Phoenix weed entrepreneur seeds new charitable foundation with $2.2M

The Phoenix-based “Willy Wonka of Weed” launched a $2.2 million charitable endowment earlier this month, the first slice of which has gone toward a nonprofit that supports people incarcerated for cannabis-related offenses. 

Josh Kesselman, the founder of RAW rolling papers and publisher of High Times Magazine, launched an eponymous registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit foundation on July 9. The Josh Kesselman Foundation for Making the World a Better Place doesn’t currently accept any outside donations, according to its website, but organizations can submit grant proposals for funding consideration.

“If you build something lucrative and only fill your pockets, what’s the point?” Kesselman said in a statement. “For me, getting to share some of the success and help others in my community stand taller is the greatest gift and achievement!”

The foundation issued its first grant to Freedom Grow, a nonprofit that supports incarcerated people with cannabis-related offenses and their families. Kesselman’s foundation is listed as one of the organization’s sponsors on its website.

Through company and personal donations over more than a decade, Kesselman’s philanthropic work has exceeded $3.5 million, according to the press release and data provided to Phoenix New Times. Kesselman has helped build water wells in Ethiopia through a nonprofit called Wine to Water, which works to bring clean water to remote communities in the U.S. and around the world. Kesselman’s foundation has now directed nearly $80,000 to Senai Global to fund clean water rehabilitation efforts in Ethiopia.

“We’re thrilled to work with Josh and his foundation,” stated Drew Harding, the founder of Senai Global, in a press release. “He’s on a mission to make the world better and so are we.”

Kesselman’s foundation is designed to expand his philanthropic work by providing a sustained giving entity, while challenging the “lingering stigma” around “cannabis entrepreneurs supporting nonprofit causes,” according to the press release. 

In a statement, Kesselman added that he still runs into roadblocks regarding the origin of his charitable funds. He said he “personally dislike(s)” having to use “such a formal “501(c)(3) structure” because it “gets in the way of simply giving from the heart.” The foundation’s website describes setting up the formal 501(3)(c) as a “huge pain and expense.” 

“The hope is that creating this foundation… will allow us to do even more good in the world,” Kesselman said. “We want to make a real difference in this crazy world, and I hope this work continues long after I’m gone.” 

The foundation will also likely help the company avoid any mislabeling of its charitable work. Kesselman’s company’s charitable giving has previously been questioned over RAW’s promotion of the “RAW Foundation,” which wasn’t actually a charity. Kesselman told New Times last July that the company was still donating as a charitable entity but rebranded its efforts as “RAW Giving.”