Fund the network that no one — including us — can own.
Your contribution funds formation, audits, grants, and conformance infrastructure now — and, where expressly designated, a permanent endowment. It can never buy the protocol, the users, or a majority.
01
What your contribution funds
Four destinations. Every euro has a public ledger line. The round's target, three-year founding budget, and the split between funds are published on Transparency before any pledge converts.
Independent audits
Security and conformance examinations of the components everyone relies on, published openly.
governed by public spending rules
Conformance infrastructure
The public test suites that make "anyone can build a compatible component" true in practice.
governed by public spending rules
Grants
Seeding the first operators of new seats: registries, auditors, arbiters, couriers in new regions.
governed by public spending rules
Permanent endowment
Only contributions expressly accepted as permanent. Distributed at a 5% annual target so the commons outlives any single donor, market, or board.
governed by public spending rules
Where your money goes: Contributor, Supporting, and Sustaining sponsorship normally funds current mission work through the Founding Fund. Endowment and Principal Endowment sponsorship is expressly allocated to permanent endowment, subject to accepted gift terms. A sponsor may request a different permitted allocation before the pledge is accepted.
02
What you receive
Recognition, information, and a bounded governance path. Itemized, and nothing more.
Recognition
- Named entry in the Foundation's public sponsor register
- Annual and quarterly reports
- Foundation-hosted event materials
- Public pages of the grants and audits your class funded
- Foundation newsletter and documentation
- An acknowledgements page in Foundation-published apps
"Every placement is labeled 'Sponsor'. Equal typography within a tier. Rotation, not secret ranking."
Voice
- Sponsor briefings and proposal rights — Supporting tier and up
- Sponsor Council membership with elections — Sustaining and Endowment tiers
- Eligibility to stand for one of three Sponsor Director seats — Principal Endowment tier
Reporting cadence: quarterly reports and an annual report, from the first period of legal existence. Council communications begin at formation.
03
What sponsorship does not buy
Read this list as carefully as the one above it.
No ranking in Discovery catalogs or provider search results.
No placement in conversations, safety warnings, consent or payment screens — ever.
No influence over audit results, conformance marks, or vulnerability disclosures.
No access to users or their data.
No token, equity, interest, or financial return.
No board majority, no chair, no treasurer — by charter.
"If a sponsorship pitch offers you any of these, it isn't ours."
04
Founding tiers
Proposed launch constants, pinned before the round opens.
| Tier | Contribution | Destination | Term | What it adds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Contributor | from EUR 100 | Founding Fund — current work | 12 months | Public register listing (opt-in) |
| Supporting Sponsor | from EUR 2,500 / rolling 12 mo | Founding Fund — current work | 12 months | Briefings and proposal rights |
| Sustaining Sponsor | from EUR 10,000 / rolling 12 mo | Founding Fund — current work | 12 months | Sponsor Council seat and vote |
| Endowment Sponsor | from EUR 25,000 | Permanent endowment — expressly designated | 36 months | Council seat; endowment naming in reports |
| Principal Endowment Sponsor | from EUR 100,000 | Permanent endowment — expressly designated | 48 months | Eligibility to stand for Sponsor Director |
Thresholds are proposed launch constants, pinned before the round opens · pledges convert to contributions only when the legal entity exists · related entities aggregate as one control group for governance purposes. The full proposed terms are public: the Onym Foundation sponsorship profile →. Final statutes, gift terms, investment policy, and tax treatment require Estonian legal and accounting review before any money is accepted.
05
How your money is governed
Designed so that the largest donor and the smallest user can trust the same books. Proposed governance — adopted at formation.
3·3·3
Three Sponsor, three Ecosystem, three Independent Public-Interest Directors. Chair and treasurer: never sponsors.
6/9
Ordinary spending needs 6 of 9 directors, including 2 non-sponsor directors.
5% · 7%
Endowment distributions target 5% of the trailing twelve quarter-end average. Up to 7% for one financial year by a two-thirds vote of disinterested directors, published with reasons — never more than two consecutive years above 5%. A conflicted director does not take part in the discussion or vote and is not counted toward quorum. The full policy →
06 — THE FOUNDING MOMENT
"The first sponsors are remembered differently."
The register of founding sponsors is permanent. The audits and first-seat grants it pays for are the network's bootstrap. This is the one tier of recognition that can never be bought later.
FAQ
Plain answers
What is the legal form and governing law?
An Estonian MTÜ — mittetulundusühing, a non-profit association under Estonian law. It is not yet established: no entity, registry entry, or bank account exists today. The registry entry will be published on this site when it exists. Final statutes, gift terms, investment policy, and tax treatment require Estonian legal and accounting review before the Foundation accepts money.
How are pledges handled while no entity exists?
A pledge is a countersigned record of intent, exchanged by email. No payment details are requested and nothing is collected before the entity exists. When formation completes, each sponsor is contacted to convert — or decline to convert — their pledge.
Is my sponsorship permanently locked?
No — unless you expressly designate it. Contributor, Supporting, and Sustaining sponsorship funds current mission work through the Founding Fund. Only gifts expressly accepted as permanent endowment are locked long-term, subject to their gift terms. You may request a different permitted allocation before your pledge is accepted; donor restrictions and accepted gift terms override the general spending policy.
What happens to my pledge if formation fails?
It lapses. Nothing is collected.
Which currencies and assets are accepted?
The founding round is denominated in euros. Accepted payment methods and any non-cash contributions are settled with each sponsor at conversion, when the entity exists.
Can I stay anonymous?
Contributions are accepted; recognition is optional. Governance tiers require identified control groups.
What happens when a vote touches my company?
Conflicted directors are excluded from the vote and don't count toward quorum. The conflict is recorded in the public conflict register.
How do I leave the register?
On request. Removal is recorded; history is not rewritten.
Can a sponsor also operate seats?
Yes — disclosed, and conflicted votes excluded.