Support
Sustaining an independent atlas
Some people have asked whether there is a way to support ME/CFS Atlas. This page explains the project's situation honestly and offers options for those who are able and willing.
An independent project
ME/CFS Atlas is built and maintained independently. It is not backed by an institution, funded by venture capital, or supported by advertising. There are no paywalls, no registration requirements, and no data monetization.
All infrastructure, development, and editorial work has been funded independently to date. The atlas is offered freely as a public resource.
Why support matters
Building a careful, structured, research-based knowledge platform requires ongoing work. Studies need to be ingested, classified, summarized, reviewed, and maintained. The infrastructure that makes this possible has real costs.
Voluntary support from people who value the project may help cover costs such as:
- Hosting, database, and infrastructure services
- Software, data processing, and AI classification costs
- Ongoing maintenance and development
- Editorial and research review work
- Reasonable project-related equipment and operating costs
- Reasonable compensation for actual work performed on the project, where applicable
Please read this first
Please do not contribute if doing so would cause you any financial strain.
Many people living with ME/CFS face significant financial hardship as a direct consequence of their illness. If that is your situation, please use the atlas freely and without any sense of obligation. The platform was built for you. Your presence here, and the fact that you are navigating your own situation with seriousness and care, matters more than any financial contribution.
Support is entirely voluntary and carries no expectation.
How to support
Support ME/CFS Atlas
ME/CFS Atlas is independently maintained. Voluntary support helps cover hosting, tooling, data processing, and development costs.
Support does not provide medical advice, paid access, editorial influence, or priority coverage.
External payment page. Contributions are voluntary.
Larger support or institutional interest
If you represent an organization, foundation, research institution, or aligned group and are interested in supporting the project in a more sustained way, or if you are an individual considering a larger contribution, please contact us directly.
Support inquiries
Other ways to help
Support does not have to be financial. These are equally valuable:
- Share a page from the atlas with someone who might find it useful.
- Mention the atlas to a clinician or researcher.
- Report an error or suggest a study we should include.
- If you have relevant expertise and want to help review entries, reach out.
- Help someone else find the atlas who is looking for structured, trustworthy information.
Independence and transparency
Support does not confer any influence over the atlas. Evidence classifications, editorial decisions, study summaries, and content priorities are determined independently and will remain so regardless of the source or size of any contribution.
ME/CFS Atlas is currently operated as an independent personal project. It is not registered as a charity, non-profit, or formal association. Contributions are voluntary support for an independent project, not tax-deductible charitable donations.
If the project grows substantially and sustained support becomes meaningful, a more formal organizational structure may be considered in the future. Any such change will be communicated openly.
Use of this platform and any decision to contribute financially is at the user's own discretion. ME/CFS Atlas makes no guarantees regarding the specific allocation of voluntary contributions beyond the general categories described above. This page is provided for transparency about voluntary support and should not be understood as a formal charitable solicitation.