Photo courtesy of Joseph Gunter.
The Awesome Foundation
Members of UAB’s Solar Decathlon team, front row, from left: Ken Rankin, Christy Green, Kane Agan, Matthew Gregg, Lucas Lampkin and Felicia Buck. Middle row, from left: Marcelo Caliz, Forrest Satterfield, Gerald Allen, Scott Jones, Naveen Kucharlapati, Andy Gray, Andrew Faustmann and Steven Collins. Back row, from left: Professors Hessam Taherian and George Talley.
A little money can go a long way, or at least that’s what Birmingham’s “awesome” new grant provider insists.
Max Rykov, the founding dean of the Birmingham chapter of the Awesome Foundation, said this is an opportunity for any resident of Birmingham.
“I think everyone has something they could do really great and have an immediate impact in the world around them for $1,000,” he said. “Take some time and think how you can give back to your city.”
The grants the Birmingham chapter of the Awesome Foundation give fund projects in education, civic engagement, media, sciences and entertainments. They are aimed at community projects, not personal ones, that would have a widespread impact.
Each chapter, which now includes the Birmingham one, receives money pooled from about 10 self-organized “micro-trustees” and give to the grant winner in cash or checks.
A 501(c)(3) status is not a requirement. The grants are also generally not given to large organizations, but instead to small, nonprofit groups or individuals.
“We’re just starting, but we already had some awesome submissions so far,” Rykov said. “I’m excited to see once we get some more traction what kind of projects people will submit.”
Rykov, who co-founded the Birmingham chapter with the founding trustee, Dr. Dionee Mahaffey, said it was fairly easy for them to find 10 people to become trustees. Each trustee donates $100 a month for the cause and takes part in the decision on which applicant receives the money.
Applications don’t have to be linked to any sort of nonprofit. The only criteria for applying are the project must be community-focused and not strictly for personal gain.
Rykov said it can be anything, no matter how big or how small of a project it is, as long as the applicant feels like it adds value to the city of Birmingham. It can also be part of a new or an existing project.
“We want to live in a city that’s vibrant, where out-of-the-box ideas are encouraged, a place where civic engagement, social engagement is encouraged in new, fun ways,” he said. “This is what makes living in a city worthwhile. It’s what makes a community grow, what makes a city into a community.”
Rykov said the Birmingham chapter received more than 20 applications for the first grant. He expects it to grow as more people hear about Birmingham’s chapter.
Applicants are encouraged to apply at any time of the month and the deadline is the end of the month for each subsequent month.
Transforming energy
The foundation announced its first grant winner at its launch night at Carrigan’s Public House Jan. 26. It plans for the grant announcements to be a monthly gathering for people in Birmingham dedicated to bringing awesome ideas to the area.
The first grant was awarded to Bambi Ingram, UAB Sustainability program administrator, and her university team competing in the U.S. Department of Energy’s Solar Decathlon 2017. They are in the process of designing a net-zero energy, solar-powered home called s u r v i v (A L) to be entered into the competition. It has to be 1,000 square feet.
The 80-member team has been working on the renewable energy project for a year and a half. In October, they will spend the month in Denver and compete in 10 various competitions against 13 other teams, two of which are international.
“It’s a workforce development program where the team works with area mentors, builds the house, tests it and then takes the house apart, puts it on a truck and takes it to Denver,” she said.
The winner of the Solar Decathlon receives $350,000, and each participating team is awarded $100,000. After the competition, the team will haul it back to Birmingham and eventually rebuild it as UAB’s sustainable microgrid demonstration site.
“We’re hoping to put it in a microgrid demonstration site neighborhood, so it will be with four small homes that we are retrofitting to be renewable energy-powered, which will make an entirely sustainable neighborhood,” Ingram said.
Originally inspired by the devastation of the 2011 tornado outbreak, the house serves as a model for resilient housing in tornado-prone communities. Ingram said they want to introduce the city of Birmingham to microgrids and the use of renewable energy.
Specifically, Ingram said the money will most likely be used for transportation costs or shipping, which is a major part of the project. Until then, the team will keep meeting at the Maker’s Space every Friday at 5 p.m. to work and raise money for the project as the deadline approaches.
“We are so surprised and excited for this grant,” she said.
Empowering people
When asked about tips for applying, Rykov said there’s not any sort of trick to get noticed and chosen by the trustees, just to be genuine and passionate about making the city a better place. Since its start, the Awesome Foundation has funded 2,449 projects with almost $2.5 million. It operates 83 chapters in 18 countries.
“It’s a foundation that empowers people,” Rykov said.
People are encouraged to reapply monthly if their project is not chosen. For more information about the Awesome Foundation and the different projects they fund, go to awesomefoundation.org.
