Seattle Public School teachers, principals, coaches – anyone who works directly with students in the Seattle public school system may submit a proposal. The only requirement is that the project to be funded directly benefit students.

You can submit a proposal for any materials that provide a direct benefit to your students. Projects submitted in the past have requested books, tickets, buses for field trips, musical instrument rentals, science equipment, and an immensely varied list of other materials. Look through the currently listed proposals and you’ll see that the scope is infinite: the only requirement is a direct student experience.

SchoolKidsComeFirst concentrates on proposals in the $100 - $500 range, although requests are not limited to $500. In many cases, $100 - $500 provides all the funding for a project; in other cases additional funding comes from other fundraising. We can also fund pieces of a larger project – see the next question for additional ideas. And in some cases, where a project cannot be subdivided, we will post proposals for larger projects.

We’ll work with you to try to think of ways to break your project into smaller sections, or to fund a piece at a time. For instance, if you would like to take an entire class on a field trip, we might suggest you ask for scholarships for a few students, and if one proposal is funded, repeat the proposal for a few more scholarships. In some cases, where a project cannot be subdivided, we will post proposals for larger projects.

Please make your proposal as detailed as possible. Because SchoolKidsComeFirst actually makes the purchase on your behalf, we need to know exactly what to purchase. It is also easier to attract donors if they know exactly what you are planning, why, and how it will make a difference.

The 15% fulfillment covers the cost of running the SchoolKidsComeFirst web site and towards the cost of verifying proposals, processing donations, procuring funded materials, and documenting funded projects. This overhead cost is much lower than most non-profit organizations, and much of the work done by SchoolKidsComeFirst staff is donated.

Fill out the form on the SchoolKidsComeFirst.com web site (linked here, of course), and we’ll take it from there. You must include any and all charges associated with Shipping & Handling, all appropriate Sales Tax. Do not inclunbde the 15% Fulfillment fee as that will be added by SchoolKidsComeFirst staff.

No, you don’t need any experience. The specific questions on the proposal form are designed to make it easy to frame a request for materials. The project description we ask for should be complete, but it should focus on the advantages of your project for your students. Tell us why it will excite them, and why it excites you, and your enthusiasm will be transmitted to potential donors.

The project is first forwarded to school principal for review and then on to SchoolKidsComeFirst staff will the availability and cost of the materials requested. We will review the project description, contact you with any uncertainties or questions we have, and format the proposal to post on the web site. It should take only a few days from your submission to the posting of your proposal.

You don’t need to do anything. When your proposal is fully funded, SchoolKidsComeFirst staff will purchase the materials and have them delivered to your school, or make funding arrangements with a bus company or other organization depending on the project. We will send you a package with a disposable camera and an envelope so you can take pictures of the project in action, which will be sent to the donor(s) along with a thank-you from you or your students as appropriate.

Yes, SchoolKidsComeFirst was incorporated under the provisions of the non-profit incorporation statutes in Washington. Except in extraordinary situations, all donations to SchoolKidsComeFirst will be tax-exempt EXCEPT in the event that (1) registration under 501(c)(3) is rejected or (2) retroactive status of donations from the date of incorporation is rejected. SchoolKidsComeFirst does not anticipate such a result.

Of course, we welcome your donations by mail as well as online. If a Donor wishes to donate by check, they can simply mail in their donation to SchoolKidsComeFirst, P.O. Box 99441, Seattle, WA 98139-0441. All they need to do is print out the project page they wish to donate to and send it with the check to the above address.

SchoolKidsComeFirst is based on the premise that community members, parents, alumni, and local businesspeople like to feel a direct connection to the students in their schools. Giving a direct gift and seeing the results of their gift reinforce that connection. The pictures and the thanks make donors feel good about their gifts and build a foundation for future support.

Based on experience elsewhere, the average wait is 2 – 3 months, but the variation in either direction is extreme. Some proposals have been fully funded within 48 hours; in rare cases, it has taken many months. As SchoolKidsComeFirst progresses, we’ll accumulate our own information for Seattle schools.