You belong in this 21st century, so you’ll understand that laptops are very important for students in their academic lives. As a student, you need one for yourself, however, laptops are typically too expensive. But thankfully, some organizations take laptop donation for students and then hand them over to students.
These organizations typically collect used/refurbished laptops from people who don’t need them and give them to students who do. It’s a win-win for everyone involved. I have been given free laptops by organizations such as Student Reach, Laptops for Kids, and Labdoo. There are many others you need to know about, where you can either donate a laptop or receive a free donation for students.
Laptop Donation for Students
1. Student Reach
At Student Reach, every student is expected to have access to the technology through a laptop. With the rapid shift towards digital learning, a laptop is now essential for students to complete assignments, conduct research, and participate in virtual classrooms.
- You can make laptop donation for students, such as donating your used or unused laptops and tablets to Student Reach. This will contribute to the academic success of students who may not have access to these essential tools otherwise.
2. Laptops for Kids
You can also make or receive a laptop donation for students from the Laptop for Kids organization. They are dedicated to providing laptops to children who do not have access to technology at home. This program recognizes the importance of ensuring that all students, regardless of their socio-economic background. So, you will get the PC you need to succeed in education.
3. Labdoo
So, I also came across another organization that connects people with unused laptops with students in need. The name of the organization is Labdoo.
You can either make a PC donation or apply for a free laptop as a student on their website. When donors drop off their laptops at the specified local hub, the volunteers sanitize and install educational software before delivering them to schools and students around the world.
4. Greater Phoenix Chamber Foundation
The Greater Phoenix Chamber Foundation’s Community Laptop Drive for Education is another program that makes laptop donation for students possible. This program collects new and gently used laptops from the community and distributes them to students in the Greater Phoenix area. With this, you will have the PC you need to succeed in your academic pursuits.
Greater Phoenix Chamber Foundation
5. FTC Global Giving
“Laptops for college-bound students” by First Time Computers (FTC), a DC-based nonprofit organization is a program owned by Global Giving organization.
FTC collects, refurbishes, and distributes donated computers to low-income people and community organizations that serve them. The goal of this project is to empower and enhance the educational and employment prospects of low-income youth by widening their access to technology.
A donation of $10,000 will provide laptops for 150 college-bound low-income students. Understanding how to use computers is crucial for young people to achieve educational success. FTC takes donations of used computers and trains teens to restore them into high-quality, fully-equipped systems to distribute to those who can’t afford them.
6. Computers With Causes
Donations of laptops and bulk equipment to support students and others are accepted by the Computer With Causes. Donating is simple and fast, and both individual and corporate donors receive a tax deduction.
Your donations help provide educational and vocational assets to those in need and support communities. You can donate laptops, desktop computers, servers, gadgets, and bulk hardware. All donations are tax deductible and support worthy charitable causes. The organization also participates in a zero-waste recycling program.
7. Computer Aid
I also discovered Computer Aid, whose statement is to reduce the digital difference between students from different backgrounds. Laptops are typically expensive, which has discouraged many students from having access to digital education. The organization partners with Avanade, a company jointly owned by Microsoft and Accenture, to donate laptops to schools in the UK, including Upton Court Grammar School and Bishop Tenison School.
If you have a laptop you would like to donate, Computer Aid offers a courier service to arrange the collection of the laptops.
8. Compudopt
One other organization with the mission to provide technology access and education to under-resourced youth and their communities is Compudopt.
Compudopt recycles donated computers, refurbishes them, and loads them with educational software before giving them to selected families in need. They also help families find low or no-cost internet solutions and provide free tech education to youth and adults.
9. RRRcomputer.org
A 501(c)(3) non-profit organization based in the San Francisco Bay Area that encourages corporations and individuals to donate computers rather than recycle them is RRRcomputer.org.
The organization refurbishes the donated computers and gives them to low-income K-12 students to support their education. Monetary support is also needed to refurbish the computers and buy power adapters, SSD drives, and screens. A small percentage of the laptops are set aside to help fund the operation.
10. Amazon
Amazon has also taken significant steps to support high school students, especially those taking AP Computer Science courses. As part of its Amazon Future Engineer program, Amazon is offering comprehensive support and new online learning opportunities to high school students ahead of at-home AP Computer Science exams.
This includes free online computer science courses, laptop donations, and free online test prep sessions. Amazon is donating 4,000 laptops to AP computer science students who do not have access to a device at home, and these students will get to keep the laptops to support their educational journey.
11. Bridges to Malawi
Bridges to Malawi donate laptops and solar-powered table systems to rural schools as part of their medical mission trip. During the trip, IT experts Jennifer Hardy and Naomi Lisse train both students and faculty in the use of computers, including basic programming skills.
The laptops are filled with educational software such as “Khan Academy,” which functions as an “internet without the internet,” providing a vast amount of knowledge and literature at a student’s fingertips. This includes information on best farming practices and conservation agriculture to help improve crop yields for those who stay on the farm.
The computers also have Microsoft Office, which can potentially give a poor rural Malawian student sufficient skills to get a good-paying job in the city, thereby improving the income of their farm family as they send money home from their new job.
12. Minnesota Tech for Success
Minnesota Tech for Success (MTFS) is on a mission to create digital equity for students in Minnesota by partnering with schools and educational organizations to provide technology access, engaging STEM programming, and IT workforce development in underserved communities. They recycle and repair donated computers to refurbish them for schools and educationally focused community organizations, impacting the full life cycle of technology.
Since its inception, MTFS has placed over 100,000 computers in schools and educationally focused organizations in the Twin Cities and has helped advance digital equity by training over 1,800 students. They provide access to no-cost training and digital certification courses, empowering individuals to pursue educational and career opportunities.
MTFS has a specific program for laptop donation for students, which is their NAID and R2V3 certified computer donation and recycling program. The program provides computers to schools, educational nonprofits, and underserved students.
13. Philadelphia Children’s Foundation
The Philadelphia Children’s Foundation (PCF) needs computers, especially laptops, to donate to students in need. They also require financial donations to pay for video cameras, laptop batteries, wi-fi adapters, and refurbishing parts. The equipment donation process is easy and contact-free. Individual equipment donations can be dropped off at their drop-off location in West Mt. Airy, and for larger donations, sanitized storage bins will be provided for you to fill at your convenience. PCF is a non-profit 501(c)3 organization and will provide you with a receipt for the market value of your donation.
Since the pandemic began, PCF has provided more than 400 families with computers. The Philadelphia Public Schools district has provided a lot of Chromebooks, but there are not enough to go around, and some schools have turned to PCF to help close the gap. PCF has also experienced a huge increase in demand from college students who have returned home and are forced to continue their classes online but may not have the necessary equipment. PCF has been providing these students with the lifeline they need to continue their studies.
PCF is currently working with programs and schools in surrounding areas such as Camden, Chester, Upper Darby, and others, as these areas have not received as much local business support as the Philadelphia school district. PCF is also working with daycare centers, non-public schools, and community centers to provide take-home laptops to families in greatest need.
Philadelphia Children’s Foundation
14. Siemens
Siemens has launched a laptop donation for students program as part of its initiative to address equity in underserved communities. The inaugural recipient of this program is the Dallas Independent School District’s Young Men’s Leadership Academy (YMLA) at Fred F. Florence Middle School, which will receive a donation of 200 Chromebooks.
Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson expressed his gratitude towards Siemens for helping with laptop donation for students. The donation will support underserved communities that have been hit especially hard by the COVID-19 pandemic. Carrie Esch, library media specialist at YMLA, stated that the donation allows the school to accommodate all students, ensuring that no student misses instructional time.
15. Children of Promise NYC
A non-profit organization, Children of Promise NYC, that supports children of incarcerated parents, has received a donation of 100 laptop computers from Laptops For Kids. These laptops were distributed to students in need in both Brooklyn and the Bronx.
The laptop donation for students is to help support CPNYC’s after-school program and summer day camp. This offers educational and enrichment activities for children ages 6-18.
16. Capital Region BOCES
Capital Region BOCES is an educational organization serving students in New York’s Capital Region. They have received a donation of 100 new Chromebook laptop donation for students. The donation is possible through the generosity of GlobalFoundries, Acer, the Gateway Foundation, and AMD. The Chromebooks will be used by students and teachers in BOCES’ special education programs, as well as those in area schools.
The majority of the devices go to special education students enrolled at Airline Drive Academy and Maywood School, as well as BOCES students enrolled in special education programming in the Guilderland, Scotia-Glenville, and Niskayuna school districts.
17. Right to Live
If you are interested in laptop donation for students, the Right to Live will help. They collect laptops from individuals and corporations to donate to these students. If you have a laptop that’s unused but still functional, you can contact them at Phone +91 890 461 1393 or +91 702 287 2220 or Email: info@righttolive.org. You can also request a free laptop if you are a student.
18. Human-I-T
The Los Angeles College Promise (LACP) was initiated through Mayor Eric Garcetti’s Connect to Success initiative. This program caters to first-time Angelino college students. In the initial phase of this program, 6,000 students are provided with a free laptop from human-I-T to support them in their higher education endeavors.
Read also: Free Laptops for Pensioners
