If you live in the Atlanta area and are doing some good, here is some good news you are sure to love. Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the state of Georgia. This amazing and innovative international American city is a thriving business center with an assorted mix of residents with southern charm and world-class sophistication. Unfortunately, Atlanta also suffers from high rates of poverty and is 4th in the country for suburban poverty growth. That coupled with struggling public schools, human trafficking of children, homelessness, underfunded arts programs and many other problems facing metropolitan cities, makes Atlanta ripe for the launch of The Awesome Foundation – Atlanta Chapter.
Awesome Atlanta is part of an international network of people who find and reward Awesome in the world. The chapter was created to celebrate ideas and projects that spread goodness in the metropolitan Atlanta area. To date, Awesome Foundation chapters have given out a wide spectrum of grants, including towards the creation of public artwork, mobile applications or scientific experiments. As of December 2013, the Awesome Foundation has grown to 88 Chapters, from Boston to London, to Ottawa and Melbourne, with new micro-trustees coming soon in Nairobi, Kenya; The continent of Africa’s first Awesome chapter. Awesome Foundation chapters give $1000 grants each month. Winners are chosen by consensus. The funds come from the micro-trustees themselves, with no claims on neither future ownership nor expectation of repayment, other than that a grantee will apply the grant to the purpose proposed. Proposals are simple: 350 – 1500 words submitted using a simple online application that explains why the project meets the foundation’s standard for awesomeness and how the project will immediately impact the city.
“Organized channels sometimes neglect the folks with the greatest need. Red tape and bureaucracy often prevent small artistic, creative, innovative, educational, environmental and other notable projects to go without sponsorship because they are not part of an organized charity or large non-profit organization,” said Atlanta Chapter’s founder, Dionne Mahaffey. “Awesome Foundation Chapters do not consider 501c3 status exclusively as the starting point for assessing a project’s Awesome Quotient,” she continued.
The Atlanta Chapter’s grants will support projects in sciences, arts, civic engagement, media, entertainment… just about anything as long as long as it contributes to making Atlanta awesome. The grants can go to groups, individuals, small no-profit organizations, almost any entity. The monthly $1000 grant is obtained from contributions by the chapter’s trustees who make a monthly contribution to fund the award. Trustees also vote on the submissions to determine the winner each month.
“It is the trustees contributing the money that meet once a month to review the applications received by the Chapter and decide on who will win the grant for the month,” Mahaffey said. “We’ve already identified a few dedicated trustees who have made the conscious choice to foster Awesome out of their own disposable income. We have a few more slots to fill to complete our diverse roster of micro-trustees for the Atlanta Chapter, she concluded.
Yasmin Smith, one of the first trustees to join Awesome Atlanta decided to come join the chapter because of “the fulfillment that comes from being a volunteer agent of positive change in the Atlanta community. It’s like getting together with a group of friends each month and agreeing to help launch a great idea or complete an impressive and impactful community initiative, ” she said.
The Trustee obligations are simple, but serious:
To be willing to commit no more than $100 per month in the interest of Awesome.
To participate in a monthly grant application review session.
To play an active role in reviewing grant-applications and collectively deciding who gets them.
To commit to finding a replacement micro-trustee, if one leaves the board.
The chapter recently opened their grant submission window on March 2, 2014 and will award the first grant in April. If you are interested in becoming a Trustee or learning more about the grant process please email Atlanta@awesomefoundation.org! To apply for the Awesome Atlanta Grant click here and do tell them BlackCelebrityGiving.com sent you!
