Teacher's Treasures
Teachers' Treasures is an Indianapolis-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit that distributes free donated school supplies to Marion County teachers at high-poverty schools through three appointment-based storefronts and mobile outreach, supported by individual donations, corporate partners, and signature fundraising events.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2000
- HeadquartersIndianapolis, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Teacher's Treasures does
Teachers' Treasures is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 2000 in Indianapolis by retired school principal Phyllis Imel. Its core offering is a free, volunteer-staffed "teacher store" that distributes donated school supplies to teachers at Marion County, Indiana schools where 60% or more of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. Eligible teachers pay a $30 annual registration fee and shop by appointment at three storefronts (1800 E. 10th St. flagship, Northwest Middle School westside location, and Washington Township northside location), receiving an average of approximately $600 in supplies per trip; a Mobile Outreach Program and Ambassador network extend distribution directly into schools. The organization has distributed over $100 million in cumulative supplies since founding and currently serves 4,000+ teachers across 333+ schools, impacting more than 100,000 students living in poverty.
The revenue and supply model is donation-driven rather than commercial. Cash inflows come from individual donors (Pencil Club monthly givers at $10/month, Head of the Class donors at $1,000+/year), corporate partners (Kroger, WISH-TV, ACE, Lilly, Marian, Lumina Foundation, Indianapolis Indians Charities, Upland Brewing, David Weekly Homes, and others), signature events (Dream Big Gala, Circle City Donut Dash 5K), and corporate supply drives (Gr8 Paper Push with WISH-TV raises $330,000+ annually in supplies). Supply inventory is sourced from product donations, corporate liquidators handled via the 1044 E Vermont warehouse, and community drives. A transformative $1.6 million endowment gift from the Terence Kahn estate in 2021 established the organization's first permanent fund. Supplementary programs include the Global Language Library (13,530+ world-language books distributed since 2022), the Volunteer-to-Shop program, and the Pencil Push supply drive program. Technology footprint is limited to standard nonprofit tools: Bloomerang for donor and volunteer management, InitLive for volunteer coordination, qgiv for donation processing, teachersfreestore.com for teacher appointments, and Calendly for donation scheduling. The organization employs 1-10 paid staff, supported by approximately 20 board members and an active volunteer base.
Teacher's Treasures firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Teacher's Treasures
- Legal name
- Teachers' Treasures
- Website
- https://teacherstreasures.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2000
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Teachers' Treasures is an Indianapolis-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit that distributes free donated school supplies to Marion County teachers at high-poverty schools through three appointment-based storefronts and mobile outreach, supported by individual donations, corporate partners, and signature fundraising events.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Teacher's Treasures industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Nonprofit Educational Support
- NAICS
- Educational Services (611)
- SIC
- Services-Educational Services (8200)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Education Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAK)
Keywords
Where Teacher's Treasures is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Indianapolis
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices4 records
Markets served
Teacher's Treasures business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Operations, Supply Chain, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Individual Donations: Individual donors contribute monetary gifts and school supply donations directly to support teachers and students. Monthly recurring donations available through The Pencil Club ($10/month), and annual gifts of $1,000+ qualify for the Head of the Class Giving Society.
- Corporate Giving & Supply Drives: Corporate partners host supply drives, virtual fundraisers, and product donations. The Pencil Push program organizes seasonal supply drives (summer back-to-school, winter hygiene, spring supplies) with corporate participation.
- Event Fundraising: Signature events include the Dream Big Gala (annual game show-themed fundraiser with tickets $55-$1,250) and Circle City Donut Dash 5K. Proceeds support the organization's supply acquisition and distribution operations.
- Teacher Registration Fees: Teachers pay a $30 annual registration fee to access the free store. Some school districts cover this fee for their teachers. This represents minimal revenue compared to donation-based funding.
- Endowment & Major Gifts: In 2021, the organization received a transformative $1.6 million endowment gift from Terence Kahn's estate, creating their first-ever endowment fund to ensure long-term financial sustainability.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | Annual Teacher Registration |
| One time/ perpetual license | Annual | Dream Big Gala Tickets |
| Subscription | Monthly | Pencil Club Monthly Giving |
| Subscription | Annual | Head of the Class Giving Society |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels7 records
Teacher's Treasures product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Teachers' Treasures is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that operates free stores providing donated school supplies to teachers in Marion County, Indiana. The organization runs three physical stores plus a warehouse and mobile outreach vehicle, distributing classroom materials at no cost to educators. It also operates complementary programs including a global language library, supply drives, volunteer shopping, and donor recognition programs, and hosts fundraising events.
Product overview
Teachers' Treasures operates a free teacher store as its core product, allowing Marion County teachers to shop for donated school supplies at no cost. The organization supplements this with several programs including the Global Language Library (providing books in world languages), the Pencil Push Program (community supply drives), the Volunteer to Shop program, and the Ambassador Program. Fundraising is supported through recurring giving programs (Pencil Club monthly donors, Head of the Class annual giving society) and signature events including the Dream Big Gala and Circle City Donut Dash 5K.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Free Teacher Store
- Global Language Library
- Pencil Push Program
- Volunteer to Shop
- Ambassador Program
- Pencil Club
- Head of the Class Giving Society
- Dream Big Gala
- Circle City Donut Dash 5K
- Gr8 Paper Push
Quantifiable outcome
- Teachers save $800-$1,200 annually on out-of-pocket supply expenses
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Teacher's Treasures
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Teacher's Treasures technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Teacher's Treasures partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Seven partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.
- Upland BrewingminorPartnered with Teachers' Treasures for the 'Get your Hall Pass' initiative to help classrooms get back-to-school supplies. Put good beer into the community while supporting teacher supply needs.
- Indianapolis Indians CharitiescoreFounding Sponsor of the Global Language Library, providing initial funding to launch the program distributing books in world languages to teachers serving diverse student populations. Has continued as ongoing supporter.
- KrogercoreKroger leased a former store location at 1800 E. 10th Street to Teachers' Treasures for a nominal fee in September 2007, enabling the organization to move from a small basement space to a location three times larger. This partnership was foundational to the organization's growth.
- WISH-TVcoreAnnual media partner for the Gr8 Paper Push back-to-school supply drive. WISH-TV coordinates coverage, sponsors, and community engagement for the supply collection initiative that raises $330,000+ annually in supplies.
- Fowling WarehousecoreEvent venue partner for the Circle City Donut Dash 5K. Located at 1125 E Brookside Ave, Indianapolis, IN 46202. Race starts 9:00 AM with afterparty until 11am.
- Lumina Foundationminor2025 and 2026 presenting sponsor for the Circle City Donut Dash 5K, supporting the annual fundraiser.
- David Weekly HomesminorCorporate supply drive partner that has collected items for back-to-school season for many years. Employees participate enthusiastically as they personally benefit from or know someone who benefits from Teachers' Treasures.
Scale indicators10 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Teacher's Treasures competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- AdoptAClassroom: AdoptAClassroom is a national nonprofit that funds classroom supplies for pre-K-12 teachers across the U.S. via direct sponsor-to-classroom donations. It addresses the same teacher out-of-pocket spending pain point that Teachers' Treasures targets, through a virtual rather than store-based delivery model.
- DonorsChoose: DonorsChoose operates an online crowdfunding platform that channels individual and corporate donations directly to public-school teachers for classroom supplies. It shares Teachers' Treasures' donor-funded classroom-supply mission and teacher-customer base but uses a digital marketplace delivery model rather than a physical store.
- Kids In Need Foundation: Kids In Need Foundation is a national 501(c)3 that distributes free school supplies to under-resourced students and teachers across the U.S. through school partnerships and Supply Boxes. It competes for the same donor dollars and pursues a closely overlapping mission at much larger geographic scale.
- Schoolhouse Supplies: Schoolhouse Supplies runs the "Free School Store" in Portland, OR, providing Portland Public Schools teachers with donated classroom supplies on a free-shopping model. It mirrors Teachers' Treasures' core operating mechanism and urban-school target segment.
- Crayons2Calculators: Crayons2Calculators operates a free teacher store in Charlotte-Mecklenburg schools, using a volunteer-based model nearly identical to Teachers' Treasures, where teachers shop for donated supplies. It is the closest geographic-functional analog serving a comparable urban school district.
- Pennies From Heaven: Pennies From Heaven is an Indianapolis-area nonprofit that provides school supplies, hygiene items, and clothing to students in need across Central Indiana schools. It operates in the same geography and addresses the same Marion County student-poverty supply gap, making it a closely aligned regional peer.
Broad incumbents
- Baby2Baby: Baby2Baby distributes essential items — including school supplies — to children in poverty across the U.S., backed by major corporate sponsorships and celebrity fundraising. It is a larger, broader-scope incumbent in child-essentials distribution with overlapping donor base and corporate-partner playbook.
Regional players
- United Way of Central Indiana: United Way of Central Indiana is the regional funding intermediary for the Indianapolis area, distributing corporate and individual donations to local health and human-service nonprofits including education initiatives. It competes for the same Marion County corporate giving and workplace-campaign dollars.
- The Indianapolis Foundation (CICF): The Indianapolis Foundation is the central Indiana community foundation that grants to local nonprofits, including education-focused organizations serving Marion County. It is a key local grantmaking counterpart that overlaps with Teachers' Treasures' corporate and major-gift donor network.
- Communities In Schools of Indiana: Communities In Schools of Indiana places site coordinators inside schools to connect students with resources for school success, operating across the same Marion County school districts that Teachers' Treasures serves. It is a fellow regional nonprofit tackling student-poverty outcomes through school-embedded services.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Teacher's Treasures social profiles
Digital presenceTeacher's Treasures financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Teacher's Treasures leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles4 records
Teacher's Treasures funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Teacher's Treasures 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 Teacher's Treasures
What does Teacher's Treasures do?
Teachers' Treasures is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that operates free stores providing donated school supplies to teachers in Marion County, Indiana. The organization runs three physical stores plus a warehouse and mobile outreach vehicle, distributing classroom materials at no cost to educators. It also operates complementary programs including a global language library, supply drives, volunteer shopping, and donor recognition programs, and hosts fundraising events.
Is Teacher's Treasures a public or private company?
Teacher's Treasures is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Teacher's Treasures founded?
Teacher's Treasures was founded in 2000. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Teacher's Treasures based?
Teacher's Treasures is headquartered in Indianapolis, United States, in the North America region.
How does Teacher's Treasures make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Individual Donations are the primary driver. The others are corporate Giving & Supply Drives, event Fundraising, teacher Registration Fees and endowment & Major Gifts.
Who are Teacher's Treasures's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are AdoptAClassroom, DonorsChoose, Kids In Need Foundation, Schoolhouse Supplies, Crayons2Calculators and Pennies From Heaven. Baby2Baby is listed as a broad incumbent. Regional players are United Way of Central Indiana, The Indianapolis Foundation (CICF) and Communities In Schools of Indiana.
Does Teacher's Treasures have an API?
No public API is recorded for Teacher's Treasures.
What industry is Teacher's Treasures in?
Teacher's Treasures's product category is Nonprofit Educational Support. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAGAKAK, Education Grantmaking Foundations. Its NAICS code is 611 and its SIC code is 8200.