Organization to fund ‘awesome’ ideas

by Tom Morrison

Members of the newly-formed Windsor and Essex County chapter of a worldwide organization will be donating a series of $1,000 grants throughout the year to locals with awesome ideas.

Windsor is the fourteenth Canadian city to join the Awesome Foundation, which originated in Boston in 2009. The Windsor group debuted its plans at a press conference held Jan. 21 at the Squirrel Cage.

Starting in March and continuing every second month, five applicants in 2013 with an idea deemed “awesome” by the chapter’s group of trustees will receive $1,000 in cash to fund that idea. The deadline to apply for the first grant is Feb. 13.

Dean of Awesome Nicole Adan started putting the group together in October and said the trustees don’t have any specific ideas in mind.

“Generally speaking, we’re just looking for stuff that’s going to make the community a better place,” said Adan. “That can be different depending on who’s presenting the idea and it can be different based on each of the trustees and what they think will be awesome.”

Another way Adan said Awesome Windsor Essex is encouraging “awesomeness” is by hiding 13 pink bags containing $13 throughout the city. The foundation will be using its @windsorawesome Twitter account to give its followers hints on the locations of these packages.

Other than Canada and the U.S., Awesome Foundation has a presence in Brazil, Germany, Israel and Australia. Each chapter is self-funded by its trustees. The Windsor chapter is funded by Adan and 13 trustees.

Some of the projects funded in other cities include speed-gaming in Ottawa, which is similar to speed-dating, and restoring a 101-year-old electric car in Rhineback, N.Y.

Hassan Adan, one of the trustees, said his advice to applicants is not to put yourself in a creative box.

“I think what we’re looking for is people who believe in their idea and want to broadcast it,” Hassan said. “The reason we’re so different is that we’re looking for something that’s awesome, that we can’t even think about it. You have the idea already and there’s just no limitation to it.”

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