Financial Support

WasabiNet is a registered LLC in the State of Missouri, and it sustains itself from its subscription revenue.

In the past, WasabiNet has received $8000 in grant funds from the Incarnate Word Foundation for 2009 and 2010, with fiscal sponsorship from the Community Arts and Movement Project (C. A. M. P.). These funds were used to deploy the mesh wifi service itself, to provide desktop computers to low-income families, and also to develop a small business model that would let the mesh network sustain itself (as it does now).

Budget

Although our present operating budget needs to be flexible and adaptable, this is an example of a $5100 budget that we used on a on a previous grant application:

• 20 mesh routers from open-mesh.com, with shipping: 796.64
• 20 7dB antennas, with shipping: $144.5
• Parts to repair 10 used computers, including lock cables: $500
• 5 Desktop wifi cards (for families who already have a PC): 100
• Design of captive portal design and subscription payment webpage: 500
• Three 3Mbit Speakeasy DSL connections, installation fee: 300
• 6months of service for the 3 DSL connections: 1800
• Co-op legal advice (estimated for 2 hours consultation): 200
• Printed outreach and promotion materials: 300
• Misc paid staff hours (50hrs @ $10/hr): 500

Total: 5141.14

For example of a $25,000 budget to deploy a mesh capable of serving hundreds of users, you may read our original proposal here.