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Thousands of North Carolina teachers are getting their wishes answered at the start of the new school year thanks to a financial donation worth more than $2 million.
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Exponential Scholars, a non-profit foundation, announced Monday it has funded every open North Carolina project on the DonorsChoose website. The group’s $2.25 million donation will cover 3,233 classroom projects requested by 2,466 teachers in 1,075 North Carolina schools.
“Teachers spend their own money on their classrooms every year, and most of them never ask for help,” DonorsChoose CEO Alix Guerrier said in a news release. “When they submit a request on DonorsChoose, they’re telling us exactly what their students need to learn. Exponential Scholars said yes to every one of those requests in North Carolina, meaning thousands of teachers start this school year with the tools to help their students thrive.”
The announcement of the donation coincides with the first day of classes for most of North Carolina’s 1.5 million public school students.
“It just seemed like a great moment to do something very straightforward to get resources right into the hands of teachers,” Holly May, the president and CEO of Exponential Scholars, said in an interview Monday.
A 2025 study found that North Carolina teachers spend an average of $1,632 out of their own pocket on classroom supplies. Sometimes they turn to DonorsChoose for help.
Since 2000, DonorsChoose has allowed teachers to crowdsource funding for classroom projects. The website has raised $1.9 billion for classrooms nationally.
Locally, the Exponential Scholars donation will fund projects such as:
The projects cost an average of $650 and cover 103 of the state’s 115 school districts. The projects are skewed toward what Exponential Scholars calls historically underfunded communities.
DonorsChoose vetted all the projects and will purchase the requested materials and ship them directly to schools over the days and weeks that follow, Exponential Scholars said in a news release.
“We trust the folks that are working in classrooms and media centers and counseling office across the state to know how their students are doing and what they need,” May said.
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Exponential Scholars was founded in 2026 by May and her husband, Travis. The couple have a history of financial philanthropy, including a program to pay the cost of attending Cary Academy for families making less than $100,000 a year.
Holly May grew up in rural Chatham County. She credits several “lucky breaks” with putting her on the path that led to an Ivy League education and a successful business career. One of them is how her parents got her a full-ride scholarship into Cary Academy, one of the top private schools in the state.
“My parents’ ability to navigate the system and find a way for me to join a really engaging and challenging academic community totally changed the future path of my life,” May said.
Now May is hoping to help other high-potential students have their own opportunity to succeed. Exponential Scholars says its goal is to identify bright future leaders across North Carolina, especially in communities that get overlooked.
“I‘d like to create systems and protocols that can identify and support and empower bright future leaders all across the state, so that you don’t need that kind of lucky break,” May said.
The group is currently running the North Carolina Idea Challenge through Oct. 4 for students and educators across the state to submit an idea to improve their community. Winners receive a $1,000 prize. More information on this contest is available: https://ideachallengenc.org/
Other projects May said that the foundation is looking at include potentially starting summer residential programs and group travel opportunities.
“We’re trying to build something here in North Carolina around the simple idea that there’s extraordinary kids everywhere in all parts of the state and in big cities and small towns,” May said. “Their futures shouldn’t be determined by whether they happen to grow up in a place where they can encounter the right opportunity.”
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This story was originally published August 24, 2026 at 12:13 PM.