About Us

The Awesome Foundation is a global community advancing the interest of awesome in the universe, $1000 at a time.

Each fully autonomous chapter supports awesome projects through micro-grants, usually given out monthly. These micro-grants, $1000 or the local equivalent, come out of pockets of the chapter's "trustees" and are given on a no-strings-attached basis to people and groups working on awesome projects.

What do you mean by "awesome?"

Every chapter interprets "awesome" for itself. As such, awesome projects include initiatives in a wide range of areas including arts, technology, community development, and more. Many awesome projects are novel or experimental, and evoke surprise and delight. Awesome sometimes challenges and often inspires. Browse some grants on the chapter pages of this site to see what we mean! We're still waiting for something with dinosaurs (hint, hint).

Does anyone else know about this?

We've had lots of great media coverage since our humble beginnings in 2009. Some of our favourite pieces have been from The New York Times, BBC, CBC, WGBH, Chronicle of Philanthropy, and The Boston Globe.

How does it all work? Which chapter should I apply to? When will I hear back?

For answers to these and other frequently asked questions, please visit our FAQ.