9 Trustees. That’s where we stand.

Thanks to the Pittsburgh Business Times, Twitter, and the grapevine, we’ve had a lot of interest in Awesome Pittsburgh over the past several weeks. We’ve met for coffee with some of the most interesting, driven, passionate people who share our excitement for ideas, both big and small, and our belief that there is so much greatness bubbling beneath the surface, just waiting for that spark to ignite it.

Not only have we filled most of the slots of our Board of Trustees, but we have also started to build an incredible Awesome Friends community. These are the people and organizations that, while they may not currently serve as Trustees or even seek grants from the Awesome Foundation, share our passion and do great work of their own. This network of makers, doers, builders, and connectors form a much broader community who can support the people to whom we award $1000 each month, ultimately helping them turn many of their projects and ideas into something bigger, more sustainable, or more replicable.

That brings us back to our current focus. We are looking for that elusive 10th Trustee: someone who rounds out our group, brings us insight into domains or communities that we don’t inhabit and ensures a diversity of ideas and experiences beyond our own.  The 9 current Trustees come from the worlds of technology, art, food, marketing, philanthropy, design, education, research, real estate, and community development. So who are we looking for?  Well, we don’t want to narrow our filters too much, but our wish list from the beginning included someone from the world of music. Think broadly: performers, composers, producers, and other innovators rooted in classical music, hip-hop, rock, jazz in the studio, street, or music hall. We were  also hoping to bring on someone who works with kids: educators, entertainers, advocates, and other inspirers who spend their days enriching the minds and lives of the youth in our communities.  Those aren’t the only areas we are looking to fill, of course, and want to continue to meet people with that urge to uncover the next Big Idea in Pittsburgh.

So…do you fit the bill? Do you know someone who does?  If you are interested in becoming a Trustee or know someone we should meet, please contact us (Mike and Matt) at awesomepgh@gmail.com. Check out the Trustee page to see what’s involved (basically, $100/month and participation in picking who to give it to).  And, everyone, please pass this message along and help us fill the last seat, so we can start to dish out some dollars and power the next wave of awesomeness in our city!

Thanks!