One of the best ways for a teacher to get more involved at their school is to start a fun after-school program for the students. However, these programs will cost money to run effectively. Even though your school district will likely provide you with some funds, it might not be enough for all that you plan to do.

That’s why you’ll need some other methods to fund your after-school program. Lucky for you, we’ve put together some ideas you could try out. Hopefully, one of them will be the perfect fit to fulfill your program’s needs.

Federal funding

Since receiving proper funding at the local level doesn’t always provide you with enough money to run your program properly, you might need to look higher up. At the federal level, there are quite a few grants or programs that you can apply for to earn some extra money for your after-school program.

While the ones that you’ll have access to will vary depending on the type of program you run and the state you live in, it never hurts to check and see what’s available. You might match the criteria for a government grant that gives you all the money you need to create a fun program for your students.

Monthly dues

While some after-school programs are short and only run for a few months out of the year, some could be longer and take place throughout the school year. Due to this length, it takes more money to run this type of program. Fortunately, an option for these longer programs is charging monthly dues.

Like with federal funding, this option may or may not be allowed in your state. If it is, this is one of the best ways to ensure the cost of every student is covered, since they’ll pay their way over a long period of time. Just make sure you don’t charge too much because that can prevent some students from ever joining.

Fundraising efforts

If you can’t qualify for the previous options for funding an after-school program, there’s always general fundraising. Fortunately, general fundraising is one of the best ways to earn money for your program. Most people would be more than happy to donate a small sum of money to help financially support your program.

The only problem you’ll encounter is determining which type of fundraiser you should run with your students. One popular option these days is online crowdfunding. There are many differences between traditional fundraising and crowdfunding that you should know about before jumping in. However, the time you’ll save through this method will make it worthwhile for most busy teachers.