Every teacher at a California school dismissed a ‘free money’ email as a scam — until they opened it
Many people receive spam emails promising them goodies every now and then. While most of the time, they actually turn out to be scams, it is normal for people to ignore such emails. That's what the teachers of the San Francisco Unified School District thought when they received anonymous emails from someone promising them "free money." But when they opened the email, they were left in shock. Reported by PEOPLE on Sunday, April 12, 2026, the school was astonished to learn where the email was coming from.
The email stated that an anonymous sender was giving "free money" of $250 to each teacher at the school. According to EdSource, school district officials instructed, “OPEN the link. REDEEM the gift card. SPEND the money on anything you want.” However, they later found that it wasn't a scam; it was indeed a gift from a wealthy anonymous person who was donating $1.6 million. The email also read that the teachers will be given digital gift cards to access all the funds. The donor, whose identity was not revealed, said that they wanted to do something meaningful after realizing the hardships that teachers face. They said, "Hopefully, they will feel seen and appreciated. That's my goal here."
The donor had planned their contribution in November 2025 and had reached out to a nonprofit organization, SPARK SF Public Schools, to help carry it out. The donor who works in the tech industry noted that they earn more than the budgets of many schools and wanted to use the money to highlight the importance of teachers. They added that teachers are often undervalued in society, comparing their own income to that of an average educator. Ginny Fang, the president of SPARK, helped coordinate the emails for the gift cards. Interestingly, the teachers had previously staged a strike demanding a wage increase, per The Guardian.
Initially, the teachers were hesitant to click on the emails, concerned they might be scams. Fang now hopes that the unnamed donor's generosity will inspire others to follow suit. She noted that with the amount of wealth in the world, many people could be helped. She said, "Those that are close to the work see how hard it is, the challenges kids bring into the classroom. It doesn't take that much to make a difference compared to the amount of wealth." The donor shared that their contribution was only about 5% of their family's net worth and expressed a desire to continue supporting a meaningful cause.
According to research by Harvard Business School, giving resources and helping those in need can bring happiness to donors. "They found that people did not express as much happiness thinking back on helping people compared to when they had just completed the act of giving," the report noted. It also suggested that people are more willing to give if they are actively involved in the charitable process rather than simply donating and publicizing it. In this case, the anonymous donor was not seeking validation or recognition. Instead, they chose to support a meaningful cause quietly, reflecting the sincerity of their generosity.