Colorado teachers eligible for $1k to buy school supplies thanks to $11 million of federal funding

DENVER, Colo. (KRDO) - The Colorado Department of Education announced that $11 million will be allocated to help teachers statewide buy school supplies.

According to the state, the money comes from federal COVID-19 relief funds and will go toward pre-K through 12th-grade public school teachers. The initiative is a collaboration between the CDE and the non-profit DonorsChoose.

"We know how hard the last few years have been on teachers and students in Colorado who are working diligently to regain their footing after the pandemic, and we wanted to invest in our teachers directly, knowing they have the insight and the experience to choose classroom resources that will be most helpful to their students," Colorado Education Commissioner Susana Córdova said in a press release. "We know teachers have been trying all sorts of imaginative and inventive methods to assist their students during these difficult times. This funding is one way of saying, 'Thank you.'"

Each public school teacher can receive materials of up to $1,000 in project funding from CDE, as long as funding lasts, for classroom materials.

Beginning Thursday, pre-K through 12th-grade teachers can visit the DonorsChoose Colorado Instruction Page to submit their request for up to $1,000 in classroom materials. Once a teacher has followed the instructions to submit a project, DonorsChoose will review it and, if it qualifies, it will usually be funded within two to five days.