Re-posted from NathanielJames.org, for all you AF fans who love innovative philanthropy. Beginnings In 2007, Daniel Kaufman started a conversation about philanthropic giving over dinner with his law school friends that has since blossomed into the One Percent Foundation (OPF), a national organization that engages young adults in philanthropy through giving circles and leadership development. That first circle of friends realized that they were giving reactively, rather than strategically funding the things they cared most about. They uncovered a pattern of challenges that stopped them and their generation from doing more: A concern that they couldn’t afford to be philanthropists. Not knowing where their money would be most effectively shared. Doubting their potential to make an impact. That group started their own giving circle, pooling 1% of their incomes and collectively overcoming these challenges to effective philanthropy. “I never meant to start an organization,” Daniel admits.  Soon, the original founders moved to New York, DC, Atlanta, Los Angeles and Seattle, growing into a national giving circle. By 2009, they realized they were filling a vital niche. OPF was ready to scale. “Millennials aren’t at the table. [They] don’t control any of the sources of funding, and the non-profit landscape represents… read more →

Congratulations to Di Andrews and her Winter Warmth project for being selected as our July grant recipient. Di’s project is simple, but it addresses the complex issue of Melbourne’s homeless by providing some of life’s basic needs. Winter Warmth will supply backpacks to the homeless filled with items like food, gloves, a toothbrush and pamphlets for assistance from organisations like Beyond Blue that support those affected with mental health issues. A few of the Melbourne trustees had the pleasure of meeting Di and saw firsthand the passion she has for helping others. She was overjoyed to put this project into action and is determined to grow it beyond the initial $1,000 grant through donations and support from the community. One of the qualities we liked most about this project was the opportunity it provides everyday people to give back. If you would like to contribute to the Winter Warmth project please contact the Melbourne Awesome Foundation at awesomemelb@gmail.com Meet Di and hear about her inspiration for Winter Warmth in the video below:

It’s with great pleasure that we can now announce the new members of Awesome Foundation Sydney!!! We would like to welcome these people into the AF-Fold. Our new Dean Of Awesome: Renae Mason. Our 2nd Alan Rogers Chair for Higher Awesome Studies: Alan Jones. Right before we decided on the two positions we had open one of our other trustees, James Martin, received the good news that he was set to work in the UK for the next 6-12 months. So, we decided to select a 3rd new member, to take over as the 2nd James Martin Chair for Higher Awesome Studies. Our 2nd James Martin Chair for Higher Awesome Studies: Tom Kelshaw Thank you to everyone that applied for the positions. We expect some further turnover over the coming little while, and will be in touch with you all should we have another space open up.

Hot on the heels of awarding our first Chicago grant, WBEZ (our local Chicago NPR station) produced a piece about us for Changing Gears.  We also successfully grew our trustee squad to 20, and just closed our call for August proposals.  We’re planning on announcing our next two grants within a week or so.  Awesome times in the Chi!  Be sure to keep up with us on Tumblr and @chicagoawesome.

Thanks to everyone who submitted to the first Awesome Food grant! It’s been overwhelming. Not only do we have applications from all over the United States and Canada, but also have applications from around the world: Tel Aviv, Shanghai, London, Melbourne. It’s great to see how much Food Awesomeness there is. So, 600 is a record for any of the Awesome Foundation chapters, and it will take us a bit to figure out how to process them. But we are scurrying around trying to figure out how to narrow it down. And yes, the applications are good for subsequent rounds. If they are not time sensitive, the top ones will automatically be rolled into considerations. In our ideal world, we’d announce in early September. (Wiggle room)