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Open Collective Setup — UCCO Foundation

For: Tim (manual setup) Date: 14 March 2026

Steps

1. Create the Collective

  1. Go to opencollective.com
  2. Click "Create a Collective"
  3. Name: UCCO Foundation
  4. Slug: ucco-foundation (this gives you opencollective.com/ucco-foundation)
  5. Description: "The open standard for cryptographic capability certification — for human and autonomous actors."
  6. Website: https://ucco.foundation

2. Apply to Open Source Collective as Fiscal Host

  1. During setup (or after, in Settings → Fiscal Host), apply to Open Source Collective as your fiscal host
  2. They'll review the application — typically takes a few days
  3. They require your project to be open source — the ucco-standard repo is public and CC BY 4.0, so you qualify
  4. Once approved, you can accept contributions via credit card, bank transfer, etc.

3. Set Up the Profile

Once approved:

  1. Upload the UCCO logo (blue version) as the avatar
  2. Add a cover image — the social preview card or a blueprint-style graphic
  3. Write a longer description for the page — can pull from the governance roadmap
  4. Add team members — you'll be the admin, add others as needed later
  5. Set a goal: $5,000 — "Formation threshold: when we reach $5,000, we incorporate the UCCO Foundation as a Delaware non-profit"
  6. Add tiers (optional, suggested):
  7. Founding Member — any amount. "Your name in the founding ledger."
  8. Founding Sponsor — $500+. "Your organisation in the founding ledger."

Add an "Invest in the Standard" or "Fund the Foundation" section to the website linking to the Open Collective page. Also link from the governance roadmap document.

5. Enable GitHub Sponsors (Optional, Later)

GitHub Sponsors can be configured to route to Open Collective. This means people who find the repo can sponsor directly from GitHub and the money flows to the same Open Collective ledger.

To set this up: 1. Go to the ucco-foundation org on GitHub 2. Settings → Sponsors → set up GitHub Sponsors 3. Point it at the Open Collective fiscal host

This is optional and can be done later. The Open Collective page is the primary funding surface.

What Open Source Collective Gives You

  • US 501(c)(6) fiscal host — they hold the money legally
  • Transparent public ledger — anyone can see every dollar in and out
  • Stripe and PayPal payment processing
  • Expense management — you submit expenses, they approve and pay
  • No setup fees, no monthly fees, no minimum balance
  • 10% host fee on incoming contributions (covers all their overhead)

What It Doesn't Give You

  • Tax-deductible donations (501(c)(6) is not 501(c)(3) — donors can't claim a tax deduction)
  • Legal entity status for the foundation itself (you still need to incorporate separately)
  • Bank account in the foundation's name (funds are held by OSC on your behalf)

These limitations are resolved at Phase 2 when the foundation incorporates.

Setup guide — 14 March 2026