10:30 AM to 4 PM  - Pre-summit tourist activities

Meet at the bull at the Chicago Cultural Center, 78 E Washington St. After visiting, we'll have lunch nearby, then around 1 PM walk around the big public art around The Loop. At about 2 PM, we'll hop on Divvy bikes (approx. $5) and make our way to the beautiful lake-front trail to the museum campus. We'll split up there, with some visiting the Field Museum, Adler Planetarium, and/or Shedd Aquarium (approx. $30) and others continuing their rides.

Friday 6 PM to Midnight - Summit kick-off party with Pop-Up Karaoke

Appetizers will be served

9 AM - Breakfast and coffee

10 AM - Welcome and opening

• What do we mean by awesome?

• State of the Awesome

12:00 PM - Lunch

12:45 PM - Lightning talks

• What's Awesome? How to A.C.E. awesomeness: Project = Adventure | Creative | Eclectic – Domino Ireland

• Women behind velvet – Lucineh Kassarjian

• Brumadinho chapter: Using the Awesome Foundation structure for rebuilding a place after disaster strikes – Renato Orozco

• Glasgow: the good, the bad, and the awesome – Stephen Sloane

• How the Awesome Foundation Disability chapter succeeds in radical philanthropy without even trying (How does your chapter flip the script in philanthropy?) – Ingrid Tischer

• What awesome can learn from non-profits and vice-versa – Erin Watson

• How Sydneysiders are awesome – Theresa Winters

• Removing barriers for trustee participation – Erin Wyatt

 1:30 PM - Breakout sessions

• What’s your grant-making process? – Patrick Dunn

• Awesome equity: driving diverse grant applications and selection – Pickett Slater Harrington and David Stanford

• Awesomefoundation.org for users – Jesse Chan-Norris

• Social media and digital marketing – Claudia Loya-Duran

2:45 PM - Breakout sessions

• The right people around the table: recruiting and retaining trustees for your chapter – Beth Harvey

• So you want to throw a grant party – Doug Hanke, Cat Rayburn, and Leslie Rodgers

• Curating our shared resources – Jesse Chan-Norris

• Cheap, easy, guerrilla marketing – James Smeaton

4 PM - Panel: Learning from Chicago grant winners

• Moderated by Erin Watson, with Jeremiah Hulsebos-Spofford, Shawn Lent, Jamie Caitlin Lovell, Billy McGuinness, and Rhoda Rosen

5 PM - Free time and dinner

Group reservations have been made at a number of restaurants

8 PM - Midnight - Awesome Summit Party

Light appetizers will be served. Bringing a local friend or +1? Please let us know.

9 AM - Breakfast and coffee

10 AM - Origins of the Awesome Foundation

10:30 AM - Breakout sessions

• Awesome partnerships: creative collaborations with community organizations and your trustees – Domino Ireland

• Unfunded grants: alternative solutions and opportunities – Josh Finnell

• Growing the Awesome Foundation – Avi Caplan and Renato Orozco

• Stimulating your audience with accessibility – Kali Wasenko

11:30 AM - Interview and Performance with Jeanette Andrews

An intimate interview with Chicago grant winner and sensory illusionist Jeanette Andrews on the impact $1,000 had on her artistic career. A brief performance of her work will follow.

12:15 PM - Lunch

12:45 PM - Panel: Thematic chapters in the Awesome Foundation ecosystem, how do they work, and what can we learn from them?

• Moderated by Avi Caplan, with Stephen Calnan, Josh Finnell, and Tiffany Yu

1:45 PM - Breakout sessions

• Working together as a global community – Avi Caplan, Molly Marshall, and Will Sullivan

• Let’s talk swag – Christen Carter

• Awesome tips and tools to help your applicants explain their ideas – Michelle Melin-Rogovin

• …and other sessions as proposed

3 PM - Closing session

4 PM - Departures / free time

6 PM - Dinner and evening activity for stragglers

Beermiscuous, 2812 N Lincoln Ave.

Thursday Evening: Boat Tour of Chicago River

Monday Morning: Art Mural Walk around the Pilsen neighborhood of Chicago

Chicago is a highly-accessible city. If you want to arrive by plane, it's easiest to land at either O'Hare (on the CTA Blue Line) or Midway (on the CTA Orange Line). Both train lines will lead you to the Loop. If you are arriving by Amtrak, your last stop will be Union Station. The city is also a destination on Greyhound and Megabus routes. 

The Summit location is at VMLY&R, 233 N Michigan Ave, Ste 1600, Chicago IL 60601.

Chicago has a robust train and bus system, plus bikeshare, taxis, and Uber/Lyft. You can even travel by water taxi to the venue if you'd like!

Chicago has many lodging options, including hotels, hostels, and Airbnb. It's recommended to pick something near a Red or Blue Line CTA stop, as those train lines run 24/7. We will be offering opportunities to lodge with Chicago trustees, as available. You can also find lodging at Airbnb and hotels within the Loop or West Loop.