Giving Tuesday: Consider supporting the non-profit Origins Project Foundation by upgrading to a paid subscription

Proceeds from Critical Mass subscriptions support the Foundation's efforts to bridge science and culture at a time when the world most needs it.

I don’t like fundraising, but alas, it is an essential part of running a non-profit foundation like the Origins Project Foundation. As most of you know, funds from Critical Mass subscriptions go to supporting The Origins Project Foundation.

This non-profit foundation has as its mission efforts to connect science and culture, and to help the public address the critical challenges facing society in the 21st century. We do this by three different sets of programming. First, The Origins Podcast, which appears bimonthly on Critical Mass involves thought leaders from across the entire spectrum of human intellectual activity, from Nobel Prizewinning scientists, to renowned authors, journalists, and artists including filmmakers and musicians, in a deep dive to discuss their origins and their ideas. Second, our Travel Adventures, where we host trips for participants to exotic locations of special interest relevant to our origins themes, and bring along renowned speakers with whom our travelers can interact, both through their lectures and during our numerous excursions and social events. Finally, we organize live public events around the world in which members of the public can listen to exciting speakers and panels, and interact with them through question and answer sessions, receptions, and more. During these live events we make special efforts to accommodate and encourage students to attend, by providing free tickets, meals, and if possible, transportation.

Each of these programs requires funds to continue operating. Podcasts must be recorded, edited, and posted, and sometimes these also involve travel in order to record our guests. The Travel adventures have numerous costs associated with bringing our guests and speakers to remote locations and providing them with materials to enhance their voyages, as well as arranging special tours to locations that are generally not accessible to the public. And finally our public events require booking locations, arranging filming and staffing, organizing events for students, and a host of other logistical details.

Most of the Foundation activities are run by volunteers. There are no full time staff, and we rely on donors to support all of the above expenses. At present about 10% of our Critical Mass subscribers are paid subscribers. The rest get much of our programming for free. It would be wonderful if current subscribers who enjoy the material presented here would consider upgrading to a paid subscription even for a month or two, or better yet, on a yearly basis. Thanks for considering this.

And after this brief commercial interruption now we return to our normal programming…