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Inspiration
Teachers pour not only their time but also their money into their classrooms, with nearly all educators spending out of pocket every year. We wanted to make this process easier, more productive, and less stressful. Our goal was to give teachers the tools to find funding opportunities, apply more efficiently, and track progress — all in one place.
What it does
TeachEasy is a platform that:
- Aggregates grants, scholarships, and donor opportunities for educators.
- Lets teachers filter by location, funding amount, deadlines, and type of resource.
- Includes an application tracker so teachers can stay organized and productive.
- Features an essay assist chatbot that helps generate strong, personalized application responses based on resumes or experiences.
- An additional perk: offers a section for discounts and perks available to educators — helping them save even more money.
How we built it
Backend: Node.js + Express API with MongoDB for storing opportunities and user data. Frontend: React with Tailwind CSS for a clean and approachable teacher-friendly UI. Scraping & Processing: Python scrapers to collect scholarships, grants, and discounts from multiple sources, with data cleaning before sending to the database. Authentication: Auth0 for secure login and profile setup. Filtering & Matching: Rule-based matching system to display best-fit opportunities to users.
Challenges we ran into
Scraping reliable and structured data from multiple websites was difficult, as formats varied widely. Designing a simple yet powerful filter system without overwhelming the user. Integrating all the pieces (scraping → database → backend → frontend) in a short timeframe. Making sure the application felt helpful and not just like another overwhelming list of links.
Accomplishments that we're proud of
Creating a centralized hub where educators can access grants, scholarships, and discounts in one place — a tool that directly reduces time and stress. Building an end-to-end pipeline (scraping → data processing → database → backend → frontend) that worked seamlessly within a short hackathon window. Designing the application tracker, which transforms a messy, stressful process into something organized and motivating. Adding the essay assist feature, which not only saves time but also empowers teachers to put their best foot forward without extra burden. Prioritizing user experience by making the platform intuitive, approachable, and aligned with educators’ real needs.
What we learned
Data integration matters: Scraping from multiple sources is only half the battle — making the data usable and filterable is what unlocks real value. Scoping is critical: With so many ideas, we had to focus on the features that directly tied to productivity and education, and that decision made the project stronger. Collaboration under pressure: We learned how to split tasks across scraping, backend, frontend, and design to ship a functional product quickly. Impact over polish: Even if not every feature was fully polished, having a clear vision and real-world utility made the project powerful.
What's next for TeachEasy
Expanding our database of grants and discounts with more sources. Enhancing the essay assist chatbot with smarter recommendations and editing. Adding a community feature where teachers can share tips and success stories. Partnering with organizations to directly connect funding opportunities to classrooms. Building mobile support so teachers can access TeachEasy anytime, anywhere.
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