Transform your community libraries into information hubs
with funding to imagine, plan and build your community owned infrastructure networks – podCOIN.
schools, playgrounds, buses, grocery stores, restaurants, coworking, meeting rooms, parks
Our vision is launching in 2026!
Fund Digital Public Infrastructure — Transparently, Together
Our new funding mechanisms will be released this January, 2026.
Broadband Institute Foundation is a 501(c)(3) educational nonprofit supporting Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) — community-owned networks, open tools, digital equity programs, and local knowledge commons that help communities thrive.
To make this work easier to support — and easier to trust — we use Open Collective, a platform designed for transparent, accountable community funding.
When you contribute to a project:
- 97.1% goes directly to the project you choose
- 2.9% supports Commons Stewardship — the nonprofit infrastructure that keeps these projects sustainable and publicly accountable
That 2.9% helps fund essential backbone services such as compliance, financial administration, receipts and reporting, project support, and shared operational infrastructure. It’s a small contribution that ensures community-led projects have the support they need to succeed over the long term.
You can explore projects by category, follow your favorites, and see real-time transparency into budgets, milestones, and how funds are used.
Support a project. Strengthen the commons. Build community-owned digital equity.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Open Collective?
Open Collective is a platform that helps communities raise and spend money transparently. Each project has a public page showing its purpose, funding, expenses, and updates.
Is Broadband Institute Foundation a nonprofit?
Yes. Broadband Institute Foundation is a 501(c)(3) educational nonprofit. We serve as the fiscal host and steward for DPI projects funded through Open Collective.
What does my contribution support?
Your contribution supports the project you choose, based on the project’s stated goals, budget, and updates.
- 97.1% supports the project
- 2.9% supports nonprofit infrastructure needed to administer and sustain projects responsibly
Why is 2.9% set aside?
We call it Commons Stewardship. Digital public infrastructure requires reliable support systems — administration, compliance, accountability, and shared operational capacity.
This 2.9% helps support:
- nonprofit compliance and reporting
- accounting and financial administration
- project fund management and disbursement
- receipts and documentation
- operational infrastructure and stewardship
- project support, guidance, and transparency systems
It’s designed to keep the commons durable — not to extract value.
Our initial project is to build Community Internet (community owned infrastructure networks).