Funding & Partnership
Fund the Work Between the Idea and Dependable Infrastructure
For grantmakers, mission-aligned investors, municipal and institutional partners, and community/technical partners evaluating what stage of The Network's work they want to support. Different audiences fund different things and expect different returns — this page separates those paths instead of treating them as one offer.
Funding Pathways
Choose the pathway that matches what you're able to contribute and what kind of return you need back.
| Audience | What they fund | Expected return |
|---|---|---|
| Grantmaker | Public-interest R&D, accessibility, community co-design, pilots | Documented impact and open deliverables |
| Mission investor | Revenue-producing services and scalable implementation capacity | Financial return plus mission covenants |
| Municipal or institutional partner | Defined local deployment or research pilot | Service outcomes, accountability, local control |
| Community or technical partner | Expertise, infrastructure, field access, contribution | Shared capability, learning, interoperability |
Use of Funds — Milestone Ladder
Each level below will eventually include a budget range, duration, named deliverables, prerequisites, and a verifiable completion test. Scoping for those figures is underway; until they're available, this page states the sequence and intent rather than inventing precision.
- 1
Architecture completion
Resolve identity, privacy, governance, retention, and interoperability decisions that are currently open (see /progress).
- 2
Reference modules
Build identity/profile, community board, group administration, and auditable proposal/voting prototypes.
- 3
Pilot preparation
Accessibility, threat modeling, security testing, deployment automation, and operator documentation.
- 4
Community pilots
Co-design with one or two bounded groups and measure adoption, usability, trust, and administrative load.
- 5
Organizational durability
Establish appropriate ownership, stewardship, licensing, and revenue structures.
Pitch Deck
The formal investment memorandum PDF is not yet published — request early access below.
Connect With Us
Tell us which funding pathway fits you and we'll follow up with the current deck and a conversation about where the work stands.