Three Ways that Art Teachers Can Get More Money for their Classroom

If you're a teacher who has been wondering how you can make a limited art supply budget last all year long, here are three ideas to increase your budget, give you more flexibility, and help you ensure that you have the supplies needed to teach.

1. Set up a Donor's Choose at the beginning of the year. Create a print-out for parents with a QR link so they can scan it and go directly to your page, and also email it to parents, if possible. Then add your link to all your social media accounts. Tell the parents a brief overview of some of the projects you have planned, which will help get them more engaged.

2. Ask your local Kiwanis club if they can provide a small amount of funding for your classroom. Kiwanis's mission is to help the local community, and this is a great way for them to do so. Have an idea of what you need in mind and explain what it will be for.

3. Turn One Class Project Into a No-Inventory Fundraiser

   This approach takes a bit of upfront planning, but it can generate a lot of funding for your art program. The idea is simple: students each create a small piece of a larger collaborative artwork, which is then turned into a product parents can purchase as a fundraiser.

   Keep sizes and formats consistent so the final piece is easy to assemble digitally. Tip: Flat artwork with bold shapes and limited color palettes tends to reproduce best on products. Begin the project in early fall so you’re not rushing. Having everything ready by late October or early November puts you right in the holiday gift-buying window.

   You can scan or photograph student work and assemble the final design using Canva (use frames for even spacing).

   Once the master design is complete, upload it to a POD platform like Gelato or Printful. These platforms allow you to place one bulk order or open sales for a limited window so you don't need upfront inventory. So for example, you could actually email the buy link to parents, and they would buy it directly.

For more great tips, ideas, and art teacher curriculum check out: https://debkarpman.podia.com/curriculumkits

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