Erie Community Foundation "Double Your Impact" program

[from the Erie Community Foundation website] The Erie Community Foundation is pleased to announce our new partnership with DonorsChoose.org for a “Double Your Impact” Program. In lieu of the Erie Community Foundation's Link to Learning Mini-Grants, the Foundation is partnering with Donors Choose in order to leverage additional funding for school projects. Through Donors Choose, teachers from the public school system, can log on, post their project and encourage donations. Once half of the project has been funded, The Erie Community Foundation will match the funding for the project to be complete. Projects can cost up to $1,000, and the projects must focus on math and or literacy in the classrooms of Erie County Schools.

"Our desired impact is to invest in our children by funding projects that create better readers and produce skilled math students that can lead Erie forward," said Mike Batchelor, president of The Erie Community Foundation.

To learn more about Donors Choose, you can click here.

"As indicated by Erie Vital Signs, Family and community factors affect how well children learn, leaving our at-risk children behind. Research has shown that children affected by risk factors such as poverty, family status, or poor school systems, are more likely to enter school behind their peers, struggle in school, or drop out altogether," said Anne Sekula, vice president of Programs for The Erie Community Foundation. "Through Donors Choose, donors can become involved with projects and we are also able to track progress of projects in order to move the needle on math and literacy, which are part of our Vital Signs indicators."

DonorsChoose.org is a nonprofit organization that connects public school teachers in need of classroom materials and experiences with individual donors who want to help. AtDonorsChoose.org, public school teachers submit project requests for the specific materials their students need to learn. Donors from across the country browse the website and fund the projects they find most compelling.

Teachers can begin posting projects now and that will qualify for funding starting October 6, 2011

All full-time, front-line educators at public School (teachers, librarians, guidance counselors, and school nurse) who spend at least 75% of their time working with the students are eligible to request materials at www.DonorsChoose.org .