Leap

Renewable Freedom Foundation: I am leading Renewable Freedom Foundation, having been elected as its CEO. Renewable Freedom Foundation is a grantmaker especially in the fields of human rights, social change and technology. In the past, its yearly budget was around 500k EUR, now the Foundation is mainly dormant.

• Payment. I am not paid for my work at Renewable Freedom Foundation (at all). 
• Expectations. Renewable Freedom Foundation shares LEAP’s analysis of the philanthropic sector and the needs for participatory approaches to funding systemic alternatives. However, Renewable Freedom Foundation has no expectations with regard to how exactly LEAP is supposed to work and organize.
• Credit/Disclosure. Renewable Freedom Foundation will mention my involvement with LEAP in its yearly report as part of its commitment to transparency. 
• Perspective. With LEAP, I want to continue work that Renewable Freedom Foundation was unable to achieve alone. I am hoping to contribute experience in this funding organization towards what LEAP could and should do, and which mistakes to avoid.
• Potential conflicts of interest: donors. There may be cases where potential donors to LEAP could also support Renewable Freedom Foundation. But since Renewable Freedom Foundation is dormant at the moment, I do not expect this to become a practical problem. In case there could be such conflict, I will be transparent about this in both LEAP and Renewable Freedom Foundation. 
• Potential conflict of interest: pre-existing relationships. Renewable Freedom Foundation has supported a number of movements and activists in the past that in my opinion could also fit with or be supported by LEAP. By bringing them in contact with LEAP, I will perpetuate and potentially strengthen these pre-existing relationships, potentially to the detriment of individuals and organisations I was not already in contact with. At LEAP, we need a general process for addressing this, and I will follow whichever process LEAP decides on in this regard.

Center for the Cultivation of Technology (CCT): I am a founding member and current CEO for the Center for the Cultivation of Technology, a non-profit fiscal host and support organisation for open source projects. CCT is a daughter organisation of Renewable Freedom Foundation. I will step down from the position of CEO here as soon as a successor is found (May/June 2021).

• Payment: I am not paid for my work put into LEAP. Since I will be stepping down from my position at CCT, I will soon not be paid through CCT generally.
• Formal connection. My work at LEAP is not tied in any formal way to my work at CCT.
• Legitimacy and accountability. I believe that as part of an open source support organisation, I am familiar with the needs of open source projects, especially unincorporated ones, and the needs of digital civil society more generally. 
• Potential conflicts of interest: pre-existing relationships. CCT is supporting some open source / digital civil society projects that in my opinion could also fit with or be supported by LEAP. By bringing them in contact with LEAP, I will perpetuate and potentially strengthen these pre-existing relationships, potentially to the detriment of individuals and organisations I was not already in contact with. At LEAP, we need a general process for addressing this, and I will follow whichever process LEAP decides on in this regard.

EDGE Funders Alliance: As part of my freelance consulting work (see below), I currently work for EDGE Funders Alliance part-time. EDGE Funders Alliance organizes within philanthropy to raise awareness and deepen understanding of the interconnected nature of the social, economic and ecological crises threatening our common future. EDGE works to increase resources for communities and movements creating systemic change alternatives for a transition to a society that supports justice, equity and the well-being of the planet. 

• Payment. I am not paid for my work put into LEAP.
• Perspective. EDGE shares LEAP’s analysis of the philanthropic sector and the needs for participatory approaches to funding systemic alternatives. They therefore may share common ground, but there is no actual or envisioned collaboration between the entities.
• Potential conflicts of interest: pre-existing relationships. Through my work at EDGE, I meet representatives of movements from around the world who in my opinion could also fit with or be supported by LEAP. By bringing them in contact with LEAP, I will perpetuate and potentially strengthen these pre-existing relationships, potentially to the detriment of individuals and organisations I was not already in contact with. At LEAP, we need a general process for addressing this, and I will follow whichever process LEAP decides on in this regard.

Freelance Consulting Work: I work as a freelance consultant and facilitator in the field of philanthropy, philanthropic organising and support for Civil Society Organisations.

• Payment: I have not been paid for the work I put into LEAP so far (since April 2020). I may be one of the facilitation group members receiving compensation for work in the future.

My own “activist” projects: I am part of a number of movements around human rights and social change. I dedicate quite some time and personal resources (gained through my consulting work) especially to Freedom of Information requests that I hope can support the work of movements outside the tech and legal realm. I have filed more than 2.000 Freedom of Information requests at German and EU level and am currently suing more than a dozen public authorities and government agencies, including ministries of finance on matters of tax justice, police authorities and ministries of justice on questions of systemic racism, and the Germany ministry of defence in relation to nuclear weapons.

• Potential conflict of interest: A few of the organisations or projects I am involved in could potentially be interesting for LEAP. If these organisations or projects were to seek funding from LEAP, I would recuse myself from all related decisions (if I were involved at all).