Support the public school project of your choice with today's deal, which lets you boost your charitable donation to DonorsChoose.org by 60% through generous funding by the Pershing Square Foundation. DonorsChoose.org is an online charity that connects individuals with classrooms in need, allowing members of the general public to become philanthropists. The Groupon price paid is tax deductible, and today's deal can also make a meaningful gift for friends, family, or awkward acquaintances in need of some spirit-lifting.

Choose from the following donations:

• $10 for $25
• $20 for $50
• $40 for $100

The DonorsChoose.org website operates by allowing public school teachers to post their projects, with requests that range from pencils for a poetry-writing unit and recorders for music class to a science class incubator that helps hatch baby chickens. Once a project reaches its funding goal, DonorsChoose.org uses the money to purchase the necessary supplies and personally ensures that the goods are delivered to the school. The contribution is tracked and chronicled by the charity staff, so that everyone who donated receives photos of the project taking place, a thank-you letter from the teacher, and a cost report showing precisely how each dollar was spent. Anyone who donates $100 or more also receives handwritten thank-you notes from the students for an extra dollop of heartwarmth.

The website's advanced search options enable visitors to find projects that speak to their personal interests and values, whether those involve Large Hadron Colliders for every fifth grader or fine art supplies for every arts and crafts class. Search by location to find a school in your hometown, or seek out projects in particular subject areas, from math and science to music and the arts. Other search options include cost, urgency level, and popularity, ensuring that every posted project has a chance to be found.

Safety and authenticity are top priorities for DonorsChoose.org; all project requests are thoroughly vetted, while donor transactions are processed using secure technology. The organization was created in 2000 by Charles Best, a former social studies teacher, who thought up DonorsChoose.org while employed at a public high school in the Bronx. Over the years DonorsChoose.org has had a tremendous impact on teachers and students nationwide, raising more than $65 million dollars and funding more than 160,000 projects.

Reviews

DonorsChoose.org was recently featured as one of Oprah's Ultimate Favorite Things 2010. The website won the Amazon.com New Innovation Award and has also received tons of media acclaim including features by ABC World News, the New York Times, and About.com.

• Simply put, DonorsChoose…uses the Internet to link people who have only a little to give but big hearts to school teachers who have big needs but tiny budgets. – Bill Blakemore, ABC World News
• Accountability is built into the system: DonorsChoose vets proposals before posting them, and does not send the money that has been contributed but the actual items that have been requested. – Tamar Lewin, New York Times