Donors Choose - Graham Family Foundation

Grantee Stories

DonorsChoose.org

Supporting great teachers’ classroom projects through the Olga Graham Inspiring Teachers’ Fund

Founded in 2000 by a NYC teacher, DonorsChoose.org helps public school teachers nationwide enhance their students’ learning experiences. DonorsChoose.org is dedicated to combatting the tremendous inequities in US public education, where budgets are stretched thin and teachers often work without the resources needed to implement innovative lessons for their students. To try and address these unmet needs, teachers in a typical year spend $1.6 billion on classroom supplies from their own pockets!

Through the DonorsChoose.org website, public school teachers from kindergarten through high school submit classroom projects for funding and individual donors select projects they would like to support. Projects may range from books to art and music supplies to technology, sports equipment and field trips – any tools or experiences requested by teachers in need.

OUR INITIATIVES

With DonorsChoose.org, GFF saw a unique opportunity to honor the career of Olga Graham as a dedicated elementary school teacher in the Bronx. Since 2009, GFF has helped DonorsChoose.org achieve equity in public education through their match program.

We established the Olga Graham Inspiring Teachers Fund, which puts up a 50% match offer on projects we select, primarily in NY and CA. This fund encourages other inspiring teachers to give their students another chance to succeed, as Olga always did with her philosophy that ”it’s never too late for second chances.”

Over 250 inspiring educators to date have had their projects funded in loving memory of Olga Graham. The amazing breadth of funded projects and their impact is reflected in the examples below.

We are so grateful for the Olga Graham Inspiring Teachers Fund’s support of our teachers and students. Their contribution continues to inspire a love of learning, wellness, and leadership for so many students in and outside of the classroom.

- Shantaa Foster, Community Partnerships Manager at DonorsChoose

Funded projects

Student learning experiences

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Teachers supported

Dorothy Graham’s mother must have been an incredible teacher. Dorothy’s mother, Olga Graham, was a public school teacher who inspired hundreds of students throughout her career.

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