GoGuardian Gives

GoGuardian Gives logo

A program designed to show our support for the amazing work teachers do.

We know that many educators like you use money from your own pockets for school supplies, student’s clothing, and even food to keep kids fed over the weekends and breaks. In the wake of natural disasters, some of you also help rebuild classrooms and homes, and then still find extra time and resources to dedicate to your students. In fact, the average teacher in America spends almost $500 a year on classroom supplies. We want to help!

GoGuardian Gives is a program designed to show our support for the amazing work teachers do. The idea is simple: you tell us what you need, and if your project is selected, we’ll support you with a donation. Our hope is that this program will raise awareness around gaps in school funding, while directly helping teachers and students.

Here's how it works

Every month we’ll award $1,000 to an educator-led initiative(s) via DonorsChoose.org.

To apply, simply:

  1. Register and start a project at DonorsChoose.org;
  2. Fill out the form below with a link to your project;
  3. Keep doing your good work!

Our team will review the applications on a monthly basis and select a project to fund.

Frequently Asked Questions

  • What kind of projects are you looking for?

We’re looking for projects that have the biggest positive impact on students. That could be anything! Classroom materials, first aid kits, pillows for reading zones. If you need it, we want to know about it. The only thing we’re not looking for are requests for GoGuardian licenses.

  • Why use DonorsChoose.org instead of giving the money directly to teachers?

Because they’re really, really good at this! DonorsChoose specializes in funding classroom projects. They’ve mobilized donors to give more than $1 billion and fund over 1.7 million projects. They take care of the hard parts of giving, including vetting requests, purchasing items, and shipping materials directly to verified schools and their commitment to efficiency and transparency has been recognized by Charity Navigator with their highest rating. Working with them makes it easy to give. Learn more about DonorsChoose.org.

  • Why not just make GoGuardian free?

We’d love to, but GoGuardian is a business. Because our team has specific talents, backgrounds, and interests, we’ve chosen to try to realize our vision by building the best possible tools for teachers and students to communicate and collaborate. For more information about our approach to edtech, check out this post from our CEO, Advait Shinde.

GoGuardian Gives Winners

July 2023

I Can Bee a Coder, Too!

Ms. Tecler
Silver Spring, MD

Our media center makerspace buzzes with excitement and having Bee-Bots to practice coding skills will make the makerspace even more exciting! Bee-Bots are small robots that can be coded with simple commands to move from one place to another. This is a challenge for small minds, but a challenge that will them for the rest of their lives. My students think they are having fun, but they are really learning the problem solving and critical thinking skills needed to become future computer scientists! The Bee-Bots will be used in both media center instruction and as part of our makerspace materials. Students will build skills, develop confidence and have fun while engaging with Bee-Bots in a variety of ways.

June 2023

Reading Is a Passport to New Adventures-Part 2

Mrs. Acosta
Houston, TX

Help me give my students new books for the classroom library, flexible seating, and erasers.

June 2023

New Grade Level, New Math Manipulatives

Mrs. Lisenba
Mobile, AL

Help me give my students giant soft cubes - dots, attribute blocks sets, geometric foam shapes, and other math manipulatives for classroom use.

Our Impact So Far

Founded in 2017 by Guardian Jessica Lee, the GoGuardian Gives program has impacted numerous organizations and shows no signs of stopping. From participating in awareness-raising American Foundation of Suicide Prevention (AFSP) walks to assisting the LA Food Bank and inspiring students at career days and panels, Guardians don’t just stop there.

Over the course of three Daymaker campaigns from 2020 to 2021 — focused on back-to-school and holiday giving  — 195 Guardians helped 317 children by raising $40.3K for everything from school supplies to gifts on their holiday wish lists. The team plans to continue back-to-school and holiday giving campaigns in 2022.

We know each Guardian has important causes they personally support, so GoGuardian leverages Percent Pledge to provide each employee with credits and matching funds to enable donations to charities of their choice. So far, GoGuardian and 160 employees have impacted 46 non-profits by donating $22,349 — with that number growing on a regular basis.