Funding Proposal — Our Mission
People's Vision —
Rebuilding America
A traveling participatory art maze where everyday Americans walk through, 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
L'Arc Design Group · Cultural Content Strategist & Brand Storyteller
Twenty years of experience in cultural content strategy, creative program consulting, and brand storytelling. Former AP photojournalist, published food critic, and SAG professional. Founder of YoutopiaU, a social-emotional learning platform for at-risk youth that received NASA recognition in 1999.
Barbara Furbush — Co-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.
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.
