Become a member of the Sovrin Foundation

January 28, 2020

Announcing Sovrin Foundation’s new membership program for champions of data protection and privacy.

Note: The Sovrin Foundation has a new membership program for individuals and organizations that wish to become involved with and support the mission of the Sovrin Foundation. To celebrate the start of this initiative, the Foundation will publish a series of blog posts in the coming weeks that will highlight its core nonprofit functions and encourage supporters to become a Sovrin Foundation member. Sovrin Foundation membership prices (for Donors) will be discounted by 10% until February 29, 2020. Visit our website for more information, and become a member today.

Who we are

The Sovrin Foundation is an international nonprofit inspired by its vision to provide Identity for All. Identity for All means that every person and organization around the world should have access to a digital identity that they, and they alone, control. It should be a digital identity that is permanent, secure, and privacy-enhancing– this is self-sovereign identity (SSI).

To achieve that vision, the Foundation builds, administers, and promotes the world’s first SSI network—the Sovrin Network. The Sovrin Network provides the layer of trust that the internet has been missing since its start.

“Self-sovereign identity’s power comes from its protean ability to solve fundamental—and increasingly debilitating—identity and data management problems for the consumer, the citizen, businesses, and governments,” said Sovrin Foundation Executive Director & CEO Heather C. Dahl. “Its prospective use cases and potential efficiencies are vast. It makes the threat of data regulation go away, and it addresses the growing fears around the misuse of personal information for nefarious purposes. Self-sovereign identity’s transformational power is that it creates trust online where trust is being worn away or lost. Building and rebuilding trust online is our fundamental goal.”

Our nonprofit work

The Sovrin Foundation’s nonprofit work focuses on four core areas:

• Governance: We administer the governance of the Sovrin Network to ensure the network represents the public interest and is not controlled or influenced by one entity, enterprise, industry, or nation.
• Network Operations: We perform the continued maintenance and monitoring of the Sovrin Network to make sure the network is operating according to its governance rules and meets important requirements (e.g., censorship resistance). The Foundation also coordinates the network’s code releases.
• Community Engagement: We create opportunities for our members to network with industry leaders and learn about SSI development and adoption as they build SSI based use cases. The Foundation also coordinates the engagement of the Sovrin open source developer community.
• SSI Advocacy: We participate as an active member of various policy, standards, and community organizations (W3C, DIF, GDPR, etc.), and advocate for the global adoption of SSI through whitepapers, blogs, press releases, presentations, event participation, and more.

How to become a Sovrin Foundation member

The members of the Sovrin Foundation are made up of individuals and organizations that believe in, support, and contribute to the Foundation’s efforts. There are currently more than 400 members around the world. Sovrin Foundation members include:

• Donors: Provide the vital monetary or technical donations that allow the Sovrin Foundation to accomplish its nonprofit work
• Stewards: Commit to ongoing technical, network, and governance support towards the maintenance and reliability of the network
• Volunteers: Participate in community working groups and calls, adding their expertise to the development of SSI and the network

Sovrin Foundation members receive marketing, community, and educational benefits for their contribution. To receive more information on how to become a Sovrin Foundation member, please visit https://sovrin.org/join-sovrin/. 

The Foundation needs your support

The Sovrin Network fundamentally changes the way that identity works online, so it is secure, privacy-preserving, and controlled by the individual. We are calling upon all individuals and organizations that care about how data is controlled and shared to become a member of the Sovrin Foundation.

In 2019, the total cost to support the Foundation’s mission was $3.9 million. As the Sovrin Network’s influence and community grows in 2020, the Foundation will need to receive enough financial donations to match that growth. Our Donors provide the financial sustenance needed to fulfill our mission. Until February 29, 2020, all organizations will receive a 10% discount on the fee to become a Donor.

We cannot fulfill our mission without you. Become a Donor of the Sovrin Foundation today, and join us in our vision to provide Identity for All.