DonorsChoose
DonorsChoose is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit crowdfunding platform founded in 2000 that lets public school teachers across all 50 U.S. states request classroom materials and experiences funded directly by individual donors, donor-advised funds, corporations, and cryptocurrency contributors.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2000
- HeadquartersNew York, United States
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What DonorsChoose does
DonorsChoose is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit crowdfunding platform, founded in 2000 by a high school teacher in the Bronx and headquartered in New York City, that connects public school teachers across all 50 U.S. states and Washington D.C. with individual donors, corporations, and foundations funding specific classroom project requests for materials, supplies, technology, and experiences. Its core product is a self-serve cloud-based platform where teachers submit project requests, donors browse and fund them, and the platform provides transparent reporting on how each dollar was spent, including thank-you packages and impact letters from teachers and students. The platform is differentiated by integration with every major donor-advised fund provider (Fidelity Charitable, Schwab Charitable, Vanguard Charitable, BNY Mellon, National Philanthropic Trust), acceptance of cryptocurrency donations including Bitcoin, Ethereum, Litecoin, Bitcoin Cash, and — as of 2025/2026 — RLUSD stablecoin, alongside traditional vehicles such as monthly recurring giving, gift cards, account credits, stock donations, and IRA Qualified Charitable Distributions.
The organization's business model is a hybrid of pass-through crowdfunding and nonprofit fundraising. Donors give any amount to specific teacher projects (no minimum), with a suggested optional 15% contribution to support DonorsChoose operations that can be removed or reduced at the time of donation; gift cards expire six months after purchase and account credits remain active for 12 months, generating breakage economics. Revenue is complemented by direct unrestricted gifts to operations, corporate and foundation partnerships (notably a $15 million RLUSD grant from Ripple and a $6.2 million PNC package supporting nearly 1,000 classroom projects), and legacy/estate giving. Go-to-market is direct-to-consumer via the donorschoose.org website, supported by SEO, email, social media, content marketing, and a partner center for corporations and foundations, with no traditional sales channel and no resellers.
DonorsChoose employs 101-250 people and is governed as an independent public charity with no parent company or controlling entity. It holds the highest possible ratings from Charity Watch, Charity Navigator, and GuideStar, was named a top-5 charitable giving platform by CNBC in 2026, and in 2025/2026 received recognition from The Giving Block for the Ripple partnership. Leadership includes founder Charles Best (founder and board member), Chairman Peter Bloom, Chief Technology Officer & EVP Product Oliver Hurst-Hiller, Chief Revenue & Marketing Officer Katie Bisbee, and EVP of Marketing & Growth Abby Feuer.
DonorsChoose firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- DonorsChoose
- Legal name
- DonorsChoose
- Website
- https://donorschoose.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2000
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- DonorsChoose is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit crowdfunding platform founded in 2000 that lets public school teachers across all 50 U.S. states request classroom materials and experiences funded directly by individual donors, donor-advised funds, corporations, and cryptocurrency contributors.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
DonorsChoose industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Education Crowdfunding
- NAICS
- Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Grantmaking and Giving Services (8132)
- SIC
- Services-Educational Services (8200)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Scholarship & Fellowship Foundations and Trusts (EDADAHAC)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Fundraising & Annual Giving (EDALAOAB), College Access, Scholarships & Student Success Nonprofits (BPAGADAE)
Keywords
Where DonorsChoose is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- New York
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
DonorsChoose business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Suggested Donation: Donors are encouraged to allocate 15% of their donation as a suggested contribution to help DonorsChoose reach more classrooms. This allocation can be removed or reduced at time of donation. For donations to schools, classroom essentials lists, or specific causes, a portion is built into the donation amount to support operations.
- Gift Cards: Gift cards purchased at donorschoose.org/gifts expire 6 months after purchase to encourage timely redemption toward projects. Revenue recognized upon redemption.
- Account Credits: Credits purchased by donors for future use or received when projects don't reach full funding. Credits remain active for one year after purchase.
- Direct Gifts to Operations: Unrestricted donations to support DonorsChoose operations, used at the organization's discretion to expand impact, engage teachers, and support ongoing operations.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Pay-what-you-can model for project donations |
| Subscription | Monthly | Monthly giving subscription |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels6 records
DonorsChoose product offering
Product offeringCore offering
DonorsChoose operates a 501(c)(3) nonprofit crowdfunding platform that enables public school teachers across the United States to post project requests for classroom materials such as books, pencils, and technology. Individual donors, corporations, and foundations browse the platform and fund specific projects with donations of any amount. The platform supports multiple giving mechanisms including one-time donations, monthly recurring giving, gift cards, account credits, donor-advised funds, cryptocurrency, stocks, and IRA Qualified Charitable Distributions.
Product overview
DonorsChoose is a teacher-founded 501(c)(3) nonprofit crowdfunding platform that enables public school teachers across America to request materials and experiences for their classrooms. The platform operates as a unified system centered on classroom project funding, supplemented by multiple giving mechanisms including monthly giving, gift cards, account credits, donor-advised fund integration, cryptocurrency donations, stock donations, and IRA Qualified Charitable Distributions. Corporate and foundation partnership programs allow larger funders to make direct impact, while the School Directory provides state-by-state visibility into educational institutions using the platform. The core value proposition is connecting donors directly with specific classroom needs, providing transparency on fund usage, and supporting under-resourced schools.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Classroom Project Funding Platform Core crowdfunding platform where public school teachers create project requests for classroom materials and experiences, and individual donors can browse, select, and fund specific classroom projects with donations of any amount.
- Monthly Giving Program Subscription-style recurring donation program allowing donors to set up monthly contributions at a self-specified dollar amount, providing teachers with consistent year-round support through account credits usable over 12 months.
- Gift Cards Standalone gift card products that purchasers can give to recipients, who redeem them toward classroom projects requesting funding on the platform. Gift cards expire 6 months after purchase.
- Account Credits Pre-purchased credits that donors can buy now and draw from later to fund classroom projects over a 12-month period, enabling year-round giving through a single contribution.
- Corporate and Foundation Partnerships Programs enabling corporations and foundations to make large-scale direct impact in education by funding classroom projects through the platform, including matching gift programs and large grants.
Quantifiable outcome
- 48,108 classroom projects funded across all 50 U.S. states through Ripple partnership
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use DonorsChoose
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
DonorsChoose technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
DonorsChoose partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Teach For AmericacorePart of Ripple's $25 million education commitment with $10 million allocation to Teach For America for stipends for 2,300 new teachers reaching 141,600 students and financial literacy resources to 270,600 students.
- PNC Financial Services GroupcorePNC announced $6.2 million grant to Sesame Workshop and fully funded nearly 1,000 classroom projects through its PNC Grow Up Great program, supporting outdoor and play-based learning initiatives for early childhood education.
- Sesame WorkshopcorePNC's $6.2 million grant to Sesame Workshop supports outdoor and play-based learning initiatives with new digital resources, classroom support tools, and community engagement efforts.
- W. Kamau BellminorTV host and comedian collaborated with friends to provide $25,000 each for essential supplies to public school students and teachers, funded by winnings from Celebrity Jeopardy!
- Fidelity CharitablecoreMajor donor-advised fund provider integrated with DonorsChoose DAF Giving Hub for seamless charitable giving.
- Vanguard CharitablecoreMajor donor-advised fund provider integrated with DonorsChoose DAF Giving Hub for seamless charitable giving.
- Schwab CharitablecoreMajor donor-advised fund provider integrated with DonorsChoose DAF Giving Hub for seamless charitable giving.
- BNY MelloncoreMajor donor-advised fund provider integrated with DonorsChoose DAF Giving Hub for seamless charitable giving.
- National Philanthropic TrustcoreMajor donor-advised fund provider integrated with DonorsChoose DAF Giving Hub for seamless charitable giving.
Scale indicators8 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
DonorsChoose competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- AdoptAClassroom.org: National nonprofit that lets donors directly fund classroom supplies and materials for PreK-12 teachers — a direct functional peer to DonorsChoose's classroom project funding model.
- GlobalGiving: Global crowdfunding nonprofit marketplace connecting donors to vetted charitable projects; comparable to DonorsChoose in platform mechanics, project posting, and donor transparency.
- Fundly: Crowdfunding platform popular with nonprofits and schools for project- and campaign-based fundraising; competes for the same donor and school fundraising budgets as DonorsChoose.
- The Giving Block: Nonprofit-focused platform specializing in cryptocurrency and stock donations for charities; a peer to DonorsChoose on the digital-asset and stock donation rails that DonorsChoose also supports.
Broad incumbents
- GoFundMe: Largest consumer crowdfunding platform with a substantial teacher, classroom, and school fundraising category; overlaps with DonorsChoose's grassroots teacher funding use case, but covers a much broader set of causes.
- Khan Academy: Large education nonprofit delivering free instructional content and supported by major philanthropic funding; competes for a share of education-philanthropy dollars and donor mindshare targeting K-12 outcomes.
- Room to Read: International education nonprofit focused on literacy and gender equality; competes for corporate and foundation education-philanthropy budgets alongside DonorsChoose's K-12 classroom funding.
Emerging players
- Pledge (Pledge.co): Corporate philanthropy and workplace giving platform connecting employees and companies to nonprofits; an emerging alternative to DonorsChoose's corporate partnership programs.
- GiveDirectly: Nonprofit that routes donations directly to recipients, including education-focused cash transfers; an adjacent model emphasizing unrestricted direct giving versus DonorsChoose's project-based model.
Others
- Network for Good: Donor-advised giving and fundraising platform serving nonprofits with donation forms, DAF integrations, and CRM; an ecosystem enabler comparable to DonorsChoose's DAF Giving Hub and online giving infrastructure.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
DonorsChoose social profiles
Digital presenceDonorsChoose compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance3 records
DonorsChoose financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
DonorsChoose leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles5 records
DonorsChoose funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds4 records
Investors3 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
DonorsChoose M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about DonorsChoose
What does DonorsChoose do?
DonorsChoose operates a 501(c)(3) nonprofit crowdfunding platform that enables public school teachers across the United States to post project requests for classroom materials such as books, pencils, and technology. Individual donors, corporations, and foundations browse the platform and fund specific projects with donations of any amount. The platform supports multiple giving mechanisms including one-time donations, monthly recurring giving, gift cards, account credits, donor-advised funds, cryptocurrency, stocks, and IRA Qualified Charitable Distributions.
Is DonorsChoose a public or private company?
DonorsChoose is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was DonorsChoose founded?
DonorsChoose was founded in 2000. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is DonorsChoose based?
DonorsChoose is headquartered in New York, United States, in the North America region.
How does DonorsChoose make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Suggested Donation is the primary driver. The others are gift Cards, account Credits and direct Gifts to Operations.
Who are DonorsChoose's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are AdoptAClassroom.org, GlobalGiving, Fundly and The Giving Block. Broad incumbents are GoFundMe, Khan Academy and Room to Read. Emerging players are Pledge (Pledge.co) and GiveDirectly. Network for Good is listed as an others.
Does DonorsChoose have an API?
No public API is recorded for DonorsChoose.
What industry is DonorsChoose in?
DonorsChoose's product category is Education Crowdfunding. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDADAHAC, Scholarship & Fellowship Foundations and Trusts, with a secondary code of EDALAOAB, Fundraising & Annual Giving. Its NAICS code is 813211 and its SIC code is 8200.