SocialBusiness.org has been aware of the Awesome Foundation vaguely for a while now, although the network itself hasn't been featured on our site because it strays from social business as a category even if it certainly is an example of social innovation. Based in Cambridge, MA, the organization has numerous chapters including one in Canada. Relatedly, Toronto's Centre for Social Innovation has an Awesome CSI where recently, Aidan Dahlin Nolan, won the $1000 grant.
"Aidan’s ambitious plan includes establishing a network of 'Community Canoe Gardens' that will use 'retired' canoes as planters to create a pollinator corridor along the Garrison Creek, and establishing a canoe sharing system along Toronto Harbour to bring more people into contact with the water," Heather Laird wrote on the CSI blog.
Contact Information
Awesome Foundation website
Awesome Foundation on Facebook
Awesome Foundation on Twitter
Key Themes Behind This Trend
- Monthly Micro-grants
- Disruptive innovation opportunity: Creating a platform for donating and receiving monthly small grants for social innovation.
- Community-based Innovation
- Disruptive innovation opportunity: Fostering community-based innovation by investing in grassroots projects focused on social impact.
- Repurposing Waste
- Disruptive innovation opportunity: Encouraging innovative ideas that repurpose retired objects or waste materials to solve social problems.
Where This Applies
- Social Innovation
- Disruptive innovation opportunity: Building a supportive ecosystem for social innovation and funding it through micro-grants.
- Community Development
- Disruptive innovation opportunity: Empowering local communities for sustainable growth by investing in grassroots projects focused on social issues.
- Environmental Sustainability
- Disruptive innovation opportunity: Encouraging socially innovative ideas that emphasize repurposing, conservation, and sustainability.
