(Photo by Tori Youngbauer)
Awesome Bend is seeking applications for its next $1,000 Pitch Night. The grant will be awarded to a project proposal that is most likely to make a positive impact in Central Oregon.
“The definition of ‘awesome’ is intentionally left up to the imagination,” said founder Pam Stevenson. “It could mean solving a problem, making someone stop and think, or spreading joy — think social good, the environment, technology, arts and beyond.”
A group of ten trustees who each donate $100 to form the collective grant will select the winner at a Pitch Night, which will be free and open to the public, on January 19, 6-8:30pm at the Deschutes Brewery Tap Room, 1044 NW Bond Street in downtown Bend. The application deadline is January 1, 2016.
Applications can be found at www.awesomebend.org and take less than 10 minutes to fill out. Finalists will be notified and invited to present a 3-minute pitch at the event.
“It’s like Shark Tank for community good,” said Stevenson. “We believe Bend is brimming with leaders, dreamers, artists, inventors, movers and shakers with do-good ideas that can make Bend an even better place to live, work and play. Our mission is to inspire and support those ideas with some money and mentorship to help turn them into reality.”
Launched in April of 2015, Awesome Bend has already awarded grants to a live webcast of a veteran’s Memorial Day service, a Monarch butterfly advocacy group and a high school student building little free libraries throughout Bend.
What Is Awesome Bend?
Awesome Bend is a local chapter of the Awesome Foundation, which has more than 80 chapters worldwide that have given away over $1.8 million.
The guidelines for grant selection include:
1. The project must be feasible and completed within three months of the award.
2. The money cannot be used for personal expenses or general operating expenses for an established charity.
3. Grantees agree to return to the subsequent quarterly Pitch Night and tell the community about their project, thus inspiring future awesomeness.
For more information about the Pitch Night, to apply for a grant or to apply to become a trustee, please visit www.awesomebend.org or email awesomebend@gmail.com.
