Funding and support

ASK-Solutions works on knowledge sharing, free software, free hardware, repair, privacy, digital autonomy, practical education and human-scale participation. Some activities have a direct agreement or contribution attached to them. Others create wider public value through documentation, publishing, reusable software, maintained facilities or knowledge that remains available to others.

Funding and support make it possible to connect those parts responsibly. They are not only a way to finance work elsewhere: they can directly enable the public-benefit activity itself.

Ways to support the work

an unrestricted donation to support the organisation’s wider work;
a grant or subsidy for a defined public-benefit purpose;
a contribution to a project, publication, software component or learning route;
sponsorship with clear and transparent conditions;
equipment, tools, components, materials or technical infrastructure;
workspace, storage, specialist facilities or transport;
professional expertise, mentoring, testing or review;
staff time or a structured employee-volunteering contribution;
long-term cooperation that combines several of these forms.

What support can make possible

Support can contribute to:

development and maintenance of free software and free hardware;
technical documentation, examples, manuals and public articles;
research and public information around privacy, freedom, ownership and Right to Repair;
tools, machines, materials and safe practical environments;
repair, reuse, testing and preservation of technical knowledge;
workshops, placements, mentoring and practical learning;
access for people or groups who cannot carry the full cost themselves;
pilots and local implementations that can later be documented and reused;
organisational continuity, insurance, administration and the less visible work required to keep public-benefit projects reliable.

Restricted and unrestricted support

Restricted funding is connected to an agreed purpose, activity or project. It can be useful when objectives, costs and reporting need to be clear in advance. Unrestricted support gives the foundation room to maintain shared infrastructure, respond to smaller needs and continue work that does not fit neatly into one funded project.

Both forms can be valuable. The important point is that the conditions are proportionate and do not make the funded activity less useful, less independent or impossible to maintain after the funding period.

Project funding and accountability

For a grant, subsidy or substantial project contribution, we can agree on:

the public-benefit purpose and intended audiences;
activities, milestones, outputs and responsibilities;
a budget covering people, materials, equipment, facilities and organisational costs;
reporting, evaluation and the treatment of unused resources;
ownership, licensing, publication and reuse of results;
how the work may continue after the funded period;
appropriate acknowledgement of the funder or partner.

We prefer arrangements that make knowledge, software, documentation or methods reusable where possible. Some personal, safety-related or confidential information must of course remain protected.

Sponsorship without editorial control

Sponsorship can provide money, equipment, materials, services or visibility. It does not purchase control over our public positions, editorial conclusions, technical assessments or treatment of competing products.

Where an article, project or public activity involves a sponsor or commercial relationship, we disclose that relationship where relevant. Branding and acknowledgement are agreed in advance and should remain proportionate to the public-benefit purpose.

Donating equipment or materials

Before offering equipment or materials, please describe:

what the item is, including its model and estimated age;
its condition and whether defects or missing parts are known;
the quantity, dimensions and approximate weight;
where it is located and whether transport is available;
any licences, data, hazardous materials or ownership restrictions involved.

We assess whether the item can be used safely and realistically. A donation that creates storage, disposal or repair obligations without a plausible use may not be suitable.

Support for The Owl’s Nest

Support can also be connected to a particular location, operator or shared part of The Owl’s Nest. Local needs differ: one location may need tools or materials, another may need accessibility improvements, volunteer capacity or funding for a practical learning route.

Current local needs should therefore come from the relevant operator or location rather than from one permanent organisation-wide list.