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Industry Innovation and Infrastructure

Please Treat the Information in the Digest as Confidential. Do Not Circulate Outside of the Lex Mundi Network.

If you are interested in a matter, please let us know as soon as possible by emailing Isis Bous and Allison Laubach through the “Ask About This Matter” button on the details page or directly (ibous@lexmundiprobono.org; alaubach@lexmundiprobono.org) and let us know which project(s) interests you. We will place matches with Lex Mundi member firms on a first-come, first-served basis.

You can view all matter summaries on the “Digest” page(s). To view matters by legal need, select the category of interest. See details of individual matters via the “Read More” link in a matter. To view all details of all available matters, choose “View All”.

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Consultation (9) Contracts (6) Corporate Governance (1) Employment/Labor (1) Finance/Fundraising (2) Intellectual Property (2) Nonprofit Formation (3) Regulatory (1) Research (1) Tax Exempt/Nonprofit (11)

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Riffle Ventures

Establish 501(c)(3)

Summary:

Assist an organization enhancing economic and community resilience to climate change by establishing a 501(c)(3).

Referred by:

Jurisdictions: U.S.
About the Organization: Riffle Ventures’ mission is to enhance economic and community resilience to climate change. They are building a community platform and eco-system of overlooked diverse founders of innovative organizations; developing and sharing content and resources with this community; and providing technical support and training to the community.
Legal Entity Type: For-profit
SDG(s):Affordable and Clean Energy, Clean Water and Sanitation, Climate Action, Decent Work and Economic Growth, Gender Equality, Industry Innovation and Infrastructure, Life Below Water (conservation and sustainability), Life on Land (sustainability of ecosystems), Partnerships to achieve the Goals, Reduced Inequalities, Responsible Consumption and Production, Sustainable Cities and Communities
Legal Issue(s):

The Riffle Ventures team has already established a for-profit entity for their work. They are now seeking assistance establishing a new 501(c)(3) (both incorporating and filing for 501(c)(3) status). This non-profit will operate at arms-length from their existing for-profit entity. The Riffle Ventures team is open to where this non-profit is established. But the organization’s founders are located in DC, NJ, and CA.

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The Mifos Initiative

Draft Template Agreement With Service Providers

Summary:

Assist a nonprofit democratizing financial services worldwide by drafting a template agreement with service providers.

Referred by:

Jurisdictions: U.S.
About the Organization: The Mifos Initiative is a global 501(c)3 fintech non-profit leveraging the cloud, mobile & open source community to democratize financial services worldwide and digitally transform the world’s 3 billion poor and underbanked. Its mission is to scale the development and impact of inclusive fintech through an open source community and ecosystem that builds and maintains its digital public goods for core banking and payment orchestration.
Legal Entity Type: Nonprofit/Charity
SDG(s):Decent Work and Economic Growth, End Poverty, Industry Innovation and Infrastructure, Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions, Zero Hunger
Legal Issue(s):

Mifos is seeking assistance drafting a template agreement between the organization and service providers they are collaborating with to deliver shared infrastructure. They have a template independent consultant agreement (which was drafted by a Lex Mundi member firm) that can be used as a baseline. Importantly, they would like the new agreement to include provisions addressing: (i) revenue sharing of subscription fees; (ii) non-compete/anti-poaching; (iii) sharing of private/confidential data; (iv) risk/liability; and (v) responsibilities of each party.

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The Mifos Initiative

Consultation on UBIT

Summary:

Assist a non-profit democratizing financial services worldwide by providing a consultation on UBIT.

Referred by:

Jurisdictions: U.S.
About the Organization: The Mifos Initiative is a global 501(c)3 fintech non-profit leveraging the cloud, mobile & open source community to democratize financial services worldwide and digitally transform the world’s 3 billion poor and underbanked. Its mission is to scale the development and impact of inclusive fintech through an open source community and ecosystem that builds and maintains its digital public goods for core banking and payment orchestration.
Legal Entity Type: Nonprofit/Charity
SDG(s):Decent Work and Economic Growth, End Poverty, Industry Innovation and Infrastructure, Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions, Zero Hunger
Legal Issue(s):

Mifos is considering implementing a shared infrastructure initiative to provide their open source core banking and payment orchestration software to non-bank financial institutions (e.g., microfinance institutions) on a Software As a Service (SaaS) subscription fee basis. They are now seeking a consultation with a tax-exempt attorney to discuss whether this new activity raises any UBIT issues or could otherwise jeopardize their 501(c)(3) status. Ultimately, they would like to better understand if this new SaaS offering can be housed under their current non-profit, or if they should consider setting up a hybrid entity.

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Reparations Club

Consultation on Potential Name Change

Summary:

Assist an indie bookshop and creative sanctuary by providing a consultation on a potential name change.

Referred by:

  • Anonymous Collaborator
Jurisdictions: U.S.
About the Organization: Reparations Club (aka Rep Club) is a visionary indie bookshop and creative sanctuary. Opened in 2019, Rep Club has quickly become one of the most important and empowering literary spaces in Los Angeles, recognized by the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, O Magazine, Issa Rae, and more. Beyond literature, Rep Club hosts in-person events like artist conversations, karaoke nights, and queer game nights, serving as a cultural hub celebrating diversity and embracing authenticity.
Legal Entity Type: For-profit
SDG(s):Decent Work and Economic Growth, Gender Equality, Good Health and Well Being, Industry Innovation and Infrastructure, Partnerships to achieve the Goals, Quality Education, Reduced Inequalities, Sustainable Cities and Communities
Legal Issue(s):

The Reparations Club team is often referred to by their colloquial name, “Rep Club.” The Reparations Club team is now considering a formal name change. They are seeking a consultation to discuss what pursuing a formal name change would entail (e.g., what steps they would need to take/paperwork they would need to file) or if it makes more sense to keep their name and operate under a DBA. If it’s the latter, they would love to understand what steps they should take to pursue that path.

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Consultation Corral

Provide Consultation on FOIA Requests

Summary:

Assist a team that has developed an online platform where tribal leaders and Native advocates can access Tribal Consultation opportunity information in real time by providing a consultation on FOIA requests.

Referred by:

Jurisdictions: U.S.
About the Organization: Corral is an online platform where tribal leaders and Native advocates can access Tribal Consultation opportunity information in real time. Their process automates the work of tribal governments and Native-led advocacy organizations to pull together Tribal Consultation opportunities. Corral is an open-government project geared at making Tribal Consultation communication and existing data work for tribal communities. Corral is available to staff and elected officials of Tribal Nations at no cost.
Legal Entity Type: Unregistered
SDG(s):Affordable and Clean Energy, Clean Water and Sanitation, Climate Action, Decent Work and Economic Growth, End Poverty, Gender Equality, Good Health and Well Being, Industry Innovation and Infrastructure, Life Below Water (conservation and sustainability), Life on Land (sustainability of ecosystems), Partnerships to achieve the Goals, Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions, Reduced Inequalities, Responsible Consumption and Production, Sustainable Cities and Communities, Zero Hunger
Legal Issue(s):

Unfortunately, many federal agencies do not proactively publish information about Tribal Consultations. The Consultation Corral team is now seeking a consultation with an attorney with FOIA experience to discuss how best to obtain this information. Importantly, they’d like to better understand if it is possible to create a standing FOIA request with federal agencies, and whether this is the best path forward. Ideally, the federal agencies would publish reports on Tribal Consultations within a certain time frame after each Tribal Consultation is held.

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Consultation Corral

Draft Template MOU for Volunteers

Summary:

Assist a team that has developed an online platform where tribal leaders and Native advocates can access Tribal Consultation opportunity information in real time by drafting a template MOU for use with volunteers.

Referred by:

Jurisdictions: U.S.
About the Organization: Corral is an online platform where tribal leaders and Native advocates can access Tribal Consultation opportunity information in real time. Their process automates the work of tribal governments and Native-led advocacy organizations to pull together Tribal Consultation opportunities. Corral is an open-government project geared at making Tribal Consultation communication and existing data work for tribal communities. Corral is available to staff and elected officials of Tribal Nations at no cost.
Legal Entity Type: Unregistered
SDG(s):Affordable and Clean Energy, Clean Water and Sanitation, Climate Action, Decent Work and Economic Growth, End Poverty, Gender Equality, Good Health and Well Being, Industry Innovation and Infrastructure, Life Below Water (conservation and sustainability), Life on Land (sustainability of ecosystems), Partnerships to achieve the Goals, Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions, Reduced Inequalities, Responsible Consumption and Production, Sustainable Cities and Communities, Zero Hunger
Legal Issue(s):

The Consultation Corral team works with volunteers and advisors to develop the Corral platform. They are seeking assistance drafting a template MOU to use with future volunteers that set forth the terms of the relationship. Importantly, they’d like the agreement to address IP/data ownership and privacy concerns (e.g., certain information the volunteers access is confidential).

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African Tech Futures Lab

Incorporate in DE/Apply for 501c3 Status (Potential Paid Engagement)

Summary:

Assist an organization working to incubate practical solutions for steering African tech futures by incorporating their underlying entity in DE and applying for 501c3 status (potential paid engagement).

Referred by:

  • Friend of the Foundation
Jurisdictions: U.S. (incorporating in DE)
About the Organization: The African Tech Futures Lab (ATFL) aims to fill a critical gap in understanding and shaping how global technology megatrends will impact Africa’s future. As emerging technologies reshape human society, Africa lacks sufficient capacity to analyze, anticipate, and strategically engage with these transformative changes. ATFL will serve as a nimble virtual platform that combines rapid-cycle analysis with world-class expertise to generate actionable insights and incubate practical solutions for steering African tech futures.
Legal Entity Type: Unregistered
  • Visit African Tech Futures Lab
SDG(s):Climate Action, Decent Work and Economic Growth, End Poverty, Industry Innovation and Infrastructure
Legal Issue(s):

The African Tech Futures Lab team is seeking assistance incorporating in Delaware, applying for their EIN, and applying for 501c3 status. They would greatly appreciate pro bono assistance. However, if this is not possible, they would love to have a conversation to discuss whether discounted rates are possible.

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