One World Activists

Helping Teachers Fund Materials & Experiences

Charles Best

When he started DonorsChoose, a platform that connects underfunded public-school teachers with donors, the entire company operated out of the tiny classroom in the Bronx where he was a teacher.

Best says he and his colleagues would spend lunch breaks discussing how much of their own salaries they spent on paper and pencils for their students, or on trips and projects their schools couldn’t support. He knew they were not alone in their passion for their students’ success, and soon envisioned a way to connect motivated citizens with classrooms in need.

What began twenty years ago as a scrappy classroom operation in the Bronx will soon be able to boast that it has raised over a billion dollars. They have helped fund half a million projects in 80% of our nation’s public schools.

22:51 | 2013 0

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