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Donate to FCPS

Information about how you can donate and the types of donations we accept

Donate to FCPS

Each year, FCPS accepts donations of all kinds. We appreciate this generosity. While many items are accepted and integrated into the school system, not all items can be accepted. To ensure that the item is something FCPS will use, please refer to the donation category descriptions.

If you are looking to donate money to a particular school or program, please donate via Educate Fairfax, as it is the 501(c)3 philanthropic arm of the school system and accepts and distributes monetary gifts from the community on behalf of FCPS.

Two women organizing to donation of backpacks

Donate Goods to FCPS

FCPS accepts donations of new or gently used items.

Fill Out Donation Form

What You Can Donate to FCPS

This is a list of the categories and descriptions of acceptable items. 

An FCPS staff member works with schools to incorporate donated items into instructional environments. 

*Please note that the school system cannot accept kilns or kiln accessories of any type.

Some examples of items we accept include:

  • Paper cutters
  • Easels
  • Drafting tables
  • Dry mount presses
  • Pugmills
  • Extruders
  • Slab rollers
  • Printing presses
  • New art supplies

The school system’s Department of Information Technology works with schools to incorporate donated audio and video equipment into instructional environments. All equipment must be in good working order, and given the continual improvements in audio and video equipment, we may not accept items which are older than five years.

School-age books are often needed for home reading programs and classroom libraries. Not all books are accepted. Fairfax County Public Schools can no longer take magazines or encyclopedias.

Books in good conditions will be made available to school libraries and classrooms from our facility in Springfield.

Please be mindful of the following when choosing books to donate:

  • We accept new and gently used books.
  • Hardcover books are preferable to paperbacks.
  • Books must be clean and free from dust, mold, and insects.
    • Books that have been stored in a garage or basement are not accepted.
  • Book must be from a smoke-free home or facility.
  • Nonfiction titles must have a copyright date within the last 10 years.
  • Adult romance novels are not accepted.

Once a donation is accepted, books can be brought to the FCPS warehouse in Springfield.  A staff member will work with you on next steps.    

Donations for these items will not be handled via the FCPS Donations Portal. 

There are many community based resources that assist students and families with clothing needs.  Please contact the organization directly with offers of donations or for more information.  

Fairfax County's Human Services Resource Guide (search "clothing" under the service) lists many organizations in the county that accept clothing donations. These organizations work with families in need throughout the county. 

The following schools have their own clothing closets for families in need. Donors can contact the schools directly to learn more.  

If interested in donating prom dresses and accessories, please see information below under Prom Wear.

Donations for food will not be handled via the FCPS Donations Portal. 

There are many community based resources that assist students and families with food. Please contact the organization directly with offers of donations or for more information.  

Fairfax County's Human Services Resource Guide (search "food" under the service) lists many organizations in the county that accept food donations. These organizations work with families in need throughout the county. 

Also, several schools have food donation pantries for students and their families. Please contact the school directly for more information.  

All furniture must be in good condition - we cannot repair broken furniture or accept anything requiring parts to be purchased.

FCPS is in continuous need of the following items:

  • office chairs (rolling desk chairs and side office chairs)
  • small bookcases
  • office desks and other office furniture
  • conference tables 

FCPS also accepts appliances in working order (refrigerators, televisions, etc.).

Fairfax County Public Schools accepts donated medical equipment and supplies provided they meet acceptable specifications regardless of whether they are donated centrally or to a particular school facility.  

Donations of gently used medical equipment and aids are to be used as supplementary support items for students in our special education programs and centers. The medical equipment and supplies are valuable for teaching purposes in use with patient simulators and mannequins for student practice.

To make sure the item is needed, please submit the information via the donations portal and an FCPS staff member will be in contact to discuss.

Some examples of acceptable Physical Therapy / Occupational Therapy equipment and supply items:

  • Mobility devices like wheelchairs, walkers, gait trainers, adaptive strollers, and adaptive bicycles.
  • Assistive Daily Living devices like shower chairs, toilet supports, and smaller items such as splints and grip assists, as well as mealtime items likes adapted utensils, cups, and suction bowls.
  • Positioning devices like standers, mats/mat tables, bean bag chairs, cushions, trip trap chairs, and adaptive seating (ex. compass chair, Rifton chair).

Some examples of acceptable medical equipment and supplies: 

  • Non-mercury and latex free items.
  • Sterile items in sealed packages (may be past expiration dates).
  • Hospital room, dental, pharmacy, and veterinary equipment and supplies.
  • Items of particular need include incubator, centrifuge, autoclave, lab glassware, IV pump, feeding pump, vital signs monitor-digital, ophthalmoscope, otoscope, TENS, doppler, ECG system, IV hood, etc.

Fairfax County Public Schools is unable to and will not accept pharmaceuticals.  All items must be in working order and will be evaluated before being accepted.

Fairfax County Public Schools accepts donations of new and used musical instruments. They must be in working condition. Please clean the instruments prior to donation if possible.  

Pianos must be inspected by a school system certified piano tuner before acceptance. FCPS will arrange the piano inspection with the donor. If accepted, FCPS will be responsible for moving the piano.

Fairfax County Public Schools accepts donations of new and used photography equipment for classroom use. Photography equipment must be in working condition.

UPDATE:

At this time donations of prom wear are not being accepted as FCPS received a very large and generous donation of dresses from a local business. Centreville High School does not have the storage space to accept additional donations at this time. 

We will update this message when we can again accept donations. Thank you.

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Fairfax County Public Schools accepts gently used and dry cleaned formal dresses and accessories, and provides them for free to students through an annual Prom Dress Shop. Donations of tuxedos are not accepted.

PLEASE NOTE: Formal wear must be dropped off in the Main Office of Centreville High School, weekdays, between the hours of 7:30 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. Centreville High School is located at 6001 Union Mill Road, Clifton, VA 20124.

Educate Fairfax raises funds for the purchase of preassembled school supply kits for our students in need. Monetary donations can be made at the Collect for Kids donation page.

FCPS does not accept physical donations of backpacks or school supplies, but many organizations in Fairfax County do so on a seasonal basis. Fairfax County's Human Services Resource Guide (search "school supplies" under the service) lists many organizations in the county that accept school supply donations. These organizations work with families in need throughout the county. 

Fairfax County Public Schools accepts working science equipment and supplies provided they meet acceptable specifications, regardless of whether they are donated centrally or to a particular school facility. The equipment and supplies are valuable for teaching purposes to supplement our standard curriculum.

  • Scientific instruments in working order (microscopes, telescopes, oscilloscopes, etc.)
  • Demonstration equipment (physics, optics, robotics, magnets, etc.)
  • Laboratory equipment and containers, glass, or plastic (beakers, test tubes, flasks, etc.)
  • Chemicals (currently approved for classroom use)
  • Clean aquarium/terrarium equipment
  • Live specimens (healthy animals that meet county and state regulations)

Fairfax County Public Schools accepts donated sports and fitness equipment provided they meet acceptable specifications. Sports and fitness equipment must be in good condition and meet FCPS safety and instructional requirements.

We cannot repair broken equipment or accept anything requiring us to purchase parts.

Sports and fitness equipment can be very heavy and FCPS may not be able to pick up and deliver some items.

Fairfax County Public Schools accepts donated computing devices provided that they meet an acceptable specification regardless of whether donated centrally or to a particular school facility and are in working order.

Per Notice 5961 under the School Board Policies, Notices, and Regulations for the current technology standards:

REQUIRED SPECIFICATIONS FOR DONATING COMPUTING DEVICES

These standards establish the minimum acceptable specifications for donated computing devices:

  • Manufacture date must be no more than two (2) years prior to the date of the donation.
  • FCPS only accepts Windows and iOS-based computing devices.
  • The following products are acceptable: Windows based laptop and desktop computers capable of running Windows 10 and Wi-Fi only iPad models with the lightning connector. FCPS does not accept the donation of iPads that require 3G or 4G mobile network access.
  • Laptop and desktop computers will only be accepted with Solid State Drives (SSD). If a school wants to receive computers donated without hard drives, the school must purchase solid state drives for each computer. 
  • All computers must have a Trusted Platform Module (TPM) chip, version1.2 or newer.
  • For Windows devices, FCPS requires the transfer of the Windows operating system license.
  • FCPS does not accept Apple laptops, desktops, or servers.

Please note: If an item is not acceptable for FCPS use it is recommended to contact the following organizations: 

Computer CORE Computer CORE is a local organization independent of FCPS.  

Virginia STAR (Student Training And Refurbishment program). Virginia STAR is a state-wide organization independent of FCPS.

Fairfax County Public Schools accepts certain building equipment and materials used in instructional programs within construction technology, carpentry, cosmetology and criminal justice programs.

Fairfax County Public Schools accepts donations of all types of vehicles and related items.
 
Donated items go to one of the school division’s 13 auto tech classrooms where students learn repairs, reconditioning, recycling, and – if deemed repairable – some are fixed and sold with the proceeds going back to the automotive program.
 
FCPS needs the vehicle’s title (lien free) and that all parties on the title have signed in signature of seller box(es). FCPS will complete the rest of the required information for title transfer.

Please ensure all belongings are removed from the vehicle and all sets of keys are provided. FCPS will remove your tags and prepare/provide all tax documentation. Donors can calculate the vehicle’s value by using KellyBlueBook.com, NADA or the most recent tax assessment.  FCPS does not provide a vehicle's value to the donor.

Towing service is not provided.  Drop offs are not permitted.

Please note that there is no staff to process donation offers during the summer months. Teachers do volunteer their time as best possible to facilitate these offers.

COVID-19 guidelines and precautions in place:

The vehicle would need to be brought to George C. Marshall High School at 7731 Leesburg Pike, Falls Church, VA 22043. We are accepting vehicles Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays weekly from 9:00am to 1:00 pm - by appointment only.  Appointments will be made once the information is entered into the FCPS Donations Portal.

  • FCPS asks that you wait with your vehicle while the donation paperwork is completed.  
  • Face masks/coverings are required.  FCPS practices safe social distancing.

Frequently Asked Questions about Donating to FCPS

Donations of durable goods should go through the online FCPS Donations Portal. For monetary donations, please visit Educate Fairfax donation webpage. There is an opportunity via these two websites to list a particular school as the designated recipient. 

The school system prefers that donors use the donations portal web site as it helps FCPS manage the donation offer. The site provides the donor with information about who to contact with questions, helps FCPS guide and track donations, and generates the appropriate thank you letter for the donor’s tax deduction. The site is extremely easy to use, and should take only five minutes to complete. 

Complete the online Donate to FCPS form and, where applicable, make note that the donated item has been received. Once the school system receives confirmation that the donation was received, FCPS will make sure you receive a thank you letter for tax deduction purposes.

Yes. Donations to governmental entities are tax deductible. Please refer to IRS Publication 1771 for any questions.

It depends on the donation. After completion of the online form, the donation will be reviewed and approved before a pickup determination can be made. The review process will take into consideration the type and size of the donation, the security requirements of a pickup, and the transportation costs to pick up a donation before deciding if a pickup is feasible. Donors may be asked to deliver the item(s) they want to donate.

No, FCPS does not have the capability to tow a vehicle. Donors are asked to NOT tow or drop off any vehicle without prior approval from an FCPS staff member.

Fairfax County Public Schools never assigns a value to a donation, and the IRS does not require the school system to do so. If you have questions, FCPS recommends that donors review IRS Publication 1771.

While Fairfax County Public Schools appreciates all offers of donations, some items are simply not useful to the school system because they may have little or no educational value or be too costly to fix or bring up to current standards. 

Once a donation offer is submitted via the Donate to FCPS website, and the donation is received by FCPS, the donor will be sent a letter via email.

Contact Us

If you have a question that wasn't answered here, you can submit a donation question. 

Submit a Donation Question