About SimuHelm.com
Charting the course for shared knowledge and professional growth in the maritime industry.
Our Mission & Your Support
At SimuHelm, our mission is to make maritime education and simulation content accessible to everyone. We are a 100% open-source project, built and maintained by a passionate team of two founders. We believe in the power of this community. To honor the trust you place in us through your support, we are committed to being fully transparent about how every donation is used. Your contributions don't go into a large corporate system; they directly fund the work, the content, and the people behind this project.
Our Funding Model: Priority-Based Sustainability
To ensure the long-term survival and growth of SimuHelm, we've adopted a "Waterfall Allocation" model. This model treats all donations as money for the project's mission, not as income to be split immediately. All funds are allocated in a strict, sequential order. This ensures our foundation is always sound before we reinvest in growth.
Priority 1: Operational Costs
100% of all incoming funds first go to pay our immediate operational costs. This includes web hosting, server fees, domain renewals, and security. This non-negotiable step guarantees SimuHelm's survival. The project will never go offline due to a bad donation month.
Priority 2: Emergency Reserve
After all operational costs for the month are paid, all surplus funds are used to build an Emergency Reserve. Our goal is to save 6-12 months of operational costs. This fund ensures stability and allows us to plan for the long term.
Priority 3: Surplus Fund
Any funds received after the Emergency Reserve is full are placed into our Surplus Fund. This is the "growth engine" of SimuHelm, and it is entirely dedicated to reinvestment and rewards to strategically scale our library and expand our educational mission.
How We Use The Surplus Fund
Once the Surplus Fund is established (Priority 3), we use it to ethically reward the team and grow the community. This is how we will spend from that fund:
40-50%
Model Commissions & Rewards
Our top priority for growth. This large portion is used to pay contributors and artists a fixed fee for creating specific, high-value 3D models needed by the community.
30-40%
Founder & Key Staff Stipends
This provides a fair, modest, and fixed stipend to the founders for their time, leadership, and ongoing commitment to the project.
10-20%
Educational Outreach & Growth
This portion is dedicated to expanding our mission, such as creating structured online courses, marketing, or providing small scholarships.
Questions?
Transparency is a conversation. If you have any questions, suggestions, or feedback on this model, please don't hesitate to reach out to us at info@simuhelm.com.
Thank you for being part of our crew.