Portland is awesome.

Our Mission

Awesome Foundation Portland is made up of awesome individuals just like you who want to see Portland become even awesomer than it already is! We award a $1,000 grant every other month to a group or individual who is making an impact in our community. Check out these examples of to get an idea of the kinds of projects we typically fund.

Making Portland Awesome (and beyond)

The Awesome Foundation isn’t your average organization. We’re not a charity and we’re not trying to make a profit. Awesome Portland is one chapter of many, all around the world. Our trustees are a group of diverse locals ready to open our own wallets to make a positive impact in Portland and promote its awesomeness. There’s no shadowy organization that fronts us the money, it is all donated by local board members.

If you’ve got an idea and you need some support to take your initiative to the next level, you’ve come to the right place! Learn more about the kinds of projects we fund or apply directly.

Portland has an awesome day

Mayor Adams made April 26 Awesome Day, with a proclamation and everything. It has a fancy gold stamp, so it must be true.

History of the Awesome Foundation

Created in the long hot summer days of 2009 in Boston, the Awesome Foundation distributes a series of $1,000 grants to projects and their creators. The money is given up-front in cash, check, quatloos, or Battlestar Cubits by groups of ten or so self-organizing “micro-trustees,” who form autonomous chapters around geographic areas or topics of interest. Since its humble beginnings, many Awesome Foundation chapters have sprung up globally to conserve, sustain, and support the worldwide ecosystem of Awesomeness.

Awesome Portland was inspired by an NPR/OPB story discussing alternative philanthropy in December 2011. Co-founders Deidre DeMerritt and Leslie Rodgers heard the broadcast and both eagerly contacted the Awesome Mothership to see if an Awesome Chapter was already brewing in Portland. They came together to share their vision and inspiration, and the rest is history!