We’re throwing a party February 22nd and we want you there! Melbourne is pretty awesome so when it throws a party you know it’s going to be one of epic proportions and unlike any you’ve attended before. Since our founding nearly one year ago, we’ve funded $12,000 worth of awesome projects in Melbourne and beyond and have recently started another chapter to bring you twice the awesome each month. None of which would be possible without the support we receive each month from the community — you rock Melbourne! And now it’s time for us to really share the awesomeness with you at The Awesome Mega Grant Party! We hope you will join us and become a Melbourne Awesome Foundation micro-trustee for a night to help us chose an awesome project to receive a grant of $3,000 plus. The more that is pledged, the bigger the party and grant can be. Funds raised through Pozible will go towards throwing the party and awarding the grant. Every support pledge of over $50 will be given a vote, with bigger and better rewards available for larger pledges! For support pledges over $100 you will be given a ticket to attend one of… read more →

In the interest of awesome we’ve teamed up with Pozible, Australia’s largest crowdfunding site to expand our reach to even more awesome projects. This newfound friendship is simple and stays true to our Awesome Foundation roots. Just like the Awesome Foundation, Pozible also supports awesome projects and ideas. Pozible founders, Rick Chen and Alan Crabbe saw a need for a public crowdfunding platform in Australia through their work with visual artists who were falling short when it came to vital start up costs. The pair wanted to create a site for creators and innovators to find early supporters for their projects, thus Pozible was born in May 2010 and has since help fund over 300 projects. Pozible gives creative individuals, groups and organizations the opportunity to raise funds through pre-selling tangible and intangible rewards by posting a project on Pozible.com.au. If you donate $15 you might get a copy of the creator’s eBook, but by donating $150 you might receive a home cooked meal at the author’s house. Each project has a funding goal and a time limit (from 1-90 days) set by the project creator; this goal must be met or exceeded to receive any contributions put towards the… read more →

Melbourne is ecstatic to announce the awesome Positive Parks Project, a one day pop up event for performers, artists and creatives of all types to get together and celebrate! Artist and founder of the Positive Parks Project, Kirsty Hulm likes to call it social networking in the real world. Sounds awesome! So what exactly is it? A  day of theatre, art, performance and happening in the form of a communal picnic in the glorious Edinburgh Gardens, which asks those attending to bring an experience, artwork or action to share. It is self initiated- there are no schedules/timetables, and the only rule is fun must be had! Do you like what you’re hearing? Wanna participate? This event is being run without asking for permission from any council or governing body. It is about the idea that we can make something for ourselves without waiting to be told it’s okay, without needing to do any more than just be and do what we want, in the moment. This event is heavily influenced by US Festivals, Art Outside, Burning Man and Mutant Fest; please research those events if you’re interested more in this type of action. The ideal scenario is everyone motivates themselves… read more →

September’s grant was awarded to Sarah Crowley and Charlotte Fliengner, a dynamic pair of Melbourne architects passionate about sustainability.  Sarah and Charlotte were looking for a solution for the amount of excess waste our  society is currently producing. Their answer is ‘I Have I Need’ a series of interactive community notice boards that encourage people to recycle rather than throw their unwanted goods away. The boards will transform blank walls into vibrant public spaces and encourage people to meet and interact with their neighbors to develop  stronger and greener communities. The first prototype board was made in South Melbourne. Look out for more boards to come on your local footpath or maybe even your favourite café. The girls would love to see this project grow in Melbourne and beyond so feel free to be awesome too and produce some  ‘I Have I Need’ boards of your own. Oh one last thing check out that awesome cheque…

Melbourne’s August grant went to the amazing Jacqui Hocking and her adventure to East Timor to film Spinning Dreams, a documentary of the 3rd annual Tour de Timor . The race brings riders in from all over the globe to show the world that East Timor is a beautiful and peaceful place. The race is also one of the most unforgiving tracks a cyclist can attempt and it’s even more unforgiving to a film maker. Last year’s race left Jacqui with two damaged cameras, a broken microphone and a tripod lost somewhere in the jungle. That all happened while Jacqui was riding backwards on a motorcycle capturing the event, but that didn’t stop her from making the trip again this year, but really how could you say no when the president of East Timor invites you back personally. Check out Jacqui’s work from last year’s race below or see the complete version here Jacqui’s big heart has her filming non-profit documentaries to raise money for charities constantly so this month’s grant was a deal breaker for Jacqui getting another opportunity to film an event as special as Tour de Timor. It is always rewarding to give the grant to someone… read more →