Foundation Gives $2.25M to North Carolina Teachers for School Supplies

Exponential Scholars announced on Monday, a date not specified but within the past couple of months, that it has funded every open North Carolina project on the DonorsChoose website with a $2.25 million donation. This significant contribution will cover more than 3,200 classroom projects across over 1,000 schools in North Carolina, directly addressing the financial burden faced by educators. The foundation's initiative aims to alleviate the need for teachers to purchase essential classroom materials out of their own pockets. Exponential Scholars was founded in 2025 by Holly May, who serves as its president and CEO. May, described as a "quiet philanthropist," grew up in rural North Carolina in the 1990s, in a town with a population of only 2,000 and a single elementary school. Her educational journey, which included a full financial-aid scholarship to an independent school and a full scholarship to Harvard College, followed by a business career in San Francisco, instilled in her a strong belief in "paying it forward." She and her husband, Travis, returned to North Carolina to raise their family and established the foundation with the specific goal of supporting gifted students in underserved communities within her home state. This substantial donation arrives at a critical juncture, as the financial strain on teachers continues to escalate. According to a 2025 study conducted by the consumer platform CouponBirds, teachers in North Carolina are spending an average of $1,632 of their own money annually to equip their classrooms. This figure represents a 22% year-over-year increase, positioning North Carolina as having the second-highest teacher expenditure on supplies in the country. Pennsylvania reported a slightly higher average of $1,637, while the national average stood at $1,021. The CouponBirds survey further highlighted the widespread reliance on personal funds, with 95% of teachers reporting that they use their own money for classroom materials. Moreover, 82% of these educators indicated that their classrooms would suffer without these personal investments. Concurrently, teacher compensation has not kept pace with these rising costs. For the 2023-24 school year, North Carolina's average teacher salary was reported, though the specific figure is not provided in this context, it is implied to be insufficient to cover these growing expenses. The initiative by Exponential Scholars directly combats this disparity, aiming to ensure that educational environments are adequately resourced without placing undue financial pressure on teachers.