DonorsChoose.org, one of a growing number of online charities that solicit help directly from the public, received a boost today from the Gates Foundation.

A $4.1 million Gates Foundation grant will help DonorsChoose fund half the cost of classroom projects developed by teachers to help students in low income families get ready for college.

Using an online model similar to Kiva.org, DonorsChoose lets teachers describe their projects, and individuals browsing the site can decide whether to support them. DonorsChoose then distributes the supplies to the schools.

TV personality Stephen Colbert was around to "moderate" the event, keeping the potentially vehement charity announcement from becoming too extreme.

JASON DECROW / ASSOCIATED PRESS

TV personality Stephen Colbert serves on the board of DonorsChoose.org when he's not running for president, making ice cream or warding off marauding animals.

"As I endeavor to protect our children from bears, DonorsChoose.org is protecting public school kids from classrooms that lack the materials necessary to rigorously prepare them for college," Colbert said. He's a board member of DonorsChoose.org. But considering the organization has 13 other board members and 26 advisers, he's really not that special.

Schools in the Seattle area are using the online tool to raise money for specific projects.

A class in South Seattle raised $561 from 24 donors on the site after requesting donations for "science books and videos about electricity and Benjamin Franklin, as well as an electricity poster and DC-volt meter for 30 young scientists."

The teacher said she aims to integrate science and social studies using a science kit and lessons about Franklin and literacy, describing her 4th grade class in a school with high poverty rates where "many of us are new to the United States and almost all of us are new to science."

Donors, teachers and students interact in forums on the Web site. A donor named Sara wrote: "I gave to this project because I grew up going to school in south Seattle. I know it isn't the most perfect place, but I love the diversity there."

Under the "Double Your Impact" initiative funded by Gates, requests that promote college-readiness will be eligible for 50 percent funding from DonorsChoose. Projects would include things like student trips to college campuses, classroom books and SAT/ACT preparation materials.

So far, 88,000 public and charter school teachers have used DonorsChoose to raise more than $30 million for books, art supplies, technology and other materials.

Vicki Phillips, director of education at the Gates Foundation, said she hopes the partnership will give individual donors an added incentive to support projects to see them fully funded.

Colbert had one burning question for Phillips: "Does Bill Gates ever talk about me?"

UPDATE: The project mentioned above, at Thurgood Marshall Elementary, received 12 donations in the last 24 hours and is now fully funded.