About Us

Hi World! We are the San Francisco chapter.

Those ⤴ are the projects we've funded. Scroll through the image strip!

Our chapter is drawn to projects that delight and connect people, sparking discussion, action, participation.

WHO SHOULD APPLY for our no-strings-attached grants? Anyone passionate who wants to apply…and has looked at this page carefully.

We like projects that attempt something important done in ways others haven't tried lately. You've got a dream or scheme. Brainstorm, then narrow it down. Think about your community or about the wider public. Think unusual, playful, ambitious, inspirational. How awesome is it? (When you explain it to people outside your usual bubble, do they respond with a delighted little dance?)

We fund beginners, small projects and experimenters more readily than most other grant-makers can. (Will $1,000 make all the difference for your project?)

We view whimsy as an essential antidote in a serious and polarized world. On the other hand, we don't shy away from practical, civic or political. You will definitely draw our attention if you combine moral imperative with quirkily pushing beyond tradition. The unexpected helps de-polarize.

When you apply, describe a specific idea.

HINT for INDIVIDUALS: Short, raw and personal. Phrase clearly. Excite with possibility. Credentials unimportant.

HINT for ARTISTS: Explain public or community elements. Speak to people who don't share your familiar aesthetic.

HINT for NONPROFIT STAFF: Specific remarkable or experimental side project matched in scale to our cherished $1000 gift.

We'll decide about funding based on your creative ambition. That's what we most love knowing. Your inspired self will be great at making your point.

Before you apply, get a feel for us through the image-strip, above. (Side scrolling doesn't necessarily function on a hand-held device.) Click on the images to read the descriptions.

Suggestion: Read this page again just before you apply.

The Awesome Foundation is a DIY operation—clusters of people all around the world, each group pooling and giving a monthly gift. We're not some stuffy organization. Ask us questions or advice. Use sf@awesomefoundation.org to reach Joel, the SF 5th Dean of Awesome.

Proposals are due the last day of each month. The grant is awarded during the following month.

Happily, there's too much awesome blossoming in the greater San Francisco Bay Area for us to fund it all.

We have limited funds. We give about twelve grants per year and generally $1,000 per month. If we don't fund your proposal, it's not a rejection. Every month we see new methods cleverly advancing awesome in the universe and brilliantly explained by the likes of you. Some of them will have to be implemented without our microgrant. Sigh.

We really want your awesome project to get funded, by us or by someone! We do look back at runners-up from previous months. But to guarantee it, you may apply again. You're encouraged to make changes after knowing our feedback. Ask us while you contemplate your second round. Or your first.

If you like, you may follow us on social media (icons above) for news, events, and projects happening here in the Bay Area. We also have a friends-of email discussion list. Want to be on it?

Thank you for helping make a more awesome world!