March 11, 2010

Obama donates Nobel money to Indians

Obama gives $1.4 million in Nobel Prize money to charitiesTen charities will split the $1.4 million awarded to President Obama as part of the Nobel Peace Prize, the White House announced today.

"These organizations do extraordinary work in the United States and abroad, helping students, veterans and countless others in need," Obama said in a statement. "I'm proud to support their work."

  • $250,000 to Fisher House
  • $200,000 to the Clinton-Bush Haiti Fund
  • $125,000 to College Summit
  • $125,000 to the Posse Foundation
  • $125,000 to the United Negro College Fund
  • $125,000 to the Hispanic Scholarship Fund
  • $125,000 to the Appalachian Leadership and Education Foundation
  • $125,000 to the American Indian College Fund

  • The American Indian College Fund transforms Indian higher education by funding and creating awareness of the unique, community-based, accredited tribal colleges and universities, offering students access to knowledge, skills and cultural values that enhance their communities and the country as a whole. The fund disburses approximately 6,000 scholarships annually for American Indian students seeking to better their lives through higher education. The fund also provides support for tribal college needs, ranging from capital support to cultural preservation curricula.

  • $100,000 to AfriCare
  • $100,000 to the Central Asia Institute
  • Comment:  Journalist Lise Balk King adds:This is significant in many ways, not the least of which is the international attention that will be brought to the AICF through press coverage.Yes, indeed.

    Looks like Obama covered the major disadvantaged groups, including the poor white folks reader Stephen is always crying about. I might've given less to military veterans and more to the LGBT community, but I guess that would've been politically untenable.

    All in all, a good list of recipients, with the emphasis rightly on education. We've heard it a million times, but it's still true: "Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime." That's my philosophy too, which is why I'm educating people in general rather than fighting for a few specific causes.

    For more on the American Indian College Fund, see Bea Arthur Gives $100,000 to Collge Fund and "Think Indian" College Campaign. For more on Nobel Prizes and Indians, see Nobel Winner Supports Innu and Peltier's 6th Nobel Nomination.

    2 comments:

    1. Anonymous7:31 AM

      Is this to make up for the fact that he never mentioned Indians in the State of the Union? Makes one wonder.

      ReplyDelete
    2. Not directly. He also gave money to black, Latino, Asian, and poor-white causes.

      I think this was an easy way to make up for his lack of focus on racial issues. He's unwilling to address minority concerns and become the "minority president," but look! The donations prove he's thinking about them.

      ReplyDelete

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