Who’s that man giving away money to bloggers?

Now, did anyone really think that I could learn about scholarships for bloggers and not try to learn more about the person or people behind the money? Interestingly, intense researching turned up next to nothing and so I emailed Daniel Kovach of the Daniel Kovach Scholarship Foundation to find out more about Mr. Kovach, where he got his money and why he wants to help bloggers.

Mr. Kovach responded promptly although not as thoroughly as I would have preferred. However, a follow-up exchange of emails led him to call me. And that was a treat. We had an inspired conversation about several topics and I pray that someone with more clout will be able to get him to talk more - I suspect there’s an excellent story in Mr. Kovach but he’s quite determined, right now anyway, to keep the focus on the scholarships and information provision. As an assurance that it’s not just me he’s refusing, I’ve threatened to give him the kind of tongue lashing only a mother can give if he provides answers to other people to questions I asked that he politely refused to answer for me; Daniel…I’m watching!

Mr. Kovach has a warm voice with a slight, perhaps Southern accent and I believe he let slip something about NC State. He’s articulate and, in his word choice and questions he asked me (about education reform - really, it was a very cool and unscripted and impromptu conversation), impressed me as very bright and sincere. He gave me his age and I can tell you that he’s not quite two decades younger than I am, and very ambitious.

He is, also, obviously, very vested in philanthropy and being altruistic. And in this day and age, there just can’t be enough such people.

Here’s what additional information I can provide from my Q & A:

WLST: In your About page, you explain the impetus for creating a centralized college scholarship web portal. What if any previous experience did you have with philanthropies prior to starting the site?

DK: As I mention on the site, after reading “The Richest Man in Babylon”, I really came to understand the Laws of Wealth. One of them, simply put, is that you must give in order to receive. This is a very general statement, but I have found in my life experiences that everything positive I do (including thoughts), directly impacts my well being.

As for previous experience with philanthropy, I used to allocate a certain percentage of income to Children International. I knew I had to give, and I just chose that organization because it was the first thing that popped in my head. After a while, I decided to go into scholarship funding.

WLST: Why did you create the blogger and political blogger scholarships and what contributions do you hope those receiving the scholarships will make?

DK: I created both scholarships because I got tired of seeing the same old scholarship categories. I wanted something new and effective.

I feel that students who can successfully blog also have the skills to exceed in today’s technology-driven marketplace. Test scores don’t mean much to me. The blog really does tell all.

WLST: What do you expect to see happen with the Scholarships Around the U.S. site over the next two years? five years? ten years?

DK: I plan on providing easy to access college financial aid information for as long as I can. I really don’t have a particular plan; I will just change as the demands of the students change.

WLST: What else are you working on right now?

DK: We are going to offer some more unique scholarships…just wait and see.
I’m also learning to play the piano. I love music production.

Daniel, I know you might not want it, and I promise not to gloat, but I really do hope that you get more attention for your work, if only to inspire others to give or facilitate giving.

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By Jill Miller Zimon at 5:58 pm February 1st, 2007 in Politics

Comments

4 Responses to “Who’s that man giving away money to bloggers?”

1 Paula Neal Mooney on February 1st, 2007 10:44 pm

Hey Jill - I’m ready for my blogging scholarship!
2 Jill on February 2nd, 2007 12:57 am

Girlfriend - I think we have to convince him to start one for moms, or women of a certain age, or freelance writers, or…something other than folks in college, because right now, I think that’s the target audience.

I do however think that encouraging women to blog and particularly about politics or political issues might be a shot - should we lobby him!?
3 John Ettorre on February 2nd, 2007 8:48 pm

Good for you for doing this reporting, Jill. You took the information beyond what most bloggers would do–by simply reaching out, contacting someone and asking some questions–and thus turned it into a solid piece of journalism.
4 Jill on February 2nd, 2007 8:50 pm

Hey John! Thanks - I know you posted about it back in October - I thought I’d linked to that too but I guess now. Sorry.

Anyway - thanks for the compliment.