What is SPACAT (spa-cat)?

The “Support Practitioners to Adopt Community Aligned Technology” (SPACAT) project is managed by Our Sci LLC, with funds awarded through a grant from Float, a collaboration between The Schmidt Family Foundation / 11th Hour Project and Raft Foundation.

Our Sci LLC specializes in supporting community driven agricultural and environmental innovation through the use of open source hardware, software, and training.

What is the purpose of SPACAT?

SPACAT provides funds to “on-the-ground” organizations working to strengthen local and regional food systems who want to adopt open source tools. Examples include (but not limited to) organizations promoting adoption of sustainable production practices (organic, agroecological, regenerative) or strengthening farmer-consumer connections.

Why is this important?

Practitioners (organizations, farmers, and food system actors) must often adopt tools that lock users into expensive technology ecosystems or do not represent their values because existing open source tools may not provide the same technical support or ease of use that proprietary tools do. By providing matching funds for direct technical support to groups interested in adopting these tools, we hope to bridge the gap between existing open source tools and users.

Who is eligible to access services?

Individuals or organizations that are open to using open-source tools to transform sustainable food systems at the local or regional level. Examples organizations are:

Farmers, Food Hubs, Farmer Coops, Conservation Districts, Research Organizations, Non-Profits, and Other farm-related organizations

Do I need to pay for the technology support services?

The initial Discovery meeting and the first 5 hours of support are free (100% covered by the SPACAT fund).

After that, cost share funds are available to match 40% of the upon request to cover additional technical support. The organizations or individuals receiving support are expected to cover 60% of the additional technical support costs. If you are unable to match 60% of the technical support cost, you can request a waiver to reduce the percent of matching funds required.

How can support funds be used?

Funds are to be used to pay technology support specialists (TSS) to support the adoption and use of open source tools, based on the list of services listed above.

Our Sci will match you with an appropriate TSS from our directory of technology support specialists. If you have a preferred TSS, they can apply to engage with Our Sci as an independent contractor by completing this APPLICATION.