Slow Factory Economic Policy

A new world is not going to be built while buying into the myths of poverty and austerity. We can and we must build from a position of strength & stability. In this world, those come in many forms, one of which is economic. Slow Factory believes that we all deserve to live well, to eat well, to have a prosperous present and a prosperous future. That said, our organization has always had an uphill battle to fund the work, because of the extractive nature of capitalism and philanthropy, and because of the radical nature of our work, which calls unflinchingly for designing current systems of oppression, to which all money is currently linked.

Our policy related to corporate money is to accept this money that has been extracted from the public, which we redistribute back to the public in the form of revolutionary ideas, culture, and grants.

We are committed to collective liberation, which means we have clear mission, values, principles and work within clear frameworks for all our work — from how we operate, the goals of our programs, and the economic framework by which we power the work.

As a 501c3 nonprofit organization, we exist through philanthropic donation. Historically, we have powered our programs and grants through a mix of corporate donors, small foundations, and the general public support. Currently, we have no corporate donors.

We have in the past accepted donations from certain companies whose philanthropic giving aligns with our core mission. This funding has come through our rigorous framework of donor criteria — arms-length, no influence on the mission and vision of the programming.

Framework for donors:

Slow Factory has no obligations to the Donor, including providing any value or responding to Donor requests in any way.

The Donor has no influence over Slow Factory’s programs, values, mission, or leadership.

Accepting a donation does not mean the Slow Factory endorses any of the Donor’s values, mission, operations, activities, or any other organization that Donor may also support.

Slow Factory never accepts money when advocating for a cause. We always demand that for-profit companies contribute to the movement when they will receive visibility and incidental marketing value.