Nunet Foundation

NuNet is a Common: a shared technological and social infrastructure designed to enable decentralized computing for the benefit of all. It includes the NuNet Codebase, NuNet Development Process, and NuNet Network. All principles and governance processes ultimately refer back to the Common.

NuNet’s Core Values & Principles are the ethical foundation of its governance: care for all life, doing no harm, open source, and decentralized governance. The Core Values & Principles are not optional: to co-govern NuNet, one must first commit to upholding them.

The definition of the Community Member is contained in the Governance Framework of the Common (GFC) and can be amended by the Community through the GFC revision process.

The Community is the collective body of all Community Members who engage with and help govern the Common.

The Governance Framework of the Common (GFC) defines how NuNet’s Community governs itself - through inclusive, decentralized processes that evolve annually. It specifies what counts as membership, how decisions are made, and how revisions happen. The GFC connects ontological, normative, legal, and institutional elements by translating values and roles into rules and protocols. It is co-shaped by the Community, implemented by the Fellowship, and reviewed (for consistency with the Charter) by the Council.

The Foundation Charter is NuNet’s constitutional legal document, registered under Swiss law. It anchors the Foundation’s purpose, values, and governance structures in legally binding terms. It defines the Common, mandates the creation of roles like the Fellowship and Council, and outlines key processes such as annual evaluations, financial oversight, and framework revisions. The Charter is the legal source from which institutional primitives like the NuNet Foundation, Council, and Fellowship derive their legitimacy, and it is shaped by both normative principles and procedural rules.

The Foundation Council is the legal supervisory board under Swiss law. It oversees the Fellowship, revises key frameworks, and ensures legal compliance with the Charter. As an institutional actor, its role is to safeguard the Foundation’s purpose and values while gradually shifting power toward decentralized governance. Council Members serve four-year terms, and the body must include between four and seven members at any given time. While the initial four Council Members are named in the Charter, subsequent appointments will be made by elections conducted according to the Governance Framework of the Common - once this framework is in place and ratified by the Community. The Council’s composition is constrained to prevent dominance by any one actor, including the Fellowship, ensuring checks & balances, and pluralism within the institutional design.

The Executive Fellowship is NuNet’s decentralized executive body - a collegial, non-hierarchical team of 3 to 5 Fellows who lead the Foundation’s day-to-day operations. The Fellowship is responsible for implementing the Foundation Charter, coordinating financial and strategic plans, and updating the key frameworks of the Common. The Fellowship’s authority is derived from the Foundation’s Charter and is mandated annually by the Council (the elected representative of the Community) following a formal evaluation and feedback of its performance. In addition, the Fellowship will be continuously informed and engaged with the larger Community via participatory evaluation and consultation.

The NuNet Foundation is a non-profit entity established under Swiss law to fulfill a bold and specific purpose: to augment global collective intelligence, individual freedom, and overall well-being by democratizing access to computing resources. It does this by developing and maintaining the Common and by enabling self-organizing coordination among humans, machines, and institutions.