954.
“This funding opportunity will create a wide-reaching, meaningful difference for at least 10,000 of my educator colleagues and their students this school year,” saidDeanne Hicks, 2022 Nevada Teacher of the Year. “Each educator has the best sense of what is needed for their own classrooms and students, and I encourage all Nevada educators to publish their projects today!”
“Our educators are best suited to identify the specific needs in their own classrooms,” said Superintendent Ebert. " With the implementation of the Pupil-Centered Funding Plan and other key investments recently made in education, we are optimistic about the long-term impact on our classrooms Statewide. With this $8 million emergency funding allocation and innovative partnership with DonorsChoose, we are thrilled to be able to get resources directly and immediately to our educators and students.”
SinceCharles Best founded DonorsChoose in 2000, more than 7,800 Nevada teachers representing every school district have raised $13 million for projects that help them go above and beyond in the classroom. Ten Nevada school districts have joined forces with the nonprofitas part of its District Partnership Program. The new collaboration between NDE andDonorsChoose will further this support for educators across the entire State.
The Department of Education will begin funding eligible requests on a first-come, first-served basis beginning September 29, 2021, and for as long as funding is available. Educators can learn more about creating their DonorsChoose projects in theorganization’s Help Center.
ABOUT THE NEVADA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
The Nevada Department of Education (NDE) leads and collaborates withNevada’s 17 school districts and the State Public Charter School Authority to advance educational equity Statewide. With offices in Carson City and Las Vegas, NDE oversees all pre-K-12 education in the State, working to achieve its mission to improve student achievement and educator effectiveness by ensuring opportunities, facilitating learning, and promoting excellence. Under theleadership of the State Board of Education and the Superintendent of PublicInstruction, NDE impacts the achievement of nearly half a million children and 30,000 educators.
ABOUT DONORSCHOOSE
DonorsChoose is the leading way to give to public schools. Since 2000, 4.9 million people and partners have contributed $1.1 billion to support 2 million teacher requests for learning resources and experiences. As the most trusted crowdfunding platform for teachers, donors, and district administrators alike, DonorsChoose vets each request, ships the funded resources directly to the teacher, and provides thank yous and reports to donors and school leaders. Charity Navigator and GuideStar have awarded DonorsChoose, a 501(c) 3 nonprofit, their highest ratings for transparency and accountability. For moreinformation, visit www.donorschoose.org.