KI Launches K–12 Classroom Furniture Giveaway

Contract furniture company KI recently announced the launch of its fourth-annual Classroom Furniture Giveaway, which awards $50,000 each to four K–12 educators across the U.S., according to a news release. The goal is to address decreasing student engagement and increasing teacher burnout numbers by updating learning spaces to accommodate modern needs.

“Classrooms are the engine rooms of learning, yet many don’t reflect how students learn today,” said Bryan Ballegeer, vice president of education markets at KI. “Rows of rigid desks and a lack of flexibility don’t support modern teaching modalities or today’s students. This giveaway provides educators with the power to redesign spaces that support creativity, collaboration, well-being, and meaningful learning.”

Teachers can submit an application consisting of their vision for a “dream classroom” promoting inclusivity, adaptability, collaboration, and student engagement. The four winners receive a classroom transformation courtesy of KI’s education furniture portfolio. According to the news release, results of previous giveaways have led to measured improvements in student well-being and engagement; a stronger sense of student community; and improved student comfort and inclination to learn.

“The impact goes far beyond furniture,” said Ballegeer. “These new environments empower both students and teachers to engage more deeply, reconnect and rediscover the joy of teaching and learning. When educators can shape spaces around their students’ needs, the results are both powerful and lasting.”

According to the news release, potential entrants can use the KI Classroom Planner tool and submit designs on the KI website. The entry period lasts from Sept. 19 through Oct. 17, 2025. Finalists will be announced for public voting in Nov. 2025, and the four winners will be announced on Nov. 19.

About the Author

Matt Jones is senior editor of Spaces4Learning. He can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • S4L Announces 2026 Education Design Showcase Winners

    Spaces4Learning is thrilled to announce the winners of the 2026 Education Design Showcase! Now in its 27th year, the annual awards program honors innovative solutions in planning, design, architecture, and construction across K–12 and higher education.

  • Porter Family Center

    Porter Family Center for Innovation and Academics

    Established in 1999, the Education Design Showcase is a vehicle for showing off innovative — yet practical — solutions in planning, design, architecture, and construction. The Porter Family Center for Innovation and Academics has been recognized with an EDS 2026 Project of Distinction award in the category of New Construction.

  • Architectural Power for the Modern Campus Landscape

    For generations, an outdoor classroom only required a textbook and a patch of grass. Today, not only has the laptop replaced the printed pages, the rise of agile learning has turned campuses into study halls with students listening to lectures and researching topics from quads, gardens, and plazas. The challenge for architects and facility managers is to provide connectivity without cluttering the landscape with visual eyesores or creating safety hazards with extension cords.

  • University of Kansas Breaks Ground on Entrepreneurship Hub

    The University of Kansas in Lawrence, Kan., recently held a groundbreaking ceremony for the new KU Entrepreneurship Hub, according to university news. The Hub is part of the university’s School of Business and will include spaces for experiential learning and programming.