Everything we get asked.

UrthFund is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization funding Earth resilience, starting in America: programs that prepare for, prevent, and respond to systemic risks to our communities and ecosystems. We operate eight active programs spanning wildfire detection, disaster logistics, water security, energy resilience, sustainable technologies, land protection, ocean cleanup, and civic preparedness.

Yes. UrthFund is registered with the IRS as a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt non-profit organization. Our EIN is 99-1751587. Donations are tax-deductible to the fullest extent allowed by law. We can provide a copy of our IRS determination letter on request.

UrthFund is led by a board of directors and a small operating team committed to operational transparency and measurable impact. See our team page for current leadership.

Three differences:

• Programmatic breadth. Eight active programs covering the full resilience stack (detection, response, infrastructure, and civic preparedness), rather than focusing on a single hazard.
• Operational orientation. Our programs fund concrete deployments (detection systems, supply pipelines, infrastructure) rather than primarily research, advocacy, or awareness work.
• Member-driven funding. Recurring membership lets us plan multi-year deployments rather than depending on one-time campaigns.

No. UrthFund is an independent 501(c)(3) non-profit. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or operating on behalf of any federal, state, or local government agency. Where our programs intersect with agency missions (e.g., wildfire detection coordinated with USFS or CAL FIRE), we operate as an independent partner.

Yes. UrthFund is a registered 501(c)(3) tax-exempt non-profit (EIN 99-1751587). Donations are tax-deductible to the fullest extent allowed by US law. No goods or services are provided in exchange for donations.

You receive a receipt instantly by email when you donate, sent by our payment processor Stripe. The receipt includes UrthFund's EIN and the IRS-required acknowledgment language ("no goods or services provided"). Keep it for your tax records. If you've lost a receipt, contact us with the date and amount and we'll resend it.

Yes. The donation page lets you optionally designate your gift to one of our eight programs. We honor program designations to the extent feasible, with the caveat that UrthFund retains discretion to direct funds where they're needed most, including when a designated program is fully funded for the current cycle.

All major credit and debit cards (Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Discover) plus Apple Pay and Google Pay where available. All payments are processed by Stripe; UrthFund never sees or stores your card information.

Yes, for donations over $500. Contact us for wire instructions or our mailing address. Checks should be made out to UrthFund and mailed to:

UrthFund
1212 Broadway Plaza
Walnut Creek, CA 94596

Stock and securities donations are accepted. These are often more tax-efficient than cash for the donor. Contact us and we'll send DTC transfer instructions.

Cryptocurrency donations are not yet supported but are on our roadmap. If you'd like to donate crypto, get in touch and we'll figure something out manually.

Optional. Payment processors charge UrthFund roughly 2.2-3% of each donation as a transaction fee. Checking the "cover the fee" box adds approximately 3% to your gift so that 100% of your intended donation amount reaches UrthFund programs. It's a common way to maximize the impact of your contribution, but never required.

Yes, within 30 days of the donation. Per IRS rules, refunded donations may need to be adjusted on your tax return if you've already claimed the deduction. Contact us with the date and amount.

A donation is a one-time tax-deductible gift. A membership is a recurring contribution (monthly, quarterly, or annual) that places you in one of six recognition tiers. Both are tax-deductible. Members get a public profile page, a downloadable digital seal, a listing on the supporters wall, and an annual impact report.

By your annualized contribution (monthly × 12, quarterly × 4, annual × 1):

• Bronze: $50–$99 / year
• Silver: $100–$499 / year
• Gold: $500–$999 / year
• Platinum: $1,000–$4,999 / year
• Diamond: $5,000–$9,999 / year
• Founders Circle: $10,000+ / year

Tier updates automatically when you change your contribution amount.

Yes. Sign in to your member dashboard and click "Manage billing on Stripe". You can adjust amount, change billing interval, or update your card any time. Tier updates automatically.

Any time, no questions asked. From your member dashboard, click "Manage billing" and cancel. Your membership stays active until the end of your current billing period. We don't refund partial periods, but no further charges occur.

The digital member seal is a vector graphic with your tier and member-since year, personalized with your display name where applicable. You can download it as SVG (scales to any size) for use on your website, packaging, or print materials to show your support of UrthFund.

Yes, you can really use it. That's the point. Members in good standing have unlimited rights to display their seal commercially. We just ask that you not imply UrthFund endorses your products or services beyond the supporter relationship.

Yes. During signup, leave the display name blank and you'll be listed as an anonymous supporter (your contribution counts toward our totals but your name isn't shown). You can switch between named, anonymous, and fully hidden at any time from your dashboard.

Stripe automatically retries failed payments over several days and notifies you by email to update your card. If retries fail, your membership is marked "past due" and eventually canceled. You can re-activate any time by signing in and updating your payment method.

No. UrthFund does not sell, rent, or share donor information with third parties. See our privacy policy for full details.

UrthFund's eight programs are chosen by the board and operating team based on three criteria: (1) clear connection to resilience outcomes, (2) measurable deployment milestones, and (3) underfunded relative to scale of need. We periodically review the program portfolio and may add or sunset programs as conditions change.

Each program tracks deployment-level metrics: sensors installed, supplies staged, plants commissioned, acres protected, etc. We publish an annual impact report summarizing program-level outcomes and financial flows. Members receive the report by email; it's also publicly available.

UrthFund files an annual Form 990 with the IRS, which is publicly available through the IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search and via aggregators like GuideStar/Candid and ProPublica's Nonprofit Explorer. We also publish a plain- language financial summary in our annual impact report.

Our target is to direct at least 85% of contributions to program activities, with the remainder covering operational costs (technology, compliance, audits, payment processing). Actual ratios are published in the annual report and Form 990.

UrthFund uses passwordless sign-in via email magic links. You enter your email, we send a one-click sign-in link. Make sure you're using the same email address you used when you signed up. Check your spam folder if the link doesn't arrive within a minute or two. If you still can't sign in, contact us with the email address in question.

From your member dashboard, click "Manage billing on Stripe". Stripe's portal lets you update your email. Once updated there, sign out and back into UrthFund using the new address.

Open roles, when available, are listed via our newsletter and on the home page. We're a small team with a wide range of skill needs: engineering, operations, program management, partnership development. If you'd like to be considered for future opportunities, drop us a note via the contact form.

The simplest partnership is corporate membership (any tier from Bronze to Founders Circle), which gets your company a public profile and digital seal. For deeper partnerships (co-branded programs, employee matching, in-kind contributions, joint communications), contact us with details.