Photo: Town of Ipswich
IPSWICH, Mass. (WBZ NewsRadio) — Do you have an awesome idea? Well, let’s hear it and you could win a thousand dollars to make that idea come to life.
That’s the goal of The Awesome Foundation. It’s a national organization established in Boston in 2009 to invest in monthly projects such as arts, technology, community development, and more to make a difference in local neighborhoods.
Communities around the country have their own local chapter that offers a micro-grant of $1,000 to fund an awesome idea. In Ipswich’s chapter, 20 trustees donate 50 dollars a month that goes towards the 1k grant.
One of the donors and co-founder of the Ipswich chapter, Alexis Macintyre, told WBZ NewsRadio that past idea winners in the town include donations to local senior centers to events for kids.
“Another group adopted a garden [with] all kinds of native plants in there that would bring the butterflies; new warm bedding for senior citizens; and one group of kids is going to do a giant water balloon fight and just [to] bring tons of joy to the community,” she continued.
The process of the grant consists of an online application, and finalists are invited to a Pitch Night in front of the trustees. Any and all ideas are welcome, the only catch is it has to benefit the Town of Ipswich.
“People sometimes are intimidated by the idea of a grant process,” Macintyre said. “But the actual process is really simple. We are also not scary to present in front of. It’s a great group of people that just want to make our community better.”
According to the chapter website, the deadline to submit your idea to Ipswich's chapter is on "the 22nd of each month," and the Pitch Night will be on the second Tuesday of the month at True North Ale Company. It is open to the public and all ages.
There are currently four chapters in Massachusetts, including Georgetown, Gloucester, and Rockport.
WBZ NewsRadio's Kendall Buhl (@WBZKendall) reports.
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