What can’t Neil Patrick Harris do? He acts, sings, and dances on the stage. He produces and writes for TV. And he’s even a magician on some rare weeknights off. The man is known for being able to do just about anything. But there’s one skill he’s been keeping in his back pocket that he’s not as famous for: philanthropy.
Although he’s not hiding it.
Currently, Harris has partnered with AdoptAClassroom – a non-profit organization that helps schools and teachers get the supplies they need. Today, 92% of classrooms are underfunded by their school districts and, on top of that, have students whose families can’t afford their own school supplies. Teachers are most often the ones to compensate for the missing resources out of pocket, but this non-profit organization is working to make sure they don’t have to. Harris will be sponsoring brands who have committed to donating a certain amount of their profits to the organization.
Harris’ record of lending his financial and promotional support to charities stretches down to the floor, including causes such as cancer and AIDS research, environmental initiatives, clean water access, LGBTQ support, and provisions for children in low-income communities.
With so many interests, how in the world does he choose which charities to support? Harris explains that there are far too many causes he’s passionate about, he focuses on finding good charities across many different causes that are setting themselves up for successful impact. “I’m interested in knowing which organizations are actually giving a large percentage of what they get back to the actual charity itself,” he says. “And then getting to know the people behind the charity. I’m kind of a stickler for authenticity in that way.”
But as far as this cause goes, Harris says it was an awards event for teachers he previously hosted that gave him a new understanding of how much teachers sacrifice for the job, and inspired him to help teachers be “treated with the respect that they deserve.” With two kids of his own, 9-year-olds Harper and Gideon, the issue remains close to home.
“Teachers are so giving and selfless,” he says, “and even dig out of pocket to get pencils and Kleenex and things that kids need because they’re passionate about their job. And they’re not acknowledged enough for it.”