The education-themed crowdfunding platform DonorsChoose allows teachers to post requests online for classroom supplies, projects, or even field trips, which contributors review and fund. As the well-shared origin story goes, Charles Best wasn’t just the site’s founder, he was an early test case: The former Bronx public high school teacher started the nonprofit in 2000 to be able to buy copies of Little House on the Prairie for his classroom.

This month, though, the site reached a serious milestone: Donors have funded more than 1 million projects total. That represents a combined $627 million from 3 million individuals and institutions to public schools in all 50 states. Along the way, DonorsChoose has become a huge resource for teachers in low-income school districts where neither the institution nor parents may be able to equip kids with basic things like books, paper, and art supplies.

In fact, 75% of gifts are from donors who don’t share ties to those making the request. Within the last two years, the site expanded ways for contributors to help, including new categories like “student life essentials” for teachers to ensure their kids can arrive clean, warm, and well-fed enough to be able to learn in the first place.

Read the full article about DonorsChoose funding by Ben Paynter at Fast Company.