Schoolhouse Supplies
Schoolhouse Supplies is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1999 that provides free school supplies to under-resourced students and teachers in the Portland-Metro area via its Free Store for Teachers, Tools for Schools kit distribution, and the KGW School Supply Drive.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1999
- HeadquartersPortland, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Schoolhouse Supplies does
Schoolhouse Supplies is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt nonprofit organization (Tax ID 20-4223437) founded in 1999 and headquartered at 4916 NE 122nd Avenue, Portland, Oregon. The organization promotes educational equity in local public schools by providing free school supplies to under-resourced students and teachers in the Portland-Metro area, Oregon, and Southwest Washington. Its core programs include the Free Store for Teachers (a physical and appointment-based store where eligible teachers at schools where 50%+ students qualify for free/reduced lunch shop monthly for free supplies), the Tools for Schools annual backpack-and-kit distribution at Title 1 and CEP schools (corporate sponsors fund kits at $20/student), and the KGW School Supply Drive (an annual month-long community collection campaign reaching 85+ school districts). The organization also operates the Thanks a Million! teacher appreciation event, Pack for a Purpose (remote corporate team-building), Stock the Free Store, Virtual Supply Drive, and Classroom Cleanout programs.
The technology stack is intentionally minimal and consists of standard nonprofit SaaS tools: Neon CRM for donation processing, Acuity Scheduling for appointment booking, Eventbrite for event registration, Target Circle Community Giving, Fred Meyer Community Rewards, BottleDrop, and Amazon Wishlist for alternative giving channels, and Squarespace for the website. Per sources, the organization is "not a technology company" — its core competency is physical goods logistics, community relationship management, and volunteer mobilization rather than technology development.
The revenue model is donor-dependent across four streams: individual cash donations (website, monthly sustainer program, event fundraising), corporate sponsorships (Boeing, OnPoint Community Credit Union, PNC Foundation, Fred Meyer, Bank of America, etc.), in-kind product donations from individuals and businesses, and retail loyalty program proceeds (Fred Meyer Community Rewards, BottleDrop). No revenue figure is publicly disclosed. The organization is led by Executive Director Alice Forbes with a lean team that includes Development Managers Cecilia Ortiz and Mayra Camacho. Cumulative impact metrics include 90,561 teacher visits to the Free Store, 8.3 million pencils distributed, 797,150 books distributed, 215,549 students served through Tools for Schools, and 146,487 volunteer hours contributed.
Schoolhouse Supplies firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Schoolhouse Supplies
- Legal name
- Schoolhouse Supplies
- Website
- https://schoolhousesupplies.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1999
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Schoolhouse Supplies is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1999 that provides free school supplies to under-resourced students and teachers in the Portland-Metro area via its Free Store for Teachers, Tools for Schools kit distribution, and the KGW School Supply Drive.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Schoolhouse Supplies industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Educational Charity Services
- NAICS
- Educational Support Services (611710), Elementary and Secondary Schools (6111)
- SIC
- Services-Educational Services (8200), Wholesale-Paper & Paper Products (5110)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Public Elementary Schools (EDAJAAAB)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- School Supplies Distribution (CRAOALAK), School Library Operations (K–12 Libraries) (EDAEAGAA)
Keywords
Where Schoolhouse Supplies is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Portland
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Schoolhouse Supplies business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Others
Revenue model
- Individual Donations: Cash donations from individuals through website, monthly sustainer program, and event fundraising
- Corporate Sponsorships: Financial support from corporations like Boeing, PNC Foundation, OnPoint Community Credit Union, and other business partners
- Product Donations: In-kind donations of school supplies from individuals, businesses, and community groups
- Retail Loyalty Programs: Fred Meyer Community Rewards and similar programs where purchases generate donations to the organization
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels7 records
Schoolhouse Supplies product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Schoolhouse Supplies is a nonprofit organization that provides free school supplies to under-resourced students and teachers in the Portland-Metro area. Its core offerings include the Free Store for Teachers (a physical store where eligible teachers shop for free supplies monthly), the Tools for Schools program (annual backpack and supply kit distribution to Title 1 and CEP schools), and the KGW School Supply Drive (annual community collection campaign). All supplies are provided free of charge to qualifying teachers and students.
Product overview
Schoolhouse Supplies is a nonprofit organization offering a portfolio of programs centered around providing free school supplies to under-resourced students and teachers in the Portland-Metro area. The core offerings include the Free Store for Teachers (a physical and appointment-based store for eligible teachers), the Tools for Schools program (annual backpack and supply kit distribution to Title 1 schools), and the KGW School Supply Drive (annual community collection campaign). Additional programs include Pack for a Purpose (corporate team-building), Stock the Free Store (specific supply purchasing), Virtual Supply Drive (online donations), Thanks a Million! (teacher appreciation events), and Classroom Cleanout (supply repurposing). The organization serves schools in Portland Public, David Douglas, Parkrose, Reynolds, Centennial, and Hillsboro school districts where 50%+ students qualify for free/reduced lunch.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Free Store for Teachers A physical and appointment-based store where eligible teachers from high-need school districts (where 50%+ students qualify for free and reduced lunch) can shop for free school supplies, including basic supplies, art supplies, office items, and books. Teachers shop monthly by appointment.
- Tools for Schools An annual back-to-school program providing every student at participating Title 1 or CEP (Community Eligibility Provision) schools with a new backpack filled with new school supplies. The program involves volunteers packing kits and distributing them at school events. Corporate sponsors fund kits at $20 per student.
- KGW School Supply Drive An annual month-long school supply collection campaign conducted in partnership with KGW that helps thousands of local kids and teens receive school supplies. Community collection sites collect supplies that are then distributed to 85+ school districts across Oregon and SW Washington.
- Pack for a Purpose A remote team-building opportunity where companies or groups can support students by contributing supplies and packing kits without attending in-person events.
- Stock the Free Store A program allowing donors to purchase specific school supplies at suggested donation tiers (Pencil Sets from $5, Crayons from $20, Backpacks from $25, Creative Expression Kits, Teacher's Desk Kits from $50, Complete Classroom packages from $500, or Pallets of Supplies from $1,000) that directly stock the Free Store for Teachers.
- Virtual Supply Drive An online purchasing option where supporters can buy school supplies that are shipped directly to Schoolhouse Supplies, supporting local classrooms without needing to physically donate items.
- Thanks a Million! An annual teacher appreciation celebration that provides gifts and school supplies to local teachers, culminating National Teacher Appreciation Week. The 2023 event provided $1.1 million in gifts and school supplies to approximately 1,000 teachers.
- Classroom Cleanout A program for collecting gently used and surplus office supplies from classrooms and schools that can be repurposed and redistributed to students in need.
- Schoolhouse Supplies Online Store An online store for purchasing supplies and supporting the organization through various donation and shopping programs including Amazon Wishlist, Target Circle, Fred Meyer Rewards, and BottleDrop.
Quantifiable outcome
- $53M worth of supplies distributed to date
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Schoolhouse Supplies
Customer profileNamed customers7 records
Segments1 record
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Schoolhouse Supplies technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration7 records
Schoolhouse Supplies partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- KGW TelevisioncoreAnnual KGW School Supply Drive media partner. KGW promotes campaign, provides collection sites, and helps distribute supplies to 85+ school districts across Oregon and SW Washington. Major annual campaign reaching thousands of students.
- Fred MeyercoreCommunity Rewards partner allowing shoppers to link cards and generate donations. Annual Celebrity Spelling Bee presenting sponsor. Long-term community partner.
- SafewayminorCollection site locations for KGW School Supply Drive and financial supporter of Free Store for Teachers.
- KinderCare EducationminorCelebrity Spelling Bee team participant and sponsor. Vice President of Enterprise Applications Jenni Doyle participated as spelling bee team member.
- BottleDropminorOregon Bottle Drop partnership allowing donors to support Schoolhouse Supplies through account balance donations or Give Blue Bags.
- AmazonminorAmazon Wishlist registry allows donors to purchase and send specific school supplies directly.
Scale indicators15 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Schoolhouse Supplies competitors and assessment
Company assessmentOthers
- United Way: Large federation of nonprofits funding education, health, and financial stability programs; relevant as a comparable fundraising and corporate-partnership platform for community-based education initiatives.
- Baby2Baby: Large nonprofit distributing essential goods to children in need; comparable logistics model of collecting and distributing physical goods to under-resourced children, though broader focus beyond school supplies.
- Feeding America: National hunger-relief nonprofit with school-based distribution programs; operates similar donation- and volunteer-driven model channeling resources to school-aged children in need.
Direct peers
- Kids In Need Foundation: National nonprofit providing free school supplies to students in need through teacher resource centers and supply distribution programs; directly comparable model operating at greater scale with similar teacher-store approach.
- DonorsChoose: Crowdfunding nonprofit that connects donors with teachers to fund classroom supplies and resources; closely comparable mission of channeling donations to under-resourced teachers and students.
- AdoptAClassroom: National nonprofit that enables donors to directly fund classroom supply needs for teachers and students; comparable model providing school supplies to under-resourced classrooms.
Broad incumbents
- Pencils of Promise: Established nonprofit focused on educational access and school infrastructure in developing countries; comparable mission of advancing educational equity though international scope.
Emerging players
- Schoolhouse: Edtech nonprofit offering free peer tutoring and learning resources; overlaps in mission of educational equity though focuses on academic content rather than physical supplies.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Schoolhouse Supplies social profiles
Digital presenceSchoolhouse Supplies compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
Schoolhouse Supplies financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Schoolhouse Supplies leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
Schoolhouse Supplies funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors1 record
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Schoolhouse Supplies 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 Schoolhouse Supplies
What does Schoolhouse Supplies do?
Schoolhouse Supplies is a nonprofit organization that provides free school supplies to under-resourced students and teachers in the Portland-Metro area. Its core offerings include the Free Store for Teachers (a physical store where eligible teachers shop for free supplies monthly), the Tools for Schools program (annual backpack and supply kit distribution to Title 1 and CEP schools), and the KGW School Supply Drive (annual community collection campaign). All supplies are provided free of charge to qualifying teachers and students.
Is Schoolhouse Supplies a public or private company?
Schoolhouse Supplies is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Schoolhouse Supplies founded?
Schoolhouse Supplies was founded in 1999. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Schoolhouse Supplies based?
Schoolhouse Supplies is headquartered in Portland, United States, in the North America region.
How does Schoolhouse Supplies make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Individual Donations are the primary driver. The others are corporate Sponsorships, product Donations and retail Loyalty Programs.
Who are Schoolhouse Supplies's main competitors?
Others on record are United Way, Baby2Baby and Feeding America. Direct peers are Kids In Need Foundation, DonorsChoose and AdoptAClassroom. Pencils of Promise is listed as a broad incumbent. Schoolhouse is listed as an emerging player.
Does Schoolhouse Supplies have an API?
No public API is recorded for Schoolhouse Supplies.
What industry is Schoolhouse Supplies in?
Schoolhouse Supplies's product category is Educational Charity Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAJAAAB, Public Elementary Schools, with a secondary code of CRAOALAK, School Supplies Distribution. Its NAICS code is 611710 and its SIC code is 8200.