Karen Olivo, an art teacher at South Hills HighSchool in Fort Worth, doesn’t know what she’d do without the Welman Project. The nonprofit that gives educators free school supplies has been a godsend during Olivo’s six years as a public school teacher and has helped close a resource gap left by years of bare bones funding for public schools across Texas.
“In this economy and society that we live in today teachers aren’t really given the support that they need most of the time,” she said. “Having a place like Welmans is like a huge weight off of you.”
In November of 2015 Welmans Project was established to help educators with resources for their classrooms—73% of public schools in Texas are currently underfunded, meaning they lack the money and resources for a better education. Teachers receive no money for their classroom needs, a 2025 report shows that the average teacher in the US spends about $895 out of pocket for classroom items each year.
Taylor Willis and Vanessa Rohrer, cofounders of Welmans Project, saw what already underpaid teachers were spending and wanted to create a resource that could help.
“We take things that have potential and possibility and we share that with our educators,” said Rohrer.
They started in their living rooms and today they are located inside the historic Kimbell Milling Company, a 25,000 square feet building.
What teachers need most
In a typical classroom in Texas, teachers can expect to find basic furniture and curriculum material. Anything else is up to them to purchase with their own money. Decorations, markers, name tags, reward charts, and even cleaning products are their responsibility.
At Welmans, educators can find all types of supplies like journals, folders, pens and pencils, headphones, decorative posters and banners, and even furniture for their classrooms. If Welmans doesn’t have it, the staff will help you find alternative solutions.
Olivo goes once or twice a semester looking for things that can help her students engage better in her classes. She particularly likes that they have a workshop where she has access to tools like 3D printers, sewing machines, laser cutters, table saws, and screen printers.
Welman’s Makerspace is free for educators, but it is also available to the public with the purchase of a membership.
“It is nice to be able to just come here and be able to be creative,” said Forney ISD art teacher, Alaina Montgomery.
She says the 50-minute drive is worth it, as she is able to discover new things each time she visits.
Welman also offers teachers professional development opportunities and hosts workshops for area families. These are developed and taught by education program manager Matti Rylie, who was originally a wonder tech assisting with anything needed around Welman.
“We try to make sure that every single teacher that comes in has an individualized experience,” Rylie said. “My job is to make people’s ideas come into reality.”
Camile Hernandez, art and culture teacher at Timberline Elementary in Grapevine and Colleville ISD said Welman has been very inspirational for colleagues and herself. They have been able to participate in various professional developments that have helped them in finding new creative projects for their students.
“There’s always a plethora of brand new different ideas and concepts to learn,” she said. “They create a space for us to explore and think outside the box with reusable materials.”
Over the course of the year, Welman serves a little over 6,000 teachers from all across Texas, during the summer that is about 100 to 200 teachers a day.They have 40 to 50 volunteers daily that help run things smoothly, as they are also constantly receiving donations daily from individuals and local businesses. Anyone can donate, all you have to do is book an appointment online.
“I think what has really grown is the need for a community and for people that can be cheerleaders for the teachers, as increasingly teachers have felt devalued,” Willis said. “It is important to have a place where they can come and know that people care about them and value their work.”
