Applications for The 2016 Next Challenge Grant closed 10 days ago. 300 people applied and I have already seen a range of fantastic ideas amongst them.
If you applied then you should have received an email from me this morning. Check your spam folder. Someone who made the shortlist last year missed the deadline because the email got spammed.
Even more impressively, no less than 121 people donated £3 towards the grant.
I know I ran the same grant last year but it has once again increased my faith in humanity.
The donations are (deliberately) only small amounts but it still pleases me greatly that people that don’t even know me will come on to my website and give away some of their own money to someone else they don’t know. It’s brilliant and I thank each and every one of those donors for doing something wonderful.
And let’s not forget the 11 other ‘adventurers’ who have all made generous donations of £100 or more: Lyn Eyb, Al Humphreys, Leon McCarron, Matt Bridgestock, Anna McNuff, Tim Brayshaw, Richard Harpham, Margaret Bowling, Tom Allen and Mark Beaumont. A big thank you to each of them and to all of the companies sponsoring the grant too.
At first count, it looks as though the total in the pot for The 2016 Next Challenge Grant is a whopping £2,000. Not bad when it all started with my £200 of advertising revenue. I’m really chuffed with this and know that it means we can help even more people go on adventures.
Applicants have so far just completed a very short form. Little more than just what their idea is and who they are. From the 300 applications, I’ll invite a shortlist to complete a more detailed application form next month. Check back here next month to see the shortlist in full.
What do you think? Please do add your thoughts below…