For the Arts and Sciences and the advancement of Awesomeness in the universe
The Awesome Foundation is a three year old movement spreading throughout North America and Europe. Unlike other organizations, the Awesome Foundation is neither an official foundation nor a registered charity. Rather, it is a loosely affiliated collection of some three-dozen autonomous groups in the United States, Canada, and abroad (including Australia, Great Britain, and Switzerland). The Awesome Foundation has been described as "micro-genius grants for flashes of micro-brilliance". The Newmarket Awesome Foundation is essentially a giving circle. Made up of ten volunteer trustees, the foundation awards $1,000 a month to an idea that promotes prosperity in Newmarket by fostering education, community involvement and employment for the community’s youth. No idea is too small and all are encouraged to apply, from students looking to launch a business or community project to groups with an initiative in mind.
Individuals or groups can apply through at http://awesomefoundation.org/submissions/new
Worth mentioning is that the awesome ideas submitted can range from fun to serious. While small business ideas and the like are always important to community prosperity, past projects in other cities have included an opera written, directed and performed by grade-school children. Any idea that makes Newmarket a more awesome place to live and which promotes education, employment or community involvement for youth will be considered.
As the $1,000 no-strings grant comes from the trustees who each contribute $100 a month, Awesome Foundation Newmarket is able to avoid the often complicated application processes of formal charities. This allows awesome ideas to get the money they need quickly and without hassles, to do something wonderful to help the community. The motto of the foundation is “Making Awesome Happen in Newmarket $1,000 at a Time” and it really is that easy and that fun. “Traditional foundations face huge costs as a matter of their legal structures and overheads, and it does not really work for them to offer many grants below a certain amount,” Mr. Tim Hwang, Awesome Foundation founder says. “We saw this empty space in the grant market where all sorts of innovations were happening on a small scale but had difficulty materializing.”
Backgrounder:
Since May of 2010, The Newmarket Chamber of Commerce has led several multi-sectoral gatherings with more than 60 participants, to discuss how to work together to create a prosperous community for all. The Prosperity Round Tables included representatives from business, education, social services, government, health, culture and recreation, who shared ideas and priorities for creating the social conditions to support innovation, and to foster opportunities to drive prosperity. Three foundational pillars are the basis for activities and projects: Lifelong Learning, Community Engagement, and Employment Strategies. The Awesome Foundation, like the Prosperity Round Table, are part of the Chamber's community-based efforts to help drive economic development and social innovation through collaborative, non-governmental approaches. For more information, please contact Debra Scott: debra@newmarketchamber.ca or 905.898.5900 x223
