As we head into 2026, I’ve been starting to think about a potential Malleable Systems grant funding program. It’s still at the idea stage for now. 
Are there malleable-focused projects you wish you could pursue, if only there were some funding available to support your work? If we find there’s sufficient interest in something like this, we can start to work on further details from there.
Prompted me to share my ongoing project.
How can this be turned into an application? 
Thanks for sharing your project!
For the moment, I am just trying to gauge interest. In the new year (assuming sufficient interest), there will be more discussion to work out details of program terms, application process, etc.
Hello Malleable Systems Collective,
I know how hard it is to build malleable systems. It is a complex problem, both conceptually and technically. At times, it feels like a problem that may never be fully solved. It is also the kind of work that is hard to explain and hard to show clear benefits. I learned this the hard way.
About ten years ago, after learning about Memex, I began working on my own vision. My old site was wisdomhunt.com. I failed many times and started over again and again.
In 2025, something finally came together. I built a prototype that I genuinely feel good about. My new site is webofobjects.com. The prototype represents real progress for me, even though there is still a lot to do.
Receiving a grant would feel like a miracle. Also it would be nice to work with others who care deeply about these same problems.
P.S. It would really help me if you guys subscribe to my YouTube channel.
Thanks,
Valentin
I will be interested in funding for the Cardumem malleable wiki engine, that I have linked in several threads (as I see it fits on the conversation on a particular malleable property or system).
We got a microgrant in the past (around €2500) from ESUG (European Smalltalk Users Group) in the past for Grafoscopio, and even those small amounts can work charms when transferred from the Global North to the Global Majority.
On another collective there is a growing program that starts by small funds and doubles it (lets say €5.000 €10.000 €20.000) in further funding rounds, so small projects can grow in an organic way, which is pretty well suited for grassroots collectives and small foundations/enterprise as the ones that characterize the Global Majority. It may be a funding model to consider.
3 posts were merged into an existing topic: Web of Objects
Thanks for sharing your project. Since it hasn’t been mentioned here before, it’s probably best to have a separate thread for it, so that feedback on the project can go to the separate thread while this one focuses on funding aspects.
I created a separate thread and moved the existing posts there.
Ah, haven’t heard of this doubling approach, seems like an interesting model indeed. If there’s more info about this, please pass it along.
A more precise term would be increasing funding, as I don’t remember if it was doubling exactly (maybe it was). I will ask to the friends who told me about that scheme, and come back here once they answer me about it.
My main Malleable Systems project at this time is HyperDoc (see here for a high-level summary of its goals). The main goal I am pursuing with the means I have is its use for publishing scientific knowledge. But I have plenty of other ideas for applying it, and for building bridges to other systems, which can only happen with additional resources.
This of course would be welcomed by any of us, who wouldn’t want funding for their project?
However, it may actually not be the best thing for a project: what happens when the funding runs out? Just paying yourself for a sabbatical where you make coding progress or demos but still have no more audience or traction would be a bit of a waste of money.
So do you instead use the funds to gain followers and collaborators to keep the momentum going when the money runs out? Perhaps that’s what the bulk of funding should go towards? I’ve no idea how to “buy” authentic collaborators though!
What I’m saying is that progress in a project can only come from building community, not (just) from money and time to work on it: there’s a risk your pet project is funded to be even less accessible, even deeper in its own rabbit hole, without strong feedback from the real world.
Can something like this be set up, so that funding comes with some form of mandatory socialisation, or at a minimum some kind of mentorship scheme?
What you say applies to software development projects, which are notoriously difficult to fund via grants, which are more adapted to research projects.
And that makes me wonder what kind of project @jryans had in mind when starting this thread!
About project types, I’ve been imagining things like research projects, prototypes, etc. I feel like many of things we discuss in this community often languish at the idea stage because people aren’t able to focus their time to go further. If a grant would enable them push that forward into some kind of tangible artifact, that seems like a successful outcome to me.
I think more established projects are not likely to be a good match here, as a grant would then just be funding month N of continued development or something, which (although surely important to that project) seems harder to justify.
When you say “socialisation”, are you thinking of “promotional” content e.g. advertising funded projects on social media and such?
As for mentorship, I’d be open to offering some amount of mentoring time if that’s of interest… Though personally, I think sharing project updates and current obstacles here for the whole community to comment on might be more valuable than hearing my thoughts privately.