Soon, she’ll receive additional reading and math materials, such as workbooks, and classroom supplies. Another teacher at the school will receive kits that will allow students to go up into trees to study science.

“It’s impacting three grade levels,” Kroepel said of the donation. “Over 150 kiddos at our school. It’s huge.”

Often, teachers themselves fund projects and supplies such as the ones they register for on DonorsChoose.org. Christy Beck, an art teacher at Ford Elementary School in St. Louis, wanted a kiln for her students. But resources in St. Louis Public Schools are tight and she couldn’t pay for it herself.

She hadn’t yet seen the email from DonorsChoose.org notifying her it would be coming, when a call from a reporter came. “What?!” Beck exclaimed. “Are you serious?”

The impact of the contributions is perhaps the most profound in high-poverty schools where classrooms are often short on books and basic supplies. Lucas Crossing Elementary School in the Normandy Schools Collaborative will be getting fiction and nonfiction books to fill two classroom libraries. The project cost was $2,088, financed entirely by one donor: Dorsey.