How Curos is funded
A plain-language look at where our funding comes from — and where it doesn't.
“Who pays for Ichnus?” is the question we get most, and it is the right one to keep asking. This is the plain-language answer, the same one that lives on our transparency page — which itself is a short version of the audited annual report. Nothing here is new; the point is to say it clearly.
Where the money comes from
In 2025, Curos raised $8.4 million. The mix:
- 52% — Philanthropic foundation grants. Independent foundations funding public-interest work. We take their money only when it comes with no strings attached to the product.
- 24% — Individual donations. From people who use Ichnus and believe in the mission. Small amounts on average; thousands of people. This is the fastest-growing category, and the one that makes us least beholden to anyone.
- 17% — Government research grants. Public funding for interpretability and safety research. No commercial access in return.
- 7% — Program services. Fee-based API access for non-profits and public-sector partners, priced at cost.
No single funder contributed more than 30% of our total. We watch that number the way other organizations watch burn rate.
Where the money does not come from
Equally important, and we put it in the charter:
- No advertising. We run no ads and sell no ad inventory.
- No data sales. We do not sell, license, or trade user data. There is no data business because there is no reason to have one.
- No shareholders. There are no shareholders, and none can exist. The organization cannot be acquired.
- No funding with product strings. We have declined money that was conditioned on product decisions. Independence is the point, and it has to be budgeted for.
Where the money goes
| Spending | Share |
|---|---|
| Research & engineering | 58% |
| Compute | 21% |
| Safety & evaluations | 10% |
| Governance & compliance | 4% |
| Community & outreach | 4% |
| General & administrative | 3% |
People are the biggest line. Compute is second, and it is why efficiency research is a mission function, not a cost-cutting exercise — every percent we save on serving is a percent of free we sustain.
What “free” really means
Free is not the absence of cost; it is a decision about who pays. Our revenue is a fraction of what for-profit labs spend, and that is not a weakness we hide — it is the constraint that keeps us honest. We cannot buy our way out of hard questions, and we do not pretend to compete on scale. We compete on being the AI that answers to its users.
How you can check us
The full audited statements are published every March. The mid-year update comes in summer. Read the numbers, not the summary. If something in them bothers you, write to us — accountability is a practice, and you are a required part of it.
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