Pepsi announced the program details of its 2011 Pepsi Refresh Project, a movement that supports creative ideas that aim to move communities forward. In 2010, the Pepsi Refresh Project directed millions of dollars to fund more than 1,000 ideas across the country. In 2011, Pepsi will fund twice as many ideas, the company said.

 

This year, Pepsi will give out more than a million dollars in grants each month, through 60 grants in four grant tiers: $5,000, $10,000, $25,000 and $50,000. The number of overall grants awarded each month will almost double compared to last year.

 

Starting in April, consumers can submit ideas within four categories: Arts and Music, Communities, Education, and a new rotating category called the Pepsi Challenge. Every three months, Pepsi will rotate the theme of the Pepsi Challenge category. Within these categories, a new challenge will be announced on a monthly basis, in the form of a question that Pepsi is asking America to answer. The Pepsi Challenge will aim to encourage fun ideas that will refresh communities in new and exciting ways, the company said.

 

Pepsi also is amending the submission process by accepting project entries during a five-day period at the beginning of each month. Each month, 1,500 new ideas will be randomly selected for voting, which is an increase in the number of ideas posted to the site, the company said. Ideas with the most consumer votes will be funded. From May through December, voting opens on the first of each month, and 60 monthly grantees will be announced beginning in June.