CBS Sunday Morning- March 23, 2014
The 40-year-old Nessel created a foundation he calls the Pollination Project. Instead of writing a big check to an established charity, he chooses someone just getting started to receive his daily thousand-dollar donation.
“One of the challenges with the way philanthropy is currently being done is there’s such a disconnect between the givers and those who are benefiting from the work.”
He sent out his first check January 1st last year, and has selected a new recipient each day since. He gave away his 447th grant this morning — that’s $447,000 and counting.
In the past year-and-a-half, he’s awarded grants in 42 different states and in 50 countries.
In India, Raghu Makwan, paralyzed by polio, got $1,000 to delivers meals to people needier than he.
“Here he is, a man who has no legs who you think everyone else should be taking care of, and he would go every day, twice a day, in monsoons, in 105 degree heat, and bring them food. And we want to support that.”
Read the transcript here.