Obama Donates Nobel Prize Money to 10 Charities

AP

The White House has announced that President Obama has donated the $1.4 million given to him in conjunction with the Nobel Peace Prize to ten charities, including the Clinton-Bush Haiti Fund and the United Negro College Fund.

While President Obama was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize last October for his work toward global peace, most of the money has gone toward charities focused not on peace but on educational opportunity.

The most money -- $250,000 -- went to Fisher House, which provides housing for families of patients being cared for at major military and VA medical centers.

The Clinton-Bush Haiti Fund, which raises money for long-term relief efforts in Haiti following that country's devastating earthquake, received $200,000.

$125,000 went to six different charities:

-- College Summit, which partners with schools with the goal of increasing college enrollment;

-- The Posse Foundation, which awards scholarships to "public high school students with extraordinary academic and leadership potential who may be overlooked by traditional college selection processes";

-- The United Negro College Fund, which offers scholarship and internship programs for more than 60,000 students per year;

-- The Hispanic Scholarship Fund, which awards scholarships and offers outreach support to the Hispanic community;

-- The Appalachian Leadership and Education Foundation, which offers scholarships and leadership curriculum to young people from Appalachia;

-- And the American Indian College Fund, which distributes scholarships to American Indian students and provides support for tribal college needs.

Two charities were awarded $100,000 each. One is AfriCare, which offers programs in Africa addressing health and HIV/AIDS, food security and agriculture, and water resource development. The other is the Central Asia Institute, which promotes education and literacy in remote areas of Pakistan and Afghanistan with a focus on education girls.

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

A White House spokesman tells CBS News that Mr. Obama is avoiding tax liability for the prize money by not accepting the award himself.

CBS News White House correspondent Mark Knoller reports that the president is letting the Nobel Committee distribute the prize money according to his list of charities. He will not get tax deductions for the donations.

[agarwal1]

Lets make peace with Taliban and Al quaeda... HOW?

- tell them that you will give them some americans in return they get out of afganistan and iraq

- then give them all REPUBLI CON.

THIS WILL MAKE EVERYBODY HAPPY. ALL THE NORMAL GOOD NICE PEACE LOVING PEOPLE WILL BE VERY HAPPY. AMERICA WILL BE FREE OF VERY VERY BAD UNPATRIOTIC PEOPLE AND WILL BECOME A "LOVING COUNTRY' BY ENTIRE PLANET.

[lambor59]

This crook must return the Nobel prize, he did not deserve it, he lied just like Bush the dumbo, and corrupted just like any of his predecessor.

[ajvw]

WHAT, no money for the Caucasian scholarship fund?

[proudmilvet]

DSR-57: Who the Hell are you to tell some one else to Shut Up just because you disagree with them?

[wdh3007]

Acorn is probably thinking to bad were not a charity.

[billkol]

"I commend the president for this gesture. He is not a wealthy man by Washington standards. I believe that this man is going to be a great president. He will survive his first year. He will be credited for getting us out of a terrible financial crisis. He will have given us health care for almost everyone. He will have ended two wars. He will have brought the country back to where the world respects us. They do not hate us. He will be re-elected. The people of this country will not trust anyone else........." Bill Kolek

[christoph415]

Sheesh ... the man did a nice thing to help other people. How in the world can people complain about that? You know Mr Obama could say that the sky is blue and these doom and gloom GOP-ers would say that he is WRONG! Just knock off the tea party crap for just 1 day - please!

[DSR_57]

Shut up. You liberals turn just as nasty all the time. You remind me of little kids that can dish it out but can't take it

[start99]

**BREAKING NEWS** We need to send help to the following country: THE UNITED STATES. There are many without food, shelter, & clean drinking water. Residents are going without heat for the winter, healthcare for the sick, & proper education for children. STOP SENDING MONEY OVERSEAS. We have people here that ...lack basic... human needs. Kudos to Obama...for donating to some well deserved charities.

[StevenA5017d]

So, Obama quadruples Bush's 8-year debt in just 1 year, then gives the equivalent of tip money to a bunch of liberal slacker charities all based on dividing America based on race. Whoopty do dah.

[stopandthink333]

wow! sure am glad I'm not a republican. Ignorant and mean.

[CBSisCommunist5]

he really deserved that nobel prize....days after being elected