Last Updated: December 2025
Status: Strategic Framework
Executive Summary
The Semantic Infrastructure Foundation (SIF) follows a hybrid foundation model drawing from the best practices of Wikimedia Foundation, Mozilla Foundation, and Linux Foundation—while avoiding their pitfalls.
Core Funding Strategy:
1. Philanthropic mega-grants (Years 1-3 bootstrap)
2. Strategic membership program (Corporate partnerships without capture)
3. Diversified donation campaigns (Individual + institutional)
4. Government research contracts (Aligned R&D funding)
5. Endowment building (Long-term sustainability)
Why Hybrid?
- No single revenue stream can capture mission
- Diversification provides resilience
- Combines scale (memberships) with mission alignment (grants)
- Enables both immediate execution and long-term stability
Foundation Models: Learning from Leaders
Wikimedia Foundation (Broad-Base Individual Giving)
Model:
- Aggressive fundraising campaigns to millions of Wikipedia users
- $180M+ annual revenue, primarily from small donations ($15-50 average)
- Strong brand association = high donor trust
What SIF Can Learn:
✅ Transparent financial reporting builds trust
✅ Clear mission story resonates with individual donors
✅ Recurring donor programs provide stable baseline
What to Avoid:
❌ Banner fatigue from aggressive campaigns
❌ Over-reliance on one revenue channel
Mozilla Foundation (Corporate Partnerships + Product Revenue)
Model:
- ~$500M/year revenue (mostly Google search deal)
- Corporate partnerships for browser default search
- Mission-driven product (Firefox) generates revenue
What SIF Can Learn:
✅ Strategic partnerships can fund ambitious work
✅ Products proving technical vision can attract funding
What to Avoid:
❌ Over-dependence on one partner (Google = 80%+ revenue)
❌ Misalignment when partner incentives shift
Linux Foundation (Membership Model)
Model:
- Platinum ($500K), Gold ($100K), Silver ($20K) membership tiers
- Corporate members fund shared infrastructure work
- Neutral governance prevents single-company capture
What SIF Can Learn:
✅ Membership tiers align corporate interests with public good
✅ Clear governance prevents capture
✅ Shared infrastructure = compelling value prop
What to Avoid:
❌ Risk of becoming corporate consortium vs. public foundation
❌ Perception of "pay-to-play" in technical decisions
SIF's Hybrid Approach
Anti-Capture Financial Architecture
Primary Rule: No single entity can provide >10% of annual budget
| Source Type | Max % Budget | Rationale |
|---|---|---|
| Single corporate member | 10% | Prevent undue influence |
| All corporate members | 30% | Limit collective influence |
| Single philanthropic grant | 10% | Prevent donor capture |
| Government contracts | 30% | Balance public funding |
| Individual donations | No limit | Grassroots support strengthens mission |
Membership Tiers
Platinum Members ($250K/year)
- Strategic partnership with SIF
- Board observer seat
- Technical steering committee participation
- Co-branded research initiatives
- Target: 2-4 members by Year 3
Gold Members ($100K/year)
- Technical advisory group participation
- Research collaboration opportunities
- Public recognition as SIF supporter
- Target: 5-10 members by Year 3
Silver Members ($25K/year)
- Community partnership tier
- Access to SIF research network
- Public recognition
- Target: 15-20 members by Year 3
Community Members ($5K/year)
- Small companies, universities, nonprofits
- Community access tier
- Target: 30-50 members by Year 3
Individual Supporters (Any amount)
- Direct mission support
- Newsletter and community access
- Genesis Tier: Special recognition for first 100 believers
Revenue Projections (5-Year Trajectory)
| Year | Grants | Memberships | Individual | Gov Contracts | Total | Staff |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $1.5M | $200K | $50K | $250K | $2M | 3-4 |
| 2 | $3M | $800K | $200K | $500K | $4.5M | 6-8 |
| 3 | $4M | $2M | $500K | $1M | $7.5M | 10-12 |
| 4 | $5M | $4M | $1M | $2M | $12M | 15-18 |
| 5 | $6M | $7M | $2M | $3M | $18M | 20-25 |
Year 10 Target: $25M annual budget with $50M endowment
Budget Allocation Philosophy
Research-First Spending (70/20/10 Rule)
- 70% Research & Development - Building semantic infrastructure
- 20% Operations & Infrastructure - Systems that support the work
- 10% Fundraising & Administration - Sustainable growth
Why Research-First?
- Mission delivery is the strategy
- Working systems attract funding (Reveal proves this: 2K downloads/month)
- Technical credibility enables partnerships
Transparency Commitments
Public Financial Reporting
Quarterly:
- Revenue by source category (anonymized)
- Spending by program area
- Reserve levels
Annual:
- Full audited financials
- Complete donor list (with permission)
- Impact metrics and technical deliverables
Continuous:
- All research output (code, papers, systems) public by default
- Session provenance (TIA system) shows decision-making process
- Glass Box principle applies to operations, not just technology
Genesis Tier: First 100 Believers
Special Recognition for Early Supporters
The first 100 individuals who support SIF (any amount ≥$100) during formation (2025-2026) receive:
- Permanent recognition in SIF's founding documentation
- Genesis Supporter badge in community spaces
- Annual founder's briefing - Direct updates from leadership
- Historical provenance - Named in the origin story of semantic infrastructure
Why Genesis Tier?
Early believers take real risk on unproven vision. This recognizes that courage.
Current Status: 501(c)(3) not yet filed, no tax deduction available
Honest Reality: You're supporting vision and working systems, not established institution
Current Reality (December 2025)
What Exists:
✅ 4 production systems proving technical vision
✅ Clear architectural roadmap
✅ Transparent development process (1,400+ documented sessions)
✅ This website and strategic framework
What Doesn't Exist Yet:
❌ 501(c)(3) status
❌ Formal board or governance
❌ Any funding beyond founder's time
❌ Team (just Scott)
The Ask:
This is early-stage, high-risk foundation building. If you believe semantic infrastructure matters for Timeline B, now is when support makes the biggest difference.
Why Fund SIF?
The Timeline B Argument
Without semantic infrastructure, AI systems will remain epistemically brittle black boxes. With it, we can build transparent, accountable, verifiable AI systems.
SIF is building the substrate that makes Timeline B possible.
The Working Systems Argument
This isn't vaporware:
- Reveal (2K downloads/month) proves progressive disclosure works
- Morphogen (1,600+ tests) proves deterministic computation scales
- GenesisGraph proves cryptographic provenance is viable
- TIA (60 projects, 14K+ files) proves semantic OS concepts work
Funding SIF accelerates proven technical work, not speculative research.
The Glass Box Argument
SIF practices what it preaches:
- All research public by default
- Session provenance shows decision-making
- Financial transparency (when funding exists)
- Honest about current state
You're funding an organization that can't hide behind opacity.
How to Support SIF
For Individuals
Now (Pre-501c3):
- Direct support (no tax deduction): Contact page
- Technical contribution: Systems need contributors
- Network effect: Share the vision
Soon (Post-501c3 filing, target Q1 2026):
- Tax-deductible donations
- Genesis Tier enrollment ($100+)
- Recurring supporter programs
For Organizations
Strategic Partnerships:
- Membership tiers ($25K - $250K)
- Research collaboration
- Co-development on semantic infrastructure
Philanthropic Grants:
- Aligned foundations and funders
- Research grants for specific initiatives
- Multi-year commitments preferred
Contact: Get in touch to discuss partnership opportunities
Questions?
"Why should I trust SIF with funding?"
You shouldn't—yet. Trust working systems (Reveal, Morphogen), transparent process (TIA sessions), and honest communication about current state. Funding accelerates proven work.
"What's the biggest risk?"
That semantic infrastructure isn't actually needed and Timeline A is fine. If you believe that, don't fund SIF.
"When will 501(c)(3) be filed?"
Target Q1 2026. Waiting until governance model and initial supporters are clear to file correctly the first time.
"Can I contribute technically instead of financially?"
Yes! Systems need contributors, especially expertise in cryptography, type systems, semantic web, and provenance.
"Is SIF looking for board members?"
Not yet. Will recruit founding board when 501(c)(3) filing is imminent.
Building Timeline B requires resources. If you believe semantic infrastructure matters, your support makes this possible.