The Colorado Department of Education earmarked $11 million in federal relief funds to help educators address COVID-19 learning loss in students from pre-K to 12th grade.

Colorado Education Commissioner Susana Córdova announced on Thursday the state initiative with DonorsChoose, a nonprofit organization that helps provide teachers with school supplies.

More than 90% of teachers in the United States, on average, spend $500 annually of their own money on classroom supplies, according to the National Education Association.

Under this initiative, Colorado teachers can receive — as long as the funding lasts — up to $1,000 to help with classroom activities or learning aids designed to address student learning loss during the pandemic.

“We know teachers have been trying all sorts of imaginative and inventive methods to assist their students during these difficult times,” Córdova said in a press release. “This funding is one way of saying, ‘Thank you’.”

Because achievement scores plummeted in the wake of the pandemic, educators now consider 2019 scores a benchmark year.

New student assessment data released earlier this month shows incremental and inconsistent academic improvement across the Denver metro area and the state, with state math and English scores this year roughly within 1 percentage point of the last academic year.

“Colorado Department of Education is launching the back-to-school season with a boost for teachers across the state,” DonorsChoose CEO Alix Guerrier said in a statement. “Through this initiative, Colorado Department of Education is investing in the frontline wisdom of its teachers, and ensuring that Colorado students have what they need for a strong start this new school year.”

Public school teachers can visit DonorsChoose to submit a request. Qualifying projects will be funded within a week of submitting.