I want to give money away: Now taking pitches for the 2020 award of the 222 Foundation

“What reality was ever created by realists?  What we cannot dream we can never do.”—Richard Flanagan

So, I started a foundation to honor my daughter, Tasman Mckay Grout, who died suddenly and unexpectedly in 2018 of a cerebral aneurysm.

As I’ve written before, Taz’s 25 years were  pure magic. She landed here on planet earth with indiscriminate and generous love. She was beautiful, brilliant. Wild light coursed through her every cell.

To honor her legacy, the 222 Foundation is committed to rewriting the dream of the modern world from consumption and acquisition to the dream of creativity and self-expression. We believe the pursuit of happiness comes from human solidarity, simple living, respect for nature and the empowerment of all people. Our mission is to reallocate the world’s resources away from fear and towards love.

Here are the guidelines (as printed on the sunflower packets we distributed at Taz’s Celebration of Life):

Each year on February 22 (2/22), Taz Grout’s 222 Foundation will award a $10,222 grant to an innovative project or person with a big idea to change consciousness and therefore the world.

We look for projects that support the following ideas:

1. All people long to be generous and create beautiful things.

2. The story of scarcity, lack and the need to fight for resources was made up and is no longer valid. We aim to prove that, once liberated from outdated paradigms, the world is generative and endlessly abundant.

3. We believe all humans are interconnected and that even tiny actions have great significance.

Any and all projects that supports Taz’s vision will be considered. Here are a few that have recently caught my eye:

**The El Paso challenge. Started by 11-year-old Ruben, this social media phenomenon encourages people to do 22 kind things in honor of each of the 22 people who died in the recent shooting.

**Koolulam. This incredible initiative creates mass singing events, bringing large groups of strangers together to sing as one big human ensemble. I ran into a YouTube (check it out below) of 3000 strangers in Haifa, Israel singing One Day.

**Grupo Ecológico. Started by one family, this locally-managed Biosphere Reserve in Mexico’s Sierra Gorda empowers local farmers and teaches permaculture.

These are just a few examples of the kinds of projects we seek. The more creative, the better. We want nothing more than to generate new possibilities and shake up the world as we know it.

I hope you, my friends here on the blog, will help spread the word.

If you or anyone you know would like to apply for next year’s grant, please send a description of the project to taz.grout.222.foundation@gmail.com. Applications will be accepted through December 31, 2019.

And, as always, thank you, thank you, thank you!!

Pam Grout is the author of 19 books including E-Squared, E-Cubed, Thank & Grow Rich and her latest book, Art & Soul,Reloaded: A Year-Long Apprenticeship to Summon the Muses and Ignite Your Daring, Audacious, Creative Side.