Yesterday, I started filling out a $250,000 grant application on www.refresheverything.com. Pepsi is giving $1.3 million in grants each month to the ideas that seem most refreshing, positive, and feasible—and which earn the most votes from people who go onto the site. So, starting March 1, GO VOTE (I’ll attach the link when it’s up)! Two ideas per month will win the $250,000 grant amount.
I was so excited to see that Pepsi is doing this! Before learning about the program, I had read of a bookstore in East L.A., which is heavily populated with Latinos, that was granted a $500,000 MacArthur grant. Until that point, I hadn’t thought of grants as a potential funding resource—but as soon as I read the article, I knew that applying for them would need to be a priority. My goal is to win as much in grants as possible so that I can present that capital to banks and the Small Business Association when applying for a small business loan. But I digress.
I meant to say that, on my first search for grants, I was a little discouraged. I found that many of the grants for which this project is well-suited require nomination, rather than application. For others, I tend to fall in between the listed categories: The bookstore is not yet in business, so I can’t apply as a business requesting funds. But individual applicants are often required to submit proof that their idea can be executed in a shorter amount of time than this one realistically will. I still have much more research to do, but these were my preliminary findings. Which is why I was thrilled to see a commercial for Pepsi’s grant program! I’ll be working on the application this week so that I can submit it as soon as possible; only 1,000 ideas per month are accepted. I’ll let you all know when I finish the application and—most importantly—when it’s online and ready for voting!
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