§ Frequently asked
Plain answers,
without the spectacle.
If something here is unclear or feels evasive, that is a bug. Tell us. The whole point of the platform is to refuse the kind of language that obscures structure.
Part 1
What it is
- What is GROUNDWORK, in one sentence?
- A platform that helps people organize transparent, collectively supported initiatives online — where governance, ownership, and legitimacy are made publicly legible before any fundraising begins.
- Is this a crowdfunding platform?
- No. GROUNDWORK does not custody funds, broker investments, or operate as a financial intermediary. Fundraising happens externally, under each initiative's own legal structure, only after governance has been disclosed and reviewed.
- Is this a DAO or a crypto project?
- No. GROUNDWORK does not require any blockchain involvement. Initiatives may use whatever legal and operational structures fit them — cooperative, nonprofit, public-benefit company, traditional corporation, or hybrid forms.
Part 2
How initiatives work
- Who can post an initiative?
- Anyone, at the unverified stage. The platform makes the unverified status clearly visible. To progress through the legitimacy layers, organizers must verify identity, disclose governance, and submit to review.
- Does GROUNDWORK enforce a specific governance model?
- No. Founder-led, cooperative, investor-backed, and hybrid structures are all permissible — provided they are disclosed honestly and remain visible as they evolve. We refuse the gap between branding and structure, not the diversity of structure itself.
- What does “governance review” actually check?
- Reviewers check disclosed structures for coherence, internal contradictions, and gaps between democratic language and the actual distribution of authority. The point is not to certify a project as good. The point is to make its real shape understandable.
Part 3
About money
- Why doesn't the platform handle money?
- Because the moment a platform custodies funds, it becomes a different kind of institution — with different incentives, different regulators, and different conflicts of interest. Keeping money external preserves the platform's ability to focus on legibility without becoming a financial gatekeeper.
- How do supporters actually contribute?
- Through the initiative directly, after it reaches financial activation eligibility. The initiative is responsible for its own banking, compliance, and legal handling of funds. GROUNDWORK's role ends at making the structure being supported transparent.
Part 4
About the platform itself
- How is GROUNDWORK itself governed?
- Under the same constraints we ask of others: disclosed structure, visible authority, appeals procedures, and anti-capture safeguards. The platform's own constitution is public and is subject to amendment under documented rules.
- What stops the platform from drifting into governance theater?
- Nothing permanently. We treat institutional drift as ongoing risk, not a solved problem. The platform builds in reviewer accountability, internal critique, and structural visibility — and acknowledges openly that no institution is permanently immune to symbolic legitimacy decay.
- Is this politically neutral?
- Not toward racism, dehumanization, authoritarian abuse, or attacks on democratic participation. Within those boundaries, broad political and ideological diversity is welcome. The goal is democratic institutional participation — not ideological conformity.
Still curious
The documentation is layered on purpose. Start with the overview, follow the legitimacy layers, then read the principles for the reasoning underneath.