How do I get a DonorsChoose API Key?

For general public access, you can use the API key 'DONORSCHOOSE'. If you require a unique key for high-volume use, you can apply for one through the DonorsChoose developer site.

Can the agent make donations directly?

This integration currently focuses on searching and auditing project data. Making actual donations should be completed via the project links provided by the agent on the DonorsChoose website.

Which geographical areas are covered?

DonorsChoose covers public and charter school classroom projects across all 50 US states.

DonorsChoose MCP Server for Claude Desktop 10 tools — connect in under 2 minutes

Name: DonorsChoose
Availability: InStock
Author: Vinkius

modelcontextprotocol.io/quickstart/user

Built by Vinkius GDPR 10 Tools IDE

Claude Desktop is Anthropic's native application for interacting with Claude AI models on macOS and Windows. It was the first consumer application to ship with built-in MCP support, making it the reference implementation for the Model Context Protocol standard.

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Vinkius supports streamable HTTP and SSE.

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Vinkius Desktop App

The modern way to manage MCP Servers — no config files, no terminal commands. Install DonorsChoose and 2,500+ MCP Servers from a single visual interface.

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Classic Setup·json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "donorschoose": {
      // Your Vinkius token. get it at cloud.vinkius.com
      "url": "https://edge.vinkius.com/[YOUR_TOKEN_HERE]/mcp"
    }
  }
}

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* Every MCP server runs on Vinkius-managed infrastructure inside AWS - a purpose-built runtime with per-request V8 isolates, Ed25519 signed audit chains, and sub-40ms cold starts optimized for native MCP execution. See our infrastructure

About DonorsChoose MCP Server

Integrate DonorsChoose, the leading crowdfunding platform for public school teachers, directly into your AI workflow. Search for classroom projects across the US, filter by state, subject, or ZIP code, monitor urgent funding needs, and retrieve detailed information for educational proposals using natural language.

Claude Desktop is the definitive way to connect DonorsChoose to your AI workflow. Add Vinkius Edge URL to your config, restart the app, and Claude immediately exposes all 10 tools in the chat interface. ask a question, Claude calls the right tool, and you see the answer. Zero code, zero context switching.

What you can do

Project Discovery — Search for classroom projects using keywords, subjects, or specific geographic locations (states and ZIP codes).
Funding Oversight — Monitor projects that are close to their expiration or have high urgency to identify immediate support needs.
Proposal Intelligence — Retrieve detailed information for specific classroom projects, including school details and itemized resource lists.
Newest Opportunity Tracking — List the most recently posted classroom proposals to identify new funding opportunities across the organization.

The DonorsChoose MCP Server exposes 10 tools through the Vinkius. Connect it to Claude Desktop in under two minutes — no API keys to rotate, no infrastructure to provision, no vendor lock-in. Your configuration, your data, your control.

How to Connect DonorsChoose to Claude Desktop via MCP

Follow these steps to integrate the DonorsChoose MCP Server with Claude Desktop.

Open Claude Desktop Settings

Go to Settings → Developer → Edit Config to open claude_desktop_config.json

Add the MCP Server

Paste the configuration above into the mcpServers section

Restart Claude Desktop

Close and reopen Claude Desktop to load the new server

Start using DonorsChoose

Look for the 🔌 icon in the chat. your 10 tools are now available

Why Use Claude Desktop with the DonorsChoose MCP Server

Claude Desktop by Anthropic provides unique advantages when paired with DonorsChoose through the Model Context Protocol.

Claude Desktop is the reference MCP client. it was designed alongside the protocol itself, ensuring the most complete and stable MCP implementation available

Zero-code configuration: add a server URL to a JSON file and Claude instantly discovers and exposes all available tools in the chat interface

Claude's extended thinking capability lets it reason through multi-step tool usage, chaining multiple API calls to answer complex questions

Enterprise-grade security with local config storage. your tokens never leave your machine, and connections go directly to Vinkius Edge network

DonorsChoose + Claude Desktop Use Cases

Practical scenarios where Claude Desktop combined with the DonorsChoose MCP Server delivers measurable value.

Interactive data exploration: ask Claude to query DNS records, look up WHOIS data, and cross-reference results in a single conversation

Ad-hoc security audits: type a domain name and let Claude enumerate subdomains, check DNS history, and flag configuration anomalies. all through natural language

Executive briefings: generate comprehensive domain intelligence reports by asking Claude to compile findings into a formatted summary

Learning and training: new team members can explore API capabilities conversationally without needing to read documentation

DonorsChoose MCP Tools for Claude Desktop (10)

These 10 tools become available when you connect DonorsChoose to Claude Desktop via MCP:

get_classroom_project_details

Get detailed information for a specific classroom project

get_donorschoose_api_metadata

Retrieve metadata for the current API connection

list_high_poverty_needs

Identify projects from schools in high-poverty areas

list_latest_classroom_proposals

List the most recently posted classroom projects

list_projects_by_state

List classroom projects in a specific US state (e.g., NY, CA)

list_projects_by_subject

List projects filtered by subject area (e.g., Literacy, Math)

list_urgent_funding_needs

Identify projects that are close to their expiration or have high urgency

quick_regional_funding_audit

Retrieve a high-level summary of active projects in a region

search_classroom_projects

Search for DonorsChoose classroom projects using keywords

search_projects_by_zipcode

Search for classroom projects within a specific US ZIP code

Example Prompts for DonorsChoose in Claude Desktop

Ready-to-use prompts you can give your Claude Desktop agent to start working with DonorsChoose immediately.

"Search for classroom projects in New York about 'Literacy'."

"Show me urgent projects near ZIP code '90210'."

"List the newest classroom proposals."

Troubleshooting DonorsChoose MCP Server with Claude Desktop

Common issues when connecting DonorsChoose to Claude Desktop through the Vinkius, and how to resolve them.

Server not appearing after restart

Ensure the JSON is valid (no trailing commas). Check the file path: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json (macOS) or %APPDATA%\\Claude\\ (Windows).

Authentication error

Verify your Vinkius token is correct. Go to cloud.vinkius.com to regenerate it if needed.

Tools not showing in chat

Click the 🔌 icon at the bottom of the chat input. If it shows 0 tools, the server may still be connecting. wait a few seconds.

DonorsChoose + Claude Desktop FAQ

Common questions about integrating DonorsChoose MCP Server with Claude Desktop.

How does Claude Desktop discover MCP tools?

When Claude Desktop starts, it reads the claude_desktop_config.json file and connects to each configured MCP server. It calls the tools/list endpoint to fetch the schema for every available tool, then surfaces them as clickable options in the chat interface via the 🔌 icon.

What happens if the MCP server is temporarily unavailable?

Claude Desktop handles disconnections gracefully. if the server is unreachable at startup, the tools simply won't appear. Once the server becomes available again, restarting Claude Desktop will re-establish the connection. There is no timeout penalty or error loop.

Can I connect multiple MCP servers simultaneously?

Yes. You can add as many servers as you need in the mcpServers section of the config file. Each server appears as a separate tool provider, and Claude can use tools from multiple servers in a single conversation turn.

Is there a limit on the number of tools per server?

Claude Desktop can handle hundreds of tools per server. However, for optimal LLM performance, Vinkius servers are designed to expose focused, well-documented tool sets rather than overwhelming the model with too many options.

Does Claude Desktop support Streamable HTTP transport?

Yes. Claude Desktop supports both SSE (Server-Sent Events) and the newer Streamable HTTP transport that Vinkius uses. Simply provide the server URL. Claude auto-negotiates the transport protocol.