You will agree that education has evolved, thus, the need to support teachers is more important than ever. It seems teachers are undervalued, but there are companies out there that recognize the efforts. So, in this post, I will share with you the top companies that donate to teachers. Organizations around the world are working to address teachers’ needs in various ways, from donating money to providing teaching and learning materials. These organizations are making a difference in the lives of teachers, and students by extension.
Companies That Donate to Teachers
I found active companies that won’t rest until teachers are satisfied. Below are the best companies that donate to teachers.
1. Kids Teach Tech
Kids Teach Tech empowers young people to teach programming and technology within their communities. The mission is to reach out to more youth, both locally and internationally, and enable them to design and conduct classes for their peers and community members. Kids Teach Tech recognizes the importance of technology. Now, while they have been teaching in locations with laptop access, they have tried to expand their reach to groups without such resources.
Monetary donations, as well as donations of laptops and iPads to teachers, can help them achieve this goal. These facilitate teaching in areas without technology access as well as allow Kids Teach Tech to introduce new classes in Robotics and Virtual Reality.
Over the past eight months, the organization has been conducting virtual classes and the donations they receive help in purchasing laptops and donating to underserved teachers.
2. NAEIR
In an ideal scenario, companies would be able to sell every product they produce. However, the reality is different. Sometimes, due to overproduction, canceled orders, or discontinued models, companies end up with unsold merchandise. Storing these unsold items can be costly and take up valuable warehouse space. Now, companies donate their excess merchandise to NAEIR, which explains why they are one of the companies that donate to teachers. In return, they receive tax deductions.
NAEIR then offers these items to teachers for free. This company donates to teachers for lessons. When donations arrive at NAEIR’s warehouse in Galesburg, Illinois, the items are sorted, organized, and listed on their website and catalogs. Every month, NAEIR members receive catalogs filled with a variety of items, from toys and clothes to office supplies and even large electronics like flat-screen TVs. All these items are free, with members only covering a small processing and handling fee. On average, members receive merchandise worth $18,000 annually for free. Some premier members even receive up to $40,000 in free products and supplies annually.
3. Adopt A Classroom.org
There are a lot of initiatives that partner with Adopt A Classroom.org to assist teachers and students in obtaining the necessary tools like computers for schools. Subaru, for instance, has supported over 470,000 students in their communities since 2021. Their joint campaign in May 2023 was recognized with the Gold Halo Award for the Subaru Loves Learning initiative.
Burlington, another partner, initiated its seventh annual back-to-school fundraising campaign by funding 1,000 classrooms, aiding 25,000 students in high-needs schools.
Since 2017, Burlington has equipped over 1.2 million PreK-12 students with learning tools. Skechers, PPG Foundation, Lubriderm, Populus Financial Group, RHP Properties, Alerus Mortgage, Best Year Ever, Little Words Project, Lenovo, Wonder Bread, VTech Electronics North America, Puffs, Quaker, Staples, Kleenex, Paper Mate, ACE, J.Crew, The Hershey Company, and Dungeons & Dragons are among the other notable partners.
4. Walmart
Back-to-school season often highlights the financial challenges schools and teachers face. Many teachers use their personal funds to buy classroom supplies. Walmart introduced the Spark Good Round Up and Registry programs. Schools can now create a nonprofit account to receive tax-deductible donations through these programs.
From the present date until September 4, Walmart, in collaboration with its customers, aims to donate $1 million to teachers and schools via Spark Good.
Schools that enroll in Spark Good will receive incentives, and all Round Up donations will be matched two-to-one when customers choose their preferred school and round up their change during checkout on Walmart’s website or app.
The Spark Good Nonprofit Portal serves as a hub for eligible organizations to manage their charitable activities with Walmart. This includes applying for community grants, setting up registries for required items, and enrolling in the Round Up program.
5. Teacher’s Can
Teacher’s Can donates to teachers. Through this initiative, we have the following companies that donate to teachers.
- Adobe extends a generous discount of over 60% on its entire collection of Creative Cloud apps.
- Apple, on the other hand, provides special pricing on all Mac models exclusively for teachers.
- Barnes & Noble steps in with discounts of 20% off the publisher’s list price for classroom use, and even goes up to 25% off during their Educator Appreciation Days.
- Costco welcomes new teacher members with $60 in savings on merchandise.
- General Motors (GM) acknowledges educators by offering the GM Educator Discount, which provides special pricing below the Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) on the purchase or lease of eligible new Chevrolet, Buick, GMC, or Cadillac vehicles.
- Michaels, a haven for craft enthusiasts, grants a 15% discount to teachers both in-store and online.
- Office Depot and OfficeMax have rolled out the Teacher Special Savings program, which promises teachers a 20% return in rewards on qualifying purchases.
- The New York Times, one of the leading newspapers, offers teachers a staggering 50% off a basic subscription, ensuring they have unlimited access to articles on any device.
6. Teacher’s Treasure
The Indy teachers are privileged to have the Teacher’s Treasure program which ensures they receive the support they deserve from the community. As one of the companies that donate to teachers, Teacher’s Treasure donates money or physical products.
Every dollar donated translates to $15 of supplies in Indy’s classrooms. In terms of tangible contributions, Teacher’s Treasures welcomes new to gently used donations at their warehouse. They have a special fondness for brand new hygiene items, toys, games, craft supplies, new kitchen items, office organizers, and reams of copy paper.
The community outreach extends to partnerships with entities like Tom Wood Automotive Group and Dreyer & Reinbold of Greenwood, which serve as donation drop-off points. Also, they have tapped into the online shopping trend by collaborating with AmazonSmile. This allows supporters to select Teacher’s Treasures as their beneficiary, prompting Amazon to donate 0.5% of the price of eligible purchases to the organization.
7. The Welman Project
The Welman Project also supports teachers by providing surplus materials for classroom use. They are enthusiastic about helping individuals and companies donate excess materials to educators. Some of the items they typically accept include arts & crafts supplies, paper, office supplies, classroom items, textiles, containers, event materials, and more.
However, they have specific guidelines on items they cannot accept, such as anything with mold, textbooks, breakable home goods, and certain electronic items.
Donations made to The Welman Project ensure that teachers don’t have to spend their own money on classroom materials.
The donated items are made available for free to educators in accredited public and charter schools, as well as some qualified nonprofit private schools and other nonprofit organizations. If certain items don’t fit in a classroom or are in excess, they are offered for sale to the community in their creative reuse shop, with all proceeds going towards supporting educators.
8. Harbor Freight Gives Back
Teachers and students in K-12 public schools throughout the nation receive support from Harbor Freight. Their gift card program offers donations to these schools. Harbor Freight Associates actively participate in community service at schools, such as constructing school gardens and assembling back-to-school backpacks filled with supplies for families in need.
They also back nationwide initiatives that provide high school students with career skills and experiences, like SkillsUSA. Harbor Freight and its associates are significant supporters of the Harbor Freight Tools for Schools program established by Harbor Freight’s founder and CEO, Eric Smidt. This program makes Harbor Freight one of the companies that donate to teachers and enhance the understanding, support, and investment in skilled trades education in U.S. public schools.
9. Kids in Need Foundation
Making sure that all students have the tools they need to succeed is the mission of organizations like The Kids in Need Foundation. They work tirelessly to provide resources and support to teachers and students in communities that are struggling to provide the necessary supplies and technology. They believe that quality education is the best gateway to opportunity and that it’s essential to champion the inherent dignity of kids.
For every dollar donated, the foundation provides $24 worth of supplies to teachers and students in under-resourced schools. They focus on schools where 70% or more of the students are eligible for free or reduced-cost meals through the National School Lunch Program.
10. Inspired Teaching
With Inspired Teaching, the educational experience of every student is transformed. They believe in reshaping the way teaching and learning happens in the classroom. Donations play a role in supporting this mission. They provide various options for donors to contribute, including specific amounts or any other amount of the donor’s choice. Donations via check can be sent to their address at 5614 Connecticut Avenue, NW, Suite 258, Washington, DC 20015.
11. Teaching for Change
One remarkable organization that focuses on building social justice starting right in the classroom is Teaching for Change. They offer a wide range of resources, including the best selection of multicultural and social justice books for children, young adults, and teachers. They also collaborate with Rethinking Schools to bring a people’s history to the classroom.
One of their notable initiatives is the Black Lives Matter at School Week of Action, where they collaborate with D.C. Area Educators for Social Justice. They also provide resources to help teachers teach about the rich history and culture of Central America.
12. The Star Academy
The STAR Academy – PS 63 is in need of support. Every year, they face budget cuts and are asked to do more with less. This has left them with fewer resources for essential programming that benefits their students and families. Some of the costs they incur include hiring full-time teachers for art, music, and physical education, maintaining a library, updating technology, organizing family fun events, and much more.
They are grateful to all the families who have contributed to the school in various ways. They also have a program where teachers write grants for classroom supplies, and these are shared via Donors Choose.
13. Dial Soap
Dial Soap is actively collaborating with DonorChoose and TeacherLists to support teachers and promote healthy hygiene habits in schools. DonorsChoose is an educational nonprofit that facilitates donations to public school classrooms. This year, Dial has generously donated $100,000 to health and wellness projects from schools where a significant majority of students come from low-income households.
Additionally, Dial is enhancing its commitment to teachers through a partnership with TeacherLists. This organization simplifies the process of creating, sharing, and shopping for school supply lists. Dial takes immense pride in supporting the well-being of teachers, students, and their classrooms through these joint efforts.
14. SCARCE
School & Community Assistance for Recycling and Composting Education, initiated its recycling endeavors by redistributing textbooks among teachers and school districts. Their efforts soon expanded to include reading books and school supplies. SCARCE is deeply committed to ensuring that all the books and supplies they receive are put to the best use, as they view these items as valuable resources and are against wastage.
Since its inception in 1990, SCARCE, as part of the companies that donate to teachers, has distributed over 9 million books to those in need and has successfully diverted millions more from ending up in landfills. They provide books and school supplies to public school teachers and non-profit organizations. Many educators, due to limited resources, often lack sufficient books or teaching materials for their classes.
SCARCE collaborates with various organizations to supply books and materials to children locally and globally. These resources have reached schools, hospitals, orphanages, and libraries in over 105 countries. SCARCE’s contributions have been instrumental in offering countless children new learning opportunities.
15. Facing History & Ourselves
Facing History & Ourselves uses lessons from history to challenge teachers and their students to stand up against bigotry and hate. One significant way is through employer matching programs. An estimated 26 million people in the United States work for companies that offer gift matching opportunities. Donors can double or even triple the impact of their contributions. This means that more teachers and students worldwide can benefit from the resources and programs offered by Facing History & Ourselves.
Moreover, the organization encourages collective giving among employees and facilitates group donations. They also welcome partnerships with corporations, believing that such collaborations can have a profound impact on creating equitable learning spaces and promoting civic engagement. Legacy giving is another avenue through which donors can support the organization.
For those looking to make a direct contribution, the organization accepts donations online, by mail, stock transfer, through Donor Advised Funds, and by wire transfer. Every donation, regardless of its size, helps Facing History & Ourselves reach more teachers and students, equipping them with the tools to combat hatred and bigotry.
