We’re always getting tons of questions about whether a specific project or idea is eligible for a monthly microgrant – and let’s be fair, awesomeness is pretty hard to define specifically!  We all have different ideas on what that means, so we’ve tried to narrow it down a little bit based on what we prefer (read: always exceptions to be made!) to see from applications to Awesome Foundation – Kingston.  We want you and your project to succeed, and we also want to be realistic about expectations.  When in doubt, get in touch with us!   Is Your Idea Awesome? We’re looking for awesome ideas – whether they come from companies, organizations, teams, or individuals. The project should be something new, exciting, and unique; not an existing, ongoing, or recurring project. It should have impact on the local Kingston community, and the more people it involves or affects, the better!   We’re not looking to fund fundraisers, long-term established projects, overhead, marketing, or administration. We’re looking for small, agile undertakings where $1,000 is all that’s needed, or at least the majority of it – not a drop in the bucket of a massive budget. $1,000 is not a huge sum of money,… read more →

Are you ready to usher in the new year with some Awesome?  Join us at 6:30PM, Thursday, 17 January at the Kingston Yacht Club for our January Pitch Party!  Pitches kick off at 7:00PM, so grab a drink and head upstairs to claim a seat before then.  Spread the word, and make sure you RSVP on the Facebook Event so we know you’re coming!  Everyone is welcome, and the event, as always, is free. Stick around after the event, because we’ll be having Awesome Hours after the $1000 no-strings-attached microgrant is given away.  What are Awesome Hours?  They’re like office hours, but way more fun.  It’s a time for anyone to sit down with trustees, volunteers, past winners, and like-minded people to talk about anything – the Awesome Foundation, a pitch idea you’ve had, getting involved, or just chat about whatever’s on your mind. We’ve also got a special surprise for you during the event, so we’re extra excited this month!  We’re also welcoming guest trustee Bryant Tong for the month and are looking forward to having him participate. Awesome Kingston has been around for over a year in the Limestone City, having held its inaugural pitch party in November 2011.  Since then, we’ve funded some… read more →

Mark your calendars: on Thursday, 15 November, is Awesome Kingston’s One-Year-Anniversary Public Pitch Party night!  We’re starting off at 6:30PM in the St. Lawrence Ballroom Salon B of the Residence Inn Marriott at 7 Earl St.  Please RSVP here right away – and invite your friends and family!   Awesome Kingston has been around for a full year in the Limestone City, having held its inaugural pitch party in November 2011.  Since then, we’ve funded some great projects geared toward making Kingston even more awesome – and we’re really excited about the line-up of pitches for this month.  By the end of the night, we will have given away $10,000 in no-strings-attached microgrants to these local projects.  Everyone’s invited to attend, listen, participate, and enjoy! This will also be our last pitch party for 2012, since we do not hold one in December (although we will have Awesome Hours), but start marking every third Thursday in your calendars for 2013, since we’ll be continuing full throttle in January!  You’re not going to want to miss this night of fun, innovation, inspiration, and engagement. Remember to follow us on Twitter and Like our Facebook Page to stay in touch; if you’re not the social media addict type, just subscribe… read more →

It’s time!  Awesome Kingston is relaunching following our summer break, and you’re not going to want to miss this one.  That’s because we’re shaking things up – instead of being on the third Thursday of the month, it’ll be on the fourth Thursday of October, the 25th, at the Kingston Brewing Company.   No, that’s not the shake-up, this is: instead of having five pitches from the community, the trustees are going to be pitching their awesome ideas to you!  That means that there will be five seats up for grabs, one of which could be yours to help make the final decision on who will walk away with the $1,000 awesome grant for this month. Seating is limited at the Brew Pub, so please RSVP on our Facebook Event as soon as you can.  Make sure you Like our Facebook Page and follow us on Twitter, because one of those seats might be given away online in the weeks leading up to the pitch party, hint hint! Check out our website for past winners, and when you have that little flash of genius pop up, submit in an application and you could be selected to pitch at our next party.  Submissions are now… read more →

Kingston, you’re all invited to come out to Awesome Hours at 7:00PM on Thursday, 20 September at Coffeeco Market Square! What are Awesome Hours, you ask? They’re like office hours, kicked up a notch – it’s a time when anyone can come out to sit down with Awesome Kingston trustees, potential pitchers, and creative minds to idea jam and chat awesomeness. Whether you have an awesome project already lined up for submission, or you just want to connect and network with others who do, or you’re just really curious about this whole Awesome Foundation thing, we encourage you to come out! We’ll be sitting down at the community table at Coffeeco’s Market Square location to stir up a whirlwind of brilliance. We’re coming off our summer break and the gears are in motion for an exciting October pitch party. This is the time to get excited and energized – start working on those flashes of brilliance you’ve been having and turn them into pitches that could win $1,000 to make the Limestone City more awesome! Awesome Hours are just the place to do that. If you’re interested in getting involved and volunteering with Awesome Kingston, or looking to become a… read more →