Support Sagebrush Standards
Legal workflows are foundational infrastructure for access to justice. When you standardize how legal documents are created, validated, and executed, you democratize sophisticated legal automation. Solo practitioners gain the same capabilities as large law firms. Legal aid organizations serve more clients with limited resources. The entire legal system becomes more accessible.
Sagebrush Standards ensure this infrastructure remains open, interoperable, and available to everyone—not controlled by vendors who prioritize profit over justice.
Why Non-Profit Matters
The Neon Law Foundation operates as a non-profit organization dedicated to advancing access to justice through open-source software. This structure provides critical protections:
We cannot be sold. No acquisition will ever redirect Sagebrush Standards toward commercial interests or shareholder returns.
We cannot pivot. Our mission—advancing access to justice—is legally binding. We serve this purpose exclusively.
We cannot be shuttered on a whim. The foundation structure ensures continuity beyond any individual or commercial pressure.
Your financial support remains independent from investor expectations or market pressures. You fund infrastructure for justice, not quarterly earnings.
Where Your Support Goes
Every dollar you contribute supports three critical areas:
Contributors
We compensate developers, legal technologists, and standards reviewers at fair hourly rates for:
- Core Sagebrush Standards development — Building and maintaining the specification, validation system, and reference implementations
- Documentation and examples — Creating clear guides, sample notations, and tutorials that help legal professionals adopt standards
- Community support — Answering questions, reviewing submissions, and helping organizations implement workflows
- Quality assurance — Testing, validation, and ensuring reliability across implementations
Fair compensation attracts talented contributors who advance the standards efficiently and sustainably.
Services
Infrastructure and operational costs include:
- Repository hosting — GitHub organization and repository management
- Documentation websites — Hosting technical specifications and guides
- Continuous integration systems — Automated testing and validation for every change
- Community platforms — Forums, chat systems, and collaboration tools for the Sagebrush Standards community
These services ensure the standards remain accessible, well-documented, and reliable.
Upstream and Ecosystem
We support the open-source projects that Sagebrush Standards depends on:
- Template engines — Contributing to Liquid and other templating systems we use
- Legal technology projects — Supporting complementary open-source legal tools
- Standards organizations — Participating in broader standardization efforts that benefit legal technology
Strengthening the entire ecosystem benefits everyone who builds on these foundations.
Our Commitment to Transparency
We publish all financial information publicly. You can verify exactly where contributions go and what work they fund.
What we disclose:
- Every donation received (amount and source, unless anonymous)
- Every expense paid (what it funded and when)
- Hours worked by contributors and what they accomplished
- Adoption metrics showing real-world impact
Transparency builds trust and demonstrates responsible stewardship of your contributions.
How to Support
Online Donations
Support Sagebrush Standards development directly:
All donations to the Neon Law Foundation support our mission of advancing access to justice through open-source legal technology.
Larger Contributions
For substantial donations, donor-advised funds, or corporate sponsorships:
Contact: [email protected]
We work with:
- Law firms investing in open legal infrastructure
- Legal aid organizations that benefit from standardized workflows
- Legal technology companies building on Sagebrush Standards
- Foundations supporting access to justice initiatives
In-Kind Contributions
You can contribute directly to Sagebrush Standards development:
- Development time — Build validation tools, create reference implementations, or improve documentation
- Legal expertise — Review notations for legal accuracy and compliance
- Testing and feedback — Adopt standards in your practice and report what works or needs improvement
Contact us to coordinate in-kind contributions: [email protected]
Tax Deductibility
The Neon Law Foundation operates as a non-profit organization. We are working toward 501(c)(3) status to ensure all U.S. donations are tax-deductible.
Contact us for current tax status: [email protected]
What Your Support Enables
When you fund Sagebrush Standards, you advance specific outcomes:
Vendor independence — Legal professionals control their workflows without proprietary lock-in. You can switch service providers seamlessly because the standards define the interface.
Democratized automation — Small firms access the same sophisticated workflow automation as large organizations. You compete on legal expertise, not software budgets.
AI-ready legal system — Structured, validated legal documents enable reliable AI assistance while maintaining human oversight. You augment your expertise with machine intelligence safely.
Quality and compliance — Validation systems catch errors before they reach clients. Audit trails demonstrate compliance. You serve more clients without sacrificing quality.
Shared knowledge — Workflow definitions become shareable community resources. Best practices spread across the profession. You benefit from collective experience.
The Long-Term Vision
Sagebrush Standards create lasting infrastructure. Your support today builds systems that will serve the legal profession for decades.
We envision a legal system where:
- Every legal workflow can be standardized, validated, and automated
- Solo practitioners access the same tools as BigLaw
- Legal aid organizations serve more people with limited resources
- Clients receive faster, more consistent service
- Innovation comes from open collaboration, not proprietary competition
This vision requires sustainable funding from those who benefit from open legal infrastructure.
Questions or More Information
General Inquiries: [email protected]
Technical Questions: [email protected]
GitHub Repository: github.com/neon-law-foundation/SagebrushStandards
Your support advances access to justice through open, standardized legal technology. Thank you for investing in legal infrastructure that serves everyone.