Ripple Pledges $25M to Support U.S. Classrooms and Teachers
Despite clear links between grade-level literacy and lifetime economic opportunity, many classrooms still face significant challenges in accessing adequate resources to enable all students to fulfill their academic potential. According to a 2024 Gallup survey, 55% of U.S. parents and adults are dissatisfied with the quality of K-12 education in America, reflecting broader concerns about constraints and gaps in funding for education. Ripple's commitment aims to help bridge this gap by supporting students, teachers and staff with the resources to re-build confidence and deliver results in the classroom.
'Ripple has always championed financial and educational access for all, and we're partnering with some of the most impactful organizations – DonorsChoose and Teach For America – to benefit thousands of classrooms across the U.S.,' said Brad Garlinghouse, CEO of Ripple. 'Together, we hope to inspire others to do the same, starting with Teacher Appreciation Week, and leading into the rest of the year to support students and teachers with the resources they need to build a stronger future for themselves and their communities.'
In a first-of-its-kind initiative, DonorsChoose and Teach For America will accept the majority of the $25 million grant in Ripple USD (RLUSD), Ripple's U.S. dollar-backed stablecoin. Stablecoins are quickly emerging as a practical method for disbursing funds, becoming the most widely used type of crypto-enabled payment mechanisms and representing over half of all onchain transaction volume in recent months according to Chainalysis data. As crypto-enabled payments become more prevalent, the ability for charitable organizations to utilize these technologies directly within their own networks through platforms such as The Giving Block will become increasingly valuable.
Ripple is partnering with DonorsChoose and Teach For America to support innovative, high-impact initiatives throughout the year, including funding thousands of classroom projects and teacher requests during Teacher Appreciation Week starting today, Teach For America's Ignite tutoring program nationwide, and a national STEM Innovation Challenge. These partnerships will also support new initiatives focused on financial literacy, helping students and educators across the U.S. build strong academic foundations and economic mobility in a rapidly evolving job market.
"Teachers are going the extra mile for their students' education, even spending hundreds - sometimes thousands - of dollars out-of-pocket for their classrooms," said Alix Guerrier, CEO of DonorsChoose. "Through their initiatives, Ripple is directly providing teachers with the resources their students need for the best education. Students will not only get their hands on materials that will enhance their learning, but they will also have the tools to help set them on the path to a bright future."
'We're deeply grateful to Ripple for this transformative support,' said Aneesh Sohoni, CEO of Teach For America. 'This funding will expand our Ignite Tutoring Fellows program, drive innovation in our Reinvention Lab, and provide crucial financial assistance to thousands of new corps members during their teacher preparation. With Ripple's partnership, we're advancing our mission to ensure every child has access to an excellent education and the opportunity to thrive."
Ripple's commitment to financial literacy and education builds on its broader mission to drive meaningful impact through philanthropy and crypto-enabled solutions. Since 2018, Ripple has contributed over $200 million to global initiatives, with nearly 80% of employees participating in giving and volunteering programs. By supporting hundreds of nonprofits, mission-driven fintechs, and leading universities through its University Blockchain Research Initiative, Ripple continues to drive long-term, positive change worldwide. Those interested in fueling the future of teachers and K-12 classrooms can donate RLUSD, XRP and other cryptocurrencies via The Giving Block at TheGivingBlock.com/donate.
About Ripple
Ripple is the leading provider of digital asset infrastructure for financial institutions—delivering simple, compliant, reliable software that unlocks efficiencies, reduces friction, and enhances innovation in global finance. Ripple's solutions leverage the XRP Ledger and its native digital asset, XRP, which was purpose-built to enable fast, low-cost, highly scalable transactions across developer and financial use cases. With a proven track record working with regulators and policymakers around the world, Ripple's payments, custody and stablecoin solutions are pioneering the digital asset economy—building credibility and trust in enterprise blockchain. Together with customers, partners and the developer community, we are transforming the way the world tokenizes, stores, exchanges, and moves value.
About DonorsChoose
DonorsChoose is the leading way to give to public schools. Since 2000, 6.4 million people and partners have contributed $1.7 billion to support over 3 million teacher requests for classroom resources and experiences. As the most trusted crowdfunding platform for teachers, donors, and district administrators alike, DonorsChoose vets each request, ships the funded resources directly to the classroom, and provides thank yous and reporting to donors and school leaders. Charity Navigator and GuideStar have awarded DonorsChoose, a 501(c)3 nonprofit, their highest ratings for transparency and accountability. For more information, visit www.donorschoose.org.
About Teach For America
Teach For America works in partnership with communities across the country to reach One Day when every child has access to an excellent education. Founded in 1990, Teach For America finds, develops, and supports a growing network of leaders who expand opportunity for children from classrooms, schools, and every sector and field that impact a young person's education. Today, Teach For America is a force of over 70,000 alumni, corps members, and Ignite fellows working in pursuit of profound change so that one day every child has the opportunity to learn, lead, thrive, and co-create a future filled with possibility. Teach For America is a proud member of the AmeriCorps national service network. For more information, visit www.teachforamerica.org and follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, and Threads.
About The Giving Block
The Giving Block, a Shift4 company, is the platform helping nonprofits fundraise more effectively from modern philanthropists. Pioneers of the 'Crypto Philanthropy' movement, The Giving Block developed the leading solutions for cryptocurrency donations, taking crypto and NFT donations mainstream in the nonprofit sector. The Giving Block's team then developed a stock and DAF giving experience built to empower even more donors to give. When combined, The Giving Block's product suite empowers more donors than ever to give assets to their favorite causes. Today, thousands of nonprofits are using The Giving Block to fundraise from modern philanthropists. Learn more about The Giving Block here.
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