Frequently Asked Questions

About Project Earth

What is Project Earth?

Project Earth connects donors, project sponsors, workers and volunteers to support grassroots, community-driven projects in developing countries and communities. It brings together financial, technical, logistical and workforce support to help communities achieve their own development goals. Projects may improve essential infrastructure and services, including health, education, sanitation, transport and accommodation. The broader aim is to strengthen communities’ capacity to improve their own welfare and create lasting benefits.

How does Project Earth work?

Communities identify their needs and develop proposals for projects that will address them. A community representative registers as a project sponsor and submits a proposal through the Project Earth website. The intended development process comprises seven phases, four funding gateways and three funding rounds. Project Earth will assess proposals, coordinate funding arrangements and provide project-management support. Donors can discover projects that interest them, while volunteers and professionals can contribute their knowledge, skills and labour. Projects are intended to progress from their initial concept through design, approvals, construction and ultimately operation, with requirements and decisions recorded along the way. The current nonfinancial pilot records proposals, evidence and decisions. Funding collection and real operational delivery are not active; affected progression remains paused until funding targets and transition rules are settled.

Project Sponsors

Who can propose a project?

Any adult representing a community can register as a project sponsor and propose a project. Sponsors create an account and use the Sponsor a Project pathway to register their proposal.

How are proposals submitted and assessed?

Sponsors register their project through the website, providing information about the community’s needs, the proposed solution, location, estimated value, expected benefits and supporting documentation. Project Earth assesses proposals against the requirements of its project development framework. Sponsors can use their project dashboard to follow progress, submit additional information and identify outstanding requirements. Formal gateway decisions are made by authorised Project Earth personnel and recorded in the project’s decision history.

What are the seven project development phases?

Project Earth’s intended development framework comprises seven phases: 1. Project Initiation — Identifying the community need, developing the initial proposal and obtaining preliminary community endorsement. 2. Project Design — Preparing the project brief, designs and necessary professional documentation. 3. Project Approval — Obtaining the relevant design, community and statutory approvals. 4. Project Tender — Preparing construction documentation and selecting appropriate contractors. 5. Project Mobilisation — Establishing contracts, organising resources and preparing for construction. 6. Project Construction — Undertaking the building works, monitoring progress and completing the required construction activities. 7. Project Operation — Commissioning, handover, occupation and ongoing operation of the completed facility. Project phases describe the work being undertaken. Funding gateways separately determine whether the project has satisfied the requirements to proceed. In the pilot, affected transitions remain paused; historical workflow records and decisions are retained.

What are Project Earth's four funding gateways?

Funding gateways are formal checkpoints designed to ensure that projects meet defined requirements before progressing. G01 — Commence Design Funding: Verifies the sponsor, community need, preliminary endorsement, project concept, outline plan and initial marketing information before authorising Funding Round 01. G02 — Commence Design and Approval: Confirms the design funding threshold and the required project brief, concept design, consultant requirements, updated community endorsement and outline plan. G03 — Commence Construction: Confirms the construction funding threshold and reviews developed designs, engineering, approvals, community endorsement, delivery methodology and tender arrangements. G04 — Commence Operations: Confirms the operations funding threshold and verifies completion, commissioning, handover and occupation requirements. Each gateway requires supporting evidence and an authorised decision. Completing a task does not automatically mean that a gateway has been approved. Funding targets and the rules linking gateway authorisation to progression remain to be agreed. Affected transitions stay disabled, and fictional test decisions do not authorise real funding or construction.

What are the three funding rounds?

Project Earth separates intended project funding into three rounds: F01 — Design Costs: Funding for project design and related professional work. F02 — Construction Costs: Funding for the preparation and delivery of construction. F03 — Operations Costs: Funding associated with bringing the completed project into operation. Each funding round requires its own recorded target. A project must meet the relevant funding and gateway requirements before proceeding to the next authorised activity. Funding collection and financial transactions are not yet active on the demonstration website. Funding targets and the rules linking gateway authorisation to progression remain to be agreed; affected transitions stay disabled.

What happens if a project does not meet a gateway requirement?

The outstanding requirement must be addressed before the gateway can be authorised. The sponsor can provide additional information, revise documents or complete the necessary activities. Project Earth then reviews the evidence and records the relevant decision.

Donors

How can donors find projects?

Donors can browse projects through the Discover Projects page and the donor Browse section. In the donor Browse section, projects can be searched by: • Project type: Agriculture, Education, Health, Infrastructure, Ecology, Technology & Innovation, Housing or Other. • Location: geographic region, country, region or state, town or village. Project type and location can be combined to help donors find projects that match their interests. Project pages show recorded information about purpose, location, community, estimated value, expected benefits and available progress updates, subject to existing access permissions. Estimated project value ranges are displayed as tags; an estimated-value search filter is not currently available. Discover Projects displays eligible project cards.

How will donations work?

When financial services are activated, donors will be able to contribute to eligible projects through Project Earth. Project Earth will manage and control the deployment of donated funds on behalf of donors, subject to the project’s approved funding arrangements and applicable controls. The current demonstration website uses fictional sample projects. Donations, payments and other financial transactions are not yet active, and no money is accepted.

Can donors follow a project's progress?

Yes. Project Earth plans to provide donors with regular news and updates about the projects they support, allowing them to follow progress from initial funding through design, construction, completion and operation. The following describes planned functionality. Currently, project information pages show available recorded information, photographs and timelines, subject to existing access permissions. The Follow button is not active. Donor subscriptions, email delivery, milestone notifications and notification preferences are not yet available. Donations and financial transactions are not yet active. Planned updates will include: • Funding progress: Funding targets achieved, successful funding rounds and commencement of subsequent project activities. • Design and approvals: Design developments, community consultations, professional appointments, approvals and significant decisions. • Construction progress: Photographs, progress reports, construction milestones and news about the people delivering the project. • Community stories: Photographs, experiences and achievements of the communities benefiting from the project. • Challenges and changes: Significant delays, variations, unexpected difficulties and the measures taken to address them. • Completion and handover: Completion of construction, commissioning, handover and commencement of use. • Operation and outcomes: News about how completed facilities are being used, who is benefiting and the improvements achieved. Donors are intended to receive project news through their Project Earth accounts and by email, according to their notification preferences. Additional notifications for important project milestones are planned. Each project's information page is intended to maintain a chronological history of approved updates, photographs, milestones and reports. This complete news history is planned functionality. Under the planned publication process, updates will be provided by project sponsors and delivery teams and reviewed by Project Earth before publication. Project Earth aims to maintain an ongoing relationship between donors and the communities they support, enabling donors to see how their contributions are used and the lasting benefits they help create.

Project Delivery

How are projects managed and completed?

Project sponsors will work with Project Earth to coordinate the professional, technical, logistical and construction activities required for delivery. The seven-phase framework establishes the intended development sequence, while funding gateways provide separate formal checkpoints for authorising progression. The pilot’s project-management tools record tasks, milestones, documentation, variations, approvals and completion requirements. At handover, the completed facility must be ready to operate. Some projects may subsequently generate revenue, depending on their operating arrangements. Real operational delivery is not active. Funding targets and the rules linking gateway authorisation to progression remain to be agreed; affected transitions stay disabled. Fictional test decisions do not authorise real funding or construction.

How are projects monitored?

Project Earth reviews progress reports, photographs, technical documents and other supporting evidence submitted during development. Authorised reviewers assess relevant documentation, while gateway decisions are recorded in a permanent decision history. Document revisions and earlier decisions are retained so that changes can be traced rather than silently overwritten or backdated.

Founding Community

How can people join the Founding Community?

Invited adults can register through the Help Us Get Started pathway. Members create a private profile describing their skills, experience, interests and availability. They may propose voluntary, nonfinancial contributions, including professional assistance, local knowledge, research, communications or other practical support. Project Earth reviews proposed contributions before they become agreed activities.

Can members be recognised publicly?

Yes, but only with their consent. Members control whether their name and verified contributions appear in public recognition. They can withdraw consent, and private contact information is not published. Joining the Founding Community does not automatically make someone a legal founder or director of Project Earth.

Transparency

How will project progress and outcomes be reported?

Project pages display available approved information about progress, timelines, milestones, photographs and outcomes. Project Earth maintains records of supporting documents, reviews and formal decisions, including their history. This allows project development to be traced from the original proposal through completion and operation, while protecting confidential information. Current demonstration outcomes are fictional, not evidence of real project delivery.

How will expenditure be reported?

Financial reporting is planned as part of Project Earth’s funding and project-management system. When financial services are activated, expenditure will be reported against individual projects so donors can understand how contributions have been used. No donations, payments, real expenditure authorisations or funding releases are currently enabled.

Accounts and Privacy

How is personal information protected?

Personal profiles are private to the account holder and appropriately authorised Project Earth Staff. Public recognition and other personal information are displayed only where the person has provided the relevant consent. Private contact details are not published, and ordinary members cannot access other members’ private profiles or internal Staff decisions.

How do I manage my account?

The Account page allows users to register, confirm their email address, sign in and recover their password. Members can update their own profiles and manage their consent preferences.

Contact and Support

How can I contact Project Earth?

For support, use your existing Project Earth Staff or Founding Community contact. Founding Community members can also propose nonfinancial contributions through their existing participation pathway. A general website enquiry form and in-account support messaging are not currently available.

Where can I get help using the website?

For sign-in difficulties, use the password recovery option on the Account page. For other assistance, use your existing Project Earth Staff or Founding Community contact. A general website support form is not currently available.

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