faq

Updated: 2022-12-19

How may I get support?

Talk to us about what you need by emailing us. If you are seeking a grant, then make sure to follow our social media and be signed up for our mailing list to learn about the latest time-based opportunities.

What is Fabricatorz Foundation Mission Statement?

Fabricatorz Foundation supports global initiatives that transform energy through art, technology, and culture. Based in St. Louis, we drive community-focused impact with cultural exchange, public events, education, and project incubation. We invest in open knowledge, free culture, and people.

What is Fabricatorz Foundation’s role?

First, we provide support creative technologists with direct assistance. We also assist financially where possible for individuals and teams. For organizations, we may serve as a United States 501(c)3 non-profit host organization. With the evolving situation since early 2020 worldwide, whereas before we offered support in-person, we do our best to refer the best people both locally in Saint Louis and abroad in cities and jurisdictions we have affiliations. We also take a leadership position in areas we have experience, including art, design, software engineering, hardware development, open source culture, business. While we have significant global experience, we are physically based now in Saint Louis Missouri and prefer projects connected locally that relate globally and are looking a more broad scope.

What is Fabricatorz goal?

Our goal is to support people, teams and organizations who work at the forefront of creative technology. Some might call this innovation or invention, we promote the free exchange of intellectual property, culture, technology, and ideas.

What does “free software”, “open source” and “free culture” mean?

Generally, Open Source is a software movement where people let others have access to their work in order to improve up that work. Sometimes, creators of software even require that those who modify their original work, share-back those changes.

Specifically, Open Source is the sharing of software source code under a license that allows for variable levels of sharing, all under the control of the creator.

Before Open Source, the primary concept for giving away creative works was for a creator to release their copyright into the public domain. That became complicated in the 20th century to the point that no copyright was needed for a creative work to be immediately copyrighted upon creation. After the birth of the Free Software Movement and the subsequent Open Source Movements, many “copyright licenses” were created such as the Creative Commons licenses, in order to empower creators to share how they want to share with the world a creative work (and that includes software).

The term “Free Culture” came about to encapsulate Free Software, Open Source, and the cultural movement of sharing one’s creative work with the world in a way that expands and signifies how others may build upon said work.

Fabricatorz came from this Free Culture and understanding and participating in these cultures is important to us.

See also

Who is Bassel Khartabil?

Bassel Khartabil was our dear friend, loyal activist and an original leader of Fabricatorz. He was a Palestinian-Syrian software developer turned open source activist before he was captured by the Syrian regime. In 2015, he was executed by the regime. Everone only discovered this tas well, almost two years later with the announcement made public by his wife, Noura Ghazi in 2017.

His life and legacy serve as an inspiration to our projects and organizational vision. We dedicated a Fellowship in his name, the Bassel Khartabil Fellowship, awarded to a creative technologist making significant contributions to their field. Our first recipient was Majd al-Shihabi in 2019. In 2020, Dr. Tarek Loubani received support for his work on the Glia Project to make Open Source Medical Hardware.

Who is on your team?

Our team is comprised of passionate technologists, entrepreneurs, artists, and creatives. Our founders have extensive experience in art and technology with associations such as Creative Commons, Gray Area Foundation for the Arts, and Venture Cafe. Our team is based in Saint Louis, San Francisco, France, China and Europe.

Who are your affiliated with?

Arthackday, BEAM Foundation, Barjeel Art Foundation, Canaan Creative, Christie, Creative Commons, EFF, Freebassel, Google, Gray Area Foundation for the Arts, Harvard Berkman Center, Hong Kong City University, ME’D1.ATE Soundwave Festival, Mozilla, New Palmyra, Obscura Digital, UCSD Calit2, Venture Cafe, and Wikimedia Foundation.

What key events and exhibitions have you supported?

01 Festival, Artbasel (Hong Kong, Miami and Switzerland), Arthackday, Beijing 2008 Olympics Installation, Cantocore Guangzhou/SF, Club Transmediale Berlin, Coca-Cola 125th Anniversary Building Projection, Cynetart Dresden, Empire State Building Installation, Exploratorium Emergence SF, Fort Al Jahili UAE, Futureplaces Porto, Get It Louder Shanghai, Gray Area Festival, ICA London, Mutek Montreal, ORF Musikprotokol Austria, Open Source Art @ SFMoMa, RML Cinechamber 2009-2012, Recombinant Festival, SF Symphony 100 Year Gala Projection Mapping, Shiekh Zayed Mosque UAE, Siggraph, Sonar Festival, St. Peter’s Basilica, Starcave Calit2, SxSW, Transmediale Berlin, UNESCO, United Nations, University of Damascus Syria, Venice Architectural Biennale, Yerba Buena Center for the Arts.

Which people have you supported?

Ai Weiwei, Camille Utterback, Carsten Nikolai, Einsturzende Neubauten, Florian Hecker, Huang Xiaopeng, Janelle Monae, Jay-Z, Jon Rose, Kronos Quartet, Lev Manovich, M.I.A, Matt Hope, Naut Humon, Noah Wardrip-Fruin, Oval, Per Huttner, Robert Henke, Signal, Zhou Tou, Zuoxiao Zuzhou

How may we meet?

Our team meets regularly in the St. Louis area, and we respond to email.

How may I get involved?

We welcome direct lines of communication with our founders about your skills, goals, intentions, and ambitions.

What are your legal registrations?

  • Fabricatorz Foundation is a USA 501(c)3 Non-Profit.
  • DUNS:  102010178
  • Federal Cage Code: 8CQR1
  • FEIN 82-4618698
  • Missouri Charter: N000706693

What organizations do you host?

What initiatives do you grant?