THESIS
Specific, optimistic visions of the future are rare and valuable. They are the stories that capital, labor, and attention can rally around. They are how we direct our agency.
Most projects receiving funding today – whether VC or otherwise – have very techno-centric visions:
"Bring a billion users onchain."
"Put a computer in every pocket."
But why? Do these pursuits actually serve to reach outcomes that we care about? Are we building the world we want to see. We don't just need acceleration or optimism – we need intentionality and imagination. We need visions of the future worth rallying around. We need better taste in worldviews.
Believe in Something is a grant-giving organization with the goal of scouting, spotlighting, and funding writer-practitioners who are articulating and pursuing their own specific, optimistic futures.
Why "writer-practitioners"? Because you can't change the world without understanding it and having a perspective, and writing is the best way to develop both.
Why "scout"? Because the best visions will be found, not pushed. It's our job to find them and help them go higher.
VISION
If successful, Believe in Something will have created a robust network of thoughtful, high-agency people committed to funding, amplifying, and building definitely optimistic futures.
We'll have reimagined philanthropy and investing, taking a luxury media approach to supporting what we want to see more. We'll have helped writer-practitioners catalyze their own idea machines.
Most importantly, we'll have fostered community with people who care about the direction the world is headed, and how their work is playing a part in those possible futures.
WHY GRANTS? WHY HYPERSUB?
The grants program will be seeded with 3.5 million ↑higher tokens. These will be distributed in many different ways, from one-off grants to community-allocated campaigns and more. By default, grant-making will be conducted in a centralized fashion, but there will be plenty of opportunities for the community to participate.
To reduce sell pressure and increase the early legitimacy of our work, Hypersub subscribers will provide a consistent stream of ETH to distribute alongside ↑higher tokens. 65% of all Hypersub revenue will go directly into grants and funding creative work. The other 35% will be used to sustain operations.
Hypersub also creates an onchain network that we can leverage to engage our community.
HOW CAN I GET INVOLVED?
If you want to support writer-practitioners who believe in something and join a community of higher-aligned folks, subscribe to the Hypersub.
Subscribing to Believe in Something is an act of patronage – you're supporting definitely optimistic futures and betting on their outcomes.
Additionally, subscribers will receive...
Access to token-gated group chat.
Weekly subscriber-only newsletter.
Membership in Belief Capital, a group dedicated to collecting onchain and IRL artifacts from BIS grantees and their scenes.
Access to Scouting Program, an opportunity to get paid for surfacing BIS grantees.
Subscribe for 6 months to receive 2,000 ↑higher tokens. Subscribe for 12 months to receive 4,000 ↑higher tokens.