Discussion

Given the #DigitalCoup and the urgency to transition to #DigitalAutonomy, we’re building up the https://DemocraticTech.Fund. It is a networked approach, aiming to increase our collective capacity, to discover the tech that is already available to us, to deploy it in ways that we can own it, to share learnings of the transition, to move there together, so we can overcome network effects.

It is our intention to identify together the gaps of what is needed to make the transition, to fund that collectively. This can be tech, media to raise awareness for the positive alternatives already out there, and federating our communities. We’re starting as civil society, and we intent to invite institutions – public and private – to chip in and multiply the contributions. Together we can make the impact that is needed.

#DemocraticTechFund #dtf

Sign saying "Don't feed Big Tech" with a red circle prohibition situated in a beach side with dunes.

Dr Kim Foale

@kim@social.gfsc.studio · yesterday

@fkinstitute this looks completely awesome! jsyk the "submit proposal" button doesnt link to anything - would love to chat to you about PlaceCal which i hope might be a good fit for the fund? https://gfsc.community/whats-happening-where-you-live-re-introducing-placecal/

Geeks for Social Change

What's happening where you live? Re-introducing PlaceCal

If you've hung around us the last few years you undoubtedly will have heard us go on about PlaceCal. But what is it, why does it matter, how can you and your community benefit, and why has it taken us so long? Kim takes it from the top and outlines our ambitions for community technology in 2026.

Wouter Tebbens ⁂

@Wtebbens@social.coop · yesterday

Dear @kim and all,
to shed some light of where we are with the DemocraticTech.Fund: last week we met with a dozen people from different collectives and orgs in Amsterdam, hosted by the Internet Archive. We're working together to convene a space in the DWeb Camp where we intend to celebrate the first -so, founding - assembly.

We are starting up dedicated working groups to work out the "minimum viable" version of each foundation. Join us in this matrix space: https://matrix.to/#/#democratictechfund:matrix.org
(if your matrix client doesn't yet handle spaces, then check out the next toot)

Wouter Tebbens ⁂

@Wtebbens@social.coop · yesterday

We're starting up these working groups, in matrix rooms:
- documenting **use cases** (of what projects we could collectively drive and ultimately contribute collective funding towards) and **storytelling** about them (https://matrix.to/#/#dtf-stories:one.ems.host)
- ideating and prototyping the **collective funding** infrastructure and pipeline, together with Goteo.org (https://matrix.to/#/#fundinginfrastructure:matrix.org)
- encourage people and organisations to join as members of the Democratic Tech Fund, with a social contract and **membership model** that we're developing based in in-kind contributions and/or donations (join here: https://matrix.to/#/#dtf-membershipmodel:one.ems.host)
- build up a **transition community**, helping people to discover the tech, share learnings, assure access to cooperative, selfhosted and/or protected ownership models of tech they needed (join: https://matrix.to/#/#transition.community:matrix.org)
- and to facilitate all this we're keen to evolve into sociocratic circles of work and set up the minimum viable tech to help us document this process properly.

Free Knowledge Institute

@fkinstitute@social.coop · yesterday

We just set up the DemocraticTech.Fund at OpenCollective: https://opencollective.com/democratictechfund We ask anyone willing to support this effort, to make a contribution, ideally a recurring donation. In kind contributions are also very welcome. We consider **contributions** the cornerstone, what brings this other economy to lfve.

To become a member, making a contribution is vital, in-kind or as a recurring donation. This commitment will give membership rights, and with it, voting rights.

The details of the membership model, social contract and contribution levels is being worked out in the designated working group.

DemocraticTech.Fund - Open Collective

We're creating cooperative alternatives to surveillance capitalism and tech monopolies.

Free Knowledge Institute

@fkinstitute@social.coop · yesterday

Note that @fkinstitute acts as fiscal host for the DemocraticTech.Fund. The Dutch tax authorities are in the process of granting ‘ANBI’ status, that is Public Benefit Organisation in Dutch. This will entitle donors to get tax relief under certain conditions, that may vary by country and based on your personal circumstances. We’re aware that for non-Dutch residents some steps may be hard and we’re connecting with likeminded partners to make this easier. In due time we’ll publish practical documentation about this.

The FKI acts as custodian for the DemocraticTech.Fund. The operational details for using the donations are under development. To avoid any doubt, and maximise transparency: any donations received and expenses claimed will be published through the OpenCollective.

Free Knowledge Institute

@fkinstitute@social.coop · yesterday

Here’s an overview of our **roadmap**, having started ideating last summer, and now preparing the foundations for people and organisations to join as members, to transition towards digital autonomy, to identify the most important use cases that need support, to fund and support them collectively, to tell the stories and to federate our (existing) networks.

An illustration showing the timeline since mid 2025, the ideation and concept development phase, turning into prototyping around now, preparing for the founding assembly @ DWeb Camp in July and four green blocks that constitute the main lines of work of the DemocraticTech.Fund: on top: the transition community, then: the collective funding infrastructure and process, then: storytelling, collective action and finally: federating the Local Funding Circles with the existing local and international networks.

Gert V 🇵🇸

@gert@social.coop · yesterday

@fkinstitute re: to chip in and multiply the contributions.

Private institutions will either say don't call us, we'll call you, or ask what is in it for them. Are you going to hand them free software to profit from?

Democratic capitalism really doesn't exist, the term is always questionable.

Wouter Tebbens ⁂

@Wtebbens@social.coop · yesterday

Hi @gert @fkinstitute, valid question of course. Given how the Googles and Facebooks of this world have benefitted from collective developments in the commons like GNU/Linux and so much more, without giving back too much really.

We need to take care that we avoid that trap while building up our collective resilience.

I think that we have two things to offer on this front: 1) focus on those 'gaps' or needs that we identify collectively that are important for our communities, 2) thinking of the fascinating match funding experience of Goteo. What they did with e.g. the City of BCN and also with several universities. They defined together what was needed in their community, made a Call, selected projects who then campaigned on https://Goteo.org. For every Euro brought in by citizens, the matcher doubles it. Goteo has mobilised > 24 million Euro, check them out. We seek to establish this kind of matchfunding programmes, designed by the communities themselves, around shared needs.

Gert V 🇵🇸

@gert@social.coop · yesterday

@Wtebbens @fkinstitute Yes that seems valid evidence to me. Good to highlight this, thx.

Free Knowledge Institute

@fkinstitute@social.coop · yesterday

https://social.coop/@dweb/116103031959174179

Free Knowledge Institute

@fkinstitute@social.coop · yesterday

We are initiating this with a growing list of organisations, such as @commonsnetwork, @waag in Amsterdam, @platoniq and the Goteo.org crowdfunding platform in Spain. Recently also eCommons.space and the housing coop movement (PWA) in Amsterdam have joined. With them and Amsterdam University College @OpenTech_AUC (part of UvA and VU) we’re designing a transition community, building on experiences of so many movements going in this same direction, like the @rtm #ResistTechMonopolies in Seattle, or the #VamonosJuntas and #MakeSocialsSocialAgain or #DIDay networked actions.

Free Knowledge Institute

@fkinstitute@social.coop · yesterday

On the tech stack level we work together with the #CoopCloud Federation, sharing the work to build easily deployable and maintainable cooperative cloud services, as a “configuration commons”. So we recently became members of @coopcloud. We also hope they, and all of you interested, join this process, and become members of the DemocraticTech.Fund. We haven’t yet worked out all the details yet, but the vision is there and working groups are starting up. Feel welcome to join and connect your work. We’re in it for the long run, together.

Free Knowledge Institute

@fkinstitute@social.coop · yesterday

Comparing to existing funds. We’re close to @nlnet and @sovtechfund Fund, but where they focus on the core tech development and maintenance, we intent to drive the social capacity. And instead of relying on government funding, we are bottom-up, community-first and then, on our terms, will welcome governments to match the collective effort.

Wouter Tebbens ⁂

@Wtebbens@social.coop · yesterday

Cc @DigitalCoup @platformcoop @ntnsndr @ela @andreas @yala @abaratsits @_elena @coopdescommuns @Framasoft @framaka

Gert V 🇵🇸

@gert@social.coop · yesterday

@fkinstitute @nlnet @sovtechfund If you can find a government that lets you take their money and set your own priorities, you will have won a lottery, because it would be rare.

Free Knowledge Institute

@fkinstitute@social.coop · yesterday

At this point we’re coming out of the concept development phase, moving into prototyping. Last week we met in Amsterdam, hosted by the @internetarchiveeurope working together with the @dweb team to prepare together for the #DWebCamp in Berlin. This is really exciting, and we’re changing gears! We now have our view at the gathering in Berlin in July, where we’ll be joining some 700 people to rebuild the internet in a decentralised, cooperative solidarity economy basis. This is #commoning!

#dweb #commons #decentralisation

2 media

Group photo with some of the DemocraticTech.Fund members joining the DWeb team in Amsterdam at the Internet Archive Europe.

DemocraticTech.Fund members in conversation with Wendy from the Internet Archive to convene together for the DWeb Camp in Berlin in July.

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