Apply HN: Fix Research Paywalls and Donate Directly to Research Projects/Groups
- More money goes towards research, less money goes to bureaucracy
- The public gets more access to research and is guided by the public interest
- Users get most of their donations back in tax write-off
The Problem:
Research in the U.S. has two glaring issues:
1. Accessing research is usually behind a paywall or obfuscated with complex language
2. Research isn't guided by public interest - i.e. we don't control where the money goes (with our donations or taxes).
[1] http://www.cancer.org/research/infographicgallery/where-does...
[2] http://www.cancer.org/research/applyforaresearchgrant/
The Solution:
A website that allows users to donate directly to a research groups or projects. In return, research groups share their research with funders in a legible/non-obfuscated format.
Users can view individual projects they wish to fund or select a "Tag" or "Category" they wish to fund (i.e. breast cancer). This money will be provided via grants, similar to what the American Cancer Society does it.
To ensure the research groups are valid, we will inspect all paperwork, personal, and potentially facility.
Profitability:
With all business ideas, we need to make money. Rather than taking 26%+[1] of donations for administrative costs, we plan to have a different payment structure. Users will pay a guesstimated $100 yearly fee to cover administrative costs, plus a percentage (estimated 5%) to cover transaction fees.
The goal is to have users donate monthly, to the limit (or above) what you can write off on your taxes yearly. Meaning it doesn't cost users money, they get a receipt at the end of the year to write off on their taxes.