Mesh/Funding
Sample Budget
Below is an itemized sample budget for a small neighborhood mesh consisting of 50 Home Nodes and 15 Extender Nodes.
| Category | Item | Units | Unit Cost | Total Cost | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Node Hardware | NanoStation M5 | 8 | $70 | $560 | Extender Nodes |
| Node Hardware | NanoBridge M5 | 7 | $70 | $490 | Extender Nodes |
| Node Hardware | MyNet n600 or 750 | 50 | $20 | $1,000 | Home Nodes |
| Node Hardware | Server Costs | 12 | $120 | $1,440 | Exit Node (1yr) |
| Mounting Hardware | Grounded Shielded RJ45s] | 5 | $16 | $80 | Pack of 10, 50 total |
| Mounting Hardware | Regular RJ45s | 2 | $4.26 | $21.30 | Box of 100, 200 total |
| Mounting Hardware | Wall-Mount Cable Ties | 2 | Example | Example | 100 pcs, 200 total |
| Mounting Hardware | Safety Equipment | 3 | $50 | $150 | Hard hats, harness, sunscreen, etc; |
| Mounting Hardware | Hose Clamps | 5 | $7.39 | $36.95 | Box of 6 assorted |
| Mounting Hardware | Indoor Ethernet Cable | 2 | $72.92 | $145.84 | 2000 sqft total |
| Mounting Hardware | Outdoor Ethernet Cable | 1 | $200 | $200 | 1000 sqft total |
| Tools | Binoculars | 1 | $40 | $40 | |
| Tools | Ladder | 1 | $211.85 | $211.85 | 24' aluminum ladder |
| Tools | Crimpers | 1 | $70 | $70 | |
| Tools | Wire Cutters | 2 | $10 | $20 | |
| Tools | Drill | 1 | $70 | $70 | Makita cordless 1/2" hammer-driver drill |
| Workshop Supplies | Educational Materials | 4 | $75 | $300 | Handouts, office supplies, signage, swag, A/V livestream |
| Workshop Supplies | Advertising | 4 | $20 | $80 | |
| Workshop Supplies | Food | 4 | $75 | $300 | |
| Total: $5,232.42 |
Grants
- Awesome Foundation - Knowledge Chapter
- Awesome Foundation - Open Web
- Awesome Without Borders
- Awesome Foundation - SF
- The Pollination Project
- We already applied for and received this one in 2014 ($1000)
- See our award on the Pollination Project's website
- Applied for OTF’s Internet Freedom Fund in Jan 2016 and declined with this message:
Determination status: Dropped
Goals and principles: This sounds like a great community project, but we does not fall under our remit. OTF’s Internet Freedom Fund generally funds tools and technologies that can be immediately used in repressive regimes to counteract censorship and surveillance. NYC has awesome mesh networks, Red Hook being the most famous. There is a huge project here funded by the city to bring mesh to other boroughs. Also, this seems like a project that should be funded by the local community - is there similar funding for San Fran for something like this? That might be more in line with the community approach this project is taking.
Technical merit: Reasonable, realistic and sustainable:
Other comments: Please refer to our list of alternative sources to see if any of them might be a better fit. https://www.opentech.fund/apply/alternative-sources-support
- OTF is a sketchy RFA / State Dept-backed fund, anywayz :P - Tunabananas (talk)
- Knight Foundation
- Applied for Knight Foundation Journalism and Media Innovation grant in Dec. 2015 and declined.
- NL Net Foundation
- Internet Society's Community Grants
- The Buckminster Fuller Challenge
- Open Society Foundations Transparency and New Technologies Initiative
- this is some George Soros shit. no tx. - Tunabananas (talk)
- Google Impact - 500K grant to social change nonprofits in the Bay Area.
- Web We Want
- Renewable Freedom Foundation
- World Wide Web Foundation
- Mozilla Foundation
- Access Now
- Jigsaw (Google)
Security
- National Science Foundation - Cybersecurity and Computer Systems Research
- Information Safety and Capacity Project
- Core Infrastructure Initiative
- NLNet Foundation
- Linux Foundation
- AirVPN
- Network of Excellence in Internet Science
- Information Society Innovation Fund
- Berkman Assembly
- Kantara Initiative
- Prototype Fund
Digital_Democracy
- Ford Foundation
- Media Democracy Fund
- National Endowment for Democracy (NED
- Arab Public Participation Fund
- Swedish International Development Agency (SIDA)
- European Union’s Digital Agenda for Europe
- Finland Ministry of Foreign Affairs
- Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation
- Cisco Foundation
- Metamorphosis
Human_Rights
- Humanity United
- Oak Foundation
- Freedom House Human Rights Defense
- MacArthur Foundation
- Sigrid Rausing Trust
- Hivos
- Nexus Fund
- Overbrook Foundation
- Euro-Mediterranean Foundation of Support to Human Rights Defenders (EMHRF)
- Fund for Global Human Rights
- Human Rights First
- International Federation for Human Rights
- Protection International
- Democracy Council
- Internet Society Beyond the Net
- Comic Relief
- Skoll Global Threats
- UNICEF
- American Council of Learned Societies Digital Extension Grant
- Human Rights Foundation
- The Digital Fund
- European Endowment for Democracy (EED)
Digital_Protection
- Frontline Defenders
- Hivos’ Digital Defenders Program
- Hivos’ Digital Integrity Fellowship Program
- Global Journalist Security
- The Hague Training Course for Human Rights Defenders on Security
Internet_Access
- United States Agency for International Development (USAID)
- International Development Research Centre
- Microsoft
- Association for Progressive Communications (APC)
- Comcast Innovation Fund
Startup_Assistance_Incubators
Garage 48 CyberGhost Privacy Accelator Program Mach37 iHub Hackers/Founders IranCubator 3fs USAID Development Innovation Ventures NSF Small Business Innovation Research / Small Business Technology Transfer Program National Institute of Standards and Technology’s (NIST) Small Business Innovation Research Program Google for Entrepreneurs PeaceTech Accelerator
Fellowships
Coding Fellowships
- Outreachy.org
- Mozilla Developer Network
- Rails Girls Summer of Code
- Google Summer of Code
- Linux Foundation
- Code 2040
- Code for Progress
- General Assembly
- Voqal Fellowship<
- Walkley Coding Scholarships for Journalists
Policy_Fellowships
- Ford Foundation-Mozilla
- Open Society Foundation
- Shuttleworth Foundation
- Open Knowledge
- Human Rights Watch
- United States Mission to the United Nations Internet Freedom Fellowship
- Google Policy Fellowship
- National Endowment for Democracy
- Echoing Green
- Harvard University’s Berkman Center
- Ashoka
- Data Society
- Internet Law Policy Foundry
- Internet Society
- Institute of Technology and Society
- Electronic Privacy Information Center
- Georgetown Law School
- C. Edwin Baker Media Policy Fellowship
- Internet Policy Observatory
- Article 19
Other Fellowships
- Ashoka Social Change Fellowship
- The Thiel Fellowship
- NSF Graduate Research Opportunities Worldwide
- NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program
- Horowitz Foundation for Social Policy
- Sloan Foundation Research Fellowships
- Tinker Foundation Field Research Grants
- Google RISE Awards
- Nonprofit Technology Network Digital Inclusion Fellowship
- Kairos Fellowship
Crowdfunding
For our initial batch of crowdfunded hardware, we ran a 60-day campaign on WePay. See this page for details on that campaign, purchases and standing funds.
Sustainable Business Models
Preliminary Notes/Brainstorm
- cost
- buying routers
- people adopt routers
- people buy routers
- couple of full time real employees
- mounting routers/antennae
- managing of network
- bandwidth
- electricity
- advertising on splash page
- name the wifi network as the web address
- sell service to business districts
- digital bulletin boards
- skill share board
- begging for cash model
- OLPC model: people pay 2x for themselves and someone else
- ISPs ToS don’t allow you to share bandwidth
- get local ISPs to contribute
- monkeybrains?
- competing with Unwired, and their radio frequency
- legal advisers???