Funding Proposal — Our Mission
To engage with citizens across America for social benefit and economic growth in the form of a traveling participatory art maze, where everyday Americans navigate through the maze, reflect, and add their voices to the questions
shaping our collective future.
Seeking: $35,000 – $75,000 in Seed Funding
The Opportunity
The Problem
- Civic dialogue in America has fractured into isolated echo chambers with no shared public space
- Everyday Americans feel their voices are unheard in the national conversation
- Traditional civic engagement tools (town halls, surveys, op-eds) reach only those already engaged
- Art and community experience as civic tools remain drastically underfunded
Our Solution
People's Vision is a traveling participatory art installation — a physical and digital maze that creates a genuine shared civic space. Visitors walk through, encounter the big subject headings that frame American life, and add their own voices. Every opinion is recorded, every voice counts.
- Physical maze installation at public venues, civic events, and protests
- Interactive 3D digital maze accessible anywhere via browser
- Real-time data collection of public opinion across 15 civic subject areas
- Portable, low-cost, high-impact — deployable in days, not months
The Installation
The maze is organized around 15 subject headings — the foundational topics that frame America's national conversation. Visitors navigate a physical or digital corridor, encounter each subject panel, and submit their opinion by voice or text.
Democracy & Civic Life
Environment & Climate
Education & Learning
Health & Well-being
Economic Justice
Arts & Culture
Community & Belonging
Technology & the Future
Housing & Place
Safety & Justice
Immigration & Identity
Food & Sustenance
Work & Dignity
Peace & Global Responsibility
Spirituality & Meaning
The Digital Platform
The interactive 3D maze at peoplesvision-rebuildingamerica.org mirrors the physical installation. Built in Three.js with Firebase backend, it allows anyone in the country to walk through, submit opinions, and see results in real time.
Platform Features
- Full 3D first-person navigation — keyboard and mobile-touch compatible
- Voice-to-text and written opinion submission per subject panel
- Firebase Firestore real-time database — all opinions archived
- Subject suggestion feature — visitors propose new civic headings
- QR code access for physical installation visitors
- Analytics dashboard tracking engagement by subject and region
Audience & Reach
258M
Eligible U.S. voters — our primary audience
15
Civic subject headings, expandable by public suggestion
∞
Digital reach — browser-based, no app download required
$0
Cost to participate — radically accessible by design
Target Audiences
- Everyday Americans of all ages, backgrounds, and political affiliations
- Civic organizations, libraries, community centers, and universities
- Protest and public assembly organizers seeking structured civic dialogue
- Educators integrating civic participation into curriculum
- Journalists and researchers studying public opinion at scale
Distribution Strategy
Phase 1 — Local Pilot
- Monterey Bay Area installations
- Public events and civic gatherings
- Digital maze launched and live
- First 500 opinions collected
Phase 2 — California
- Major city installations (SF, LA, San Diego)
- University and library partnerships
- Media outreach — results story
- 10,000+ digital participants
Phase 3 — National
- Traveling installation across 10+ states
- Endorsements from civic leaders
- Congressional and policy engagement
- 100,000+ voices on record
Funding Request
Seeking: $35,000 – $75,000 in seed funding to expand the platform, build the physical installation, and launch the first traveling tour.
With $35,000
- Physical maze construction: $12,000
- Digital platform development: $8,000
- Outreach & marketing materials: $4,000
- First 3 venue installations: $5,000
- Legal & nonprofit filing: $3,000
- Operations & contingency: $3,000
With $75,000 (expanded)
- All items from $35K: $35,000
- Native mobile app (iOS/Android): $15,000
- CTV advertising campaign: $10,000
- Paid outreach coordinator: $8,000
- 10-city tour logistics: $7,000
Milestones & Timeline
Months 1–2: Launch
- Digital maze fully operational with all 15 subject panels
- Firebase analytics dashboard live
- First physical installation completed
- Media outreach begins
Months 3–4: Pilot Expansion
- 3–5 public installations across Monterey Bay Area
- Beta testing with 500+ participants
- First data report published
- Partnership outreach to civic organizations
Months 5–12: Growth
- Statewide California tour
- Institutional partnerships (3–5 confirmed)
- Apply for larger arts/civic grants using documented results
- National expansion planning underway
Success Metrics
Participation
- Physical visitors: target 1,000 in pilot phase
- Digital maze sessions: target 10,000 in Year 1
- Opinions submitted: target 25,000 across all subjects
- Subject suggestions received: target 500+
Engagement Quality
- Average panels visited per session: target 5 of 15
- Voice submission rate: target 30% of participants
- Return visitors: target 20% within 30 days
Civic Impact
- Media mentions: target 10 in Year 1
- Civic organization partnerships: target 5
- Policy or editorial references to collected data: target 3
Team
Cate Mulligan — Founder & Executive Producer of L'Arc Design Group
L'Arc Design Group · Cultural Content Strategist & Brand Storyteller
Twenty years of experience in cultural content strategy, creative program consulting, and brand storytelling. Former photojournalist, published food critic, and SAG professional. Founder of YoutopiaU, (that received NASA recognition in 1999.) and WilaminaShakespeare.com, both social-emotional learning platforms for youth of all ages.
Barbara Furbush — Concept Creator & Artist
Printmaker & Installation Artist
A printmaker by training, prone to flights of installation and participatory art. Barbara's work tends more toward implication than the explicit — making her the ideal creative partner for a civic project that listens more than it speaks. Her participatory journey began at the University of Maryland with mentor Phil Simpkin. These participatory projects can be found at her website: bfurbushart.com
Revenue & Sustainability
Free Access (Always)
- Digital maze — free, browser-based, no account required
- Physical installations — free public admission
- All civic data collected — publishable and shareable
Revenue Streams
- Institutional licensing: Schools, universities, civic organizations — $500–$2,500/year for curated data reports
- Corporate sponsorship: Logo placement, branded subject panels, "Powered by" partnerships
- Event installations: Conferences, festivals, civic gatherings — $2,500–$8,000 per deployment
- Grant funding: NEA, civic technology, democracy, and arts foundations
- Data licensing: Anonymized aggregate opinion data for researchers and journalists
Why Now
America is still being written. The questions that will define the next generation — about democracy, justice, belonging, and truth — are already being asked in living rooms, on street corners, and at kitchen tables across the country. People's Vision gives those conversations a home and a record.
The digital maze is built. The physical installation is ready to travel. What we need now is the support to bring it to scale — and to ensure that when history looks back at this moment, everyday American voices are part of the archive.
AMERICA IS STILL BEING WRITTEN.
WALK IN. SPEAK UP. REBUILD.
