Each Friday, the another jennifer blog shares stories of those who incorporate philanthropy into their everyday lives – personally and professionally – in a creative and unique way. If you have a story you’d like to share, please contact Jennifer. You can view past posts from the series here.
The Pollination Project believes in the power of ordinary people to do extraordinary things. Co-founded by Ariel Nessel and his sister-in-law Stephanie Klempner, The Pollination Project seeds $1,000 grants to “individual change makers” every single day of the year.
I had the opportunity to talk with Ari, who is also the president of The Pollination Project, and Alissa Hauser, the executive director. Both are as passionate about philanthropy as I am. And they are dedicated to a daily giving practice.
How does The Pollination Project fund grants every day? Ninety-five percent of the funding actually comes from Ari himself. The other 5% comes from donations, though The Pollination Project does not do traditional fundraising.
But Ari’s not just writing a check every day. In his words, simply writing a check would not nourish his soul. The Pollination Project came about because he realized how powerful money could be after making charitable donations for a number of years. He saw what a dollar could do and how he was more engaged when he felt like he was making a difference. But there was still a disconnect. He knew he had the capacity to give financially, but he also knew giving time and effort is equally important. He wanted to find those people who were doing the work in the world without being a cog.
Alissa, who had run nonprofits for 20 years, was tasked with manifesting Ari’s vision. As Alissa tells me, The Pollination Project is all about believing in people. “It’s about believing in every applicant’s goal to change the world, whether they get the grant or not.”
The issue areas The Pollination Project funds include environmental stewardship, animal protection, social justice, community health and wellness, and arts and culture. The organization enlists the help of teams, which often include past grantees, to review grant applications to ensure applicants meet the specific funding guidelines. Alissa says approximately 31% of the applications are funded.
Click on this grantee map from The Pollination Project to see where their grantees and projects are located. When you click on the stars, you’ll get a short description of the project.
As you can see from the grantee map, The Pollination Project has “planted seeds” all over the world. Grantees include people like Elle Morgan, who created a magical campground for adjudicated teenage girls in the Appalachia region of Pennsylvania. And Vincent Atitwa, who provided starter plants to 25 families in the Matungu Sub County, Kenya, teaching them to grow their own food and then pay it forward to others in the form of new seedlings. You can read more about past grantees on the website.
Ari says The Pollination Project’s model augments the more traditional funding model that typically includes larger organizations giving to larger groups. His vision is for The Pollination Project to manifest a place where everyone can relate to being a philanthropist, where we all support each other, roll up our sleeves and do the work.
Watch this video to hear more about this vision.
Here are some simple ways to get involved with The Pollination Project (or to plant your own seeds):
- Start your own daily giving process or join The Pollination Project’s daily giving community
- Apply for a grant to make some change in the world
- Spread the word about The Pollination Project!
Are you a change maker?
Sounds truly like a wonderful organization and they seem to have a far reach all over the world as you shared here today. Thank you for indeed sharing and will check them out further now 🙂
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They are a great organization. Definitely inspiring just to follow their work.
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I love that Ari is so invested in his giving and realizes that writing a check is just the beginning! As always, thanks for sharing these amazing organizations with us, Jennifer. On a day all about LOVE, it’s wonderful to see love in action!
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I thought it was a good one for Valentine’s Day. Both Alissa and Ari’s passion for daily giving is so inspiring!
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This is just the most awesome and life affirming thing I’ve read. It’s all about believing in people. It is. I loved reading their funding guidelines. Wow. Nicole nailed it. On a day about love, this is totally love in action. (and now I’m tearing up!) –Lisa
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Yay! I’m so glad you were able to see how amazing The Pollination Project is, Lisa. Their passion is actually kind of hard to capture in words. It’s a wonderful community.
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People like Ari are one in a million… I am always just blown away at the generosity and unbelievable efforts made to invest in good causes with good people. What an amazing ambition and truly a phenomenal mission Ari has set out to do. Brilliant idea to take giving one important and significantly deeper step further in his cause.
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He’s an amazing person. He’s one of those people you almost get tired after you talk to him because he’s just so excited about what he’s doing!
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This is really incredible. I’m a nonprofit grant writer, and this is a great reminder that the generous people providing the funding aren’t just looking to give away money; rather, they want to be actively engaged in the projects they support. Very inspiring!
Katie @ Pick Any Two recently posted..5 Ways To Say “I Love You”…To Yourself
Exactly, Katie! And are you a freelance grant writer? Because I know a good grant writer is hard to find, and I’ve been asked for referrals. Send me your info if you are!
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Whoa. You had me at magical campground and starter plants.
How powerful and awesome.
Definitely a Valentine’s Day gift to read about this.
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Right? I’m so happy to be spreading the love for The Pollination Project on Valentine’s Day!
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What a wonderful man with a generous heart. I’m crazy about the whole idea and you know me Jennifer, gardening is my passion. I checked the map and there are quite a few places in my area who are actively engaged in this project. Very cool!
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That’s awesome, Jen. It’s great to see how widespread their grants are. One of the first grantee links I clicked on brought me to the story of a person from the town next to my parents’!
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95% comes from Ari himself? What a kind-hearted and generous man he is! This is absolutely incredible.
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I agree, Ashlee. The more I talk with them and read about their work, the more I love them!
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Jen, I love Ari’s vision. Where I live now, it’s very small town and there is a lot of support for both for profit and non profit organizations. We are all helping each other and supporting each other’s success. I think this should be a business model for humanity. Period.
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Amen! The business community in my town is pretty supportive as well. It’s nice to know that people have your back and will give your name to someone who might need it. We are always more successful when we support others.
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Thanks for posting about The Pollination Project Jennifer! I can feel his passion through the screen. The fact that he’s funding $346,750 of his own money is amazing (if I read that correctly). His idea of micro-giving is smart and replicable, very much like micro loans in developing countries. Find the people with the drive and passion, give them a little boost and watch them fly. Love it!
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I agree, Tawanna. And they are very specific about who they give these micro grants to. They want those with that extra drive and passion so they can help them be successful for years to come. Sometimes all people need is that boost!
This is a truly moving group of people. Kudos to them & Kudos to you for bringing it to our attention. Thank you. ~A~
They are amazing, aren’t they? So glad I was connected to The Pollination Project via GOOD.is.
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What a wonderful, amazing initiative. This is truly heartful. Thank you for sharing them with us, Jennifer!
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My pleasure, Alison!
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