Grading How Obama Handled His Nobel Prize Winnings

When President Obama won the Nobel Peace Prize last year, he didn't just win prestige, admiration and a few skeptical glances. He also won about a million and a half bucks. In a charitable (and totally politically necessary) move, this week, he opted to donate that money to a handful of nonprofits. So how did he do in his choices?

Covering His Political Bases- A+: Boy does this list scream "I'm the President Of The United States and there are a lot of people who will make stuff up just to criticize me about it." Right at the top of the list is a $250,000 donation to the Fisher House, which supports the families of veterans. Not that this isn't an important issue -- it is -- and it's an issue that has been championed by the First Lady. It's also unmistakably a politically cross-cutting cause.

Meeting Immediate Needs (And Supporting Ex-President's Charities) - A: I'm glad to see support for rebuilding in Haiti on this list. The press play and donations Haiti got in the wake of the massive January earth quake are a drop in the bucket of what will be needed long-term. President Obama is throwing $200,000 towards the Clinton-Bush Haiti Fund.

Investing in the Future of America - A: The bulk of the donations are going to higher education support and scholarship programs, including $125,000 each to College Summit, the Posse Foundation, the United Negro College Fund, the Hispanic Scholarship Fund, the Appalacian Leadership and Education Foundation and the American Indian College Fund. I literally don't think we can invest enough in students -- particularly students who we haven't historically treated as high potential.

International Development Support - C+: President Obama rounded out his giving by donating $100,000 each to Africare and the Central Asia Institute. These organizations are fine, and the Central Asia Institute is well known as the organization founded by Three Cups of Tea author Gregg Mortenson, but I would have liked to see more focus on the Middle East, and perhaps just a little more of the money overall recognizing global interconnectedness and going to international organizations.

Social Innovation - F: There is nothing in here that would normally make it to this blog. That is not a knock on the organizations President Obama did choose to support, but considering the administration's support for the Social Innovation Fund, among other innovation initiatives, using some portion of the money to affirm its commitment to socially entrepreneurial organizations would have made sense.

Overall - B+: It's a pretty good list of groups. I'm glad to see the emphasis on education and I think it's smart to think about the politics of giving if you're the POTUS. I do think there was something of a lost opportunity when it comes to social innovation and supporting the vanguard of a new generation of international development groups, but those are sins of omission, not commission. Overall, I think we can be mostly pleased!

Photo Credit: jurvetson