Matching Funds Available for Area Teachers to Boost STEM and Anti-Racism Education

San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) is providing $250,000 in shareholder funds as matching dollars to help teachers supplement classroom learning with science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) projects, as well as racial equity and inclusion education.  

“We consistently hear from students that they want to see more diverse perspectives and examples of positive contributions – from their cultures and other – in their classrooms and curriculum. Students want to be seen and understood as they seek to see and understand others,” said San Diego County Superintendent of Schools Dr. Paul Gothold. “We are thankful SDG&E is supporting local educators as they seek to implement equitable practices and strategies in their classrooms.” 

Under the initiative for K-12 schools in the San Diego and southern Orange County region served by SDG&E, local K-12 teachers who request STEM and/or racial equity and inclusion learning materials through DonorsChoose can receive up to $2 for every dollar they raise for their projects. 

“As a company that is deeply invested in the future of our region, we have long recognized the vital role that teachers play in developing the next generation of citizens, leaders, and knowledge workers,” said SDG&E Director of Community Relations Kazeem Omidiji. “And we want to do our part to support educators in their efforts to create meaningful and impactful learning experiences for their students.” 

How It Works

Eligible teachers can visit the DonorsChoose website to apply for matching funds for STEM projects and the DonorsChoose Racial Equity website for racial equity projects. The matching fund program will run from today until funds are exhausted.  

STEM and distance learning projects of $1,000 or less at public schools within SDG&E’s service territory in San Diego and Southern Orange Counties are eligible to receive matching funds from SDG&E on the DonorsChoose platform. Last year, 65% of the 266 schools in 31 school districts receiving funding from SDG&E were in disadvantaged communities.  

In support of educational equity, SDG&E will provide a double match (2-1) for eligible teacher projects at schools in disadvantaged communities as determined by CalEnviroScreen.  

About the Partnership

This is the fifth year that SDG&E is partnering with DonorsChoose, a nonprofit crowdfunding platform that empowers public school educators to post their projects online and raise donations to fund them.  

SDG&E first launched its partnership with DonorsChoose in 2018 so teachers don’t have to use their own money to purchase supplies. The partnership in the first four years provided a total of $1,164,159 in matching funds to teachers for STEM projects. To date, the STEM collaboration between SDG&E and DonorsChoose has supported more than 1,750 teachers and 250,000 students at 900-plus schools in a few dozen school districts. This is the second year that SDG&E is providing matching funds for anti-racism education.  

SDG&E continues to expand the program to support teachers with new needs caused by the pandemic, such as supplies that can no longer be shared among students and equipment needed to enhance distance learning.