FinTech for university research · Private beta
Fund the future of Michigan research.
GoFundMI is a nonprofit crowdfunding platform built exclusively for University of Michigan research — connecting promising student researchers directly with donors, with the transparency, accountability, and financial controls that academic funding demands.
Our mission
Great research shouldn’t die in the funding gap.
Every year, promising research stalls in academia’s “valley of death” — the gap where a PhD student’s grant runs out, or where a few thousand dollars of micro-funding would finish a critical experiment. Traditional grants are slow, rigid, and hard to win. General crowdfunding sites are too broad: their donors don’t understand the nuances of academic research.
GoFundMI streamlines and crowdfunds the financing of university research. We connect specific research initiatives to a wider pool of donors — and we serve as the financial and legal infrastructure for researchers to receive and spend that funding, with the auditability, accountability, and controls that real research money requires.
For student researchers
Bridge funding gaps with rolling, milestone-based support — from conference travel to lab equipment — without waiting a grant cycle.
For donors
Fund the exact research you care about, follow its progress, and get early access to results and upcoming work under NDA.
Nonprofit by design
Our sole focus is funding promising university research. No shareholders, no product upsells — just science moving forward.
Donor-driven discovery
Donors can post the causes they want to support — “Alzheimer’s research,” “sustainable concrete” — and the right labs find them.
How it works
Research funding, reimagined.
Researchers share their work
U-M researchers create a page laying out their goals, methodology, projected outcomes, and a timeline of milestones — then post updates as their research progresses.
Donors fund on a rolling basis
No all-or-nothing thresholds. Donors give as milestones are hit, message researchers directly, and post their own funding interests for labs to discover.
Every dollar is accounted for
Research spend is public. Fund releases require dual signatures, with provisions for petty cash and pre-approved vendor accounts — real controls, real accountability.
Why GoFundMI
Crowdfunding built for how research actually works.
The template is familiar — host fundraisers, process donations. Everything else is purpose-built for academic research.
Nonprofit, single focus
GoFundMI exists for one reason: funding promising university research. Trust and context are built in.
Early access, not merch
Instead of t-shirts and products, donors receive early access under NDA to research results and upcoming work.
Milestones over thresholds
Research timelines are laid out with milestones and achievements. Funding flows on a rolling basis as work progresses.
Public research spend
How funding is spent is made public — full transparency between researcher and donor community.
Controlled disbursement
Two signatures to release funds, provisions for petty cash, and pre-approved accounts for specific vendors.
Dedicated to U-M
Kickstarter and GoFundMe are too broad for academia. A platform dedicated to Michigan research creates instant trust.
The team
Meet the founders.
GoFundMI is being built by two founders with deep roots in the University of Michigan research community. We’re operating in stealth while the platform is in private beta — full profiles coming soon.
Founder One
In stealth · University of Michigan
Building the product and platform — the engineering behind transparent, controlled research funding.
Contact founderFounder Two
In stealth · University of Michigan
Building the financial and legal infrastructure — the auditability and controls donors and universities require.
Contact founderAre donations tax-deductible?
GoFundMI operates as a nonprofit initiative, and our goal is for research contributions to qualify as charitable gifts. During the private beta we are finalizing our nonprofit status and fiscal-sponsorship arrangements, so we can’t yet issue tax receipts. Reach out and we’ll share the current status and keep you posted as this is formalized.
How is the money controlled once it’s raised?
Funds are held by GoFundMI, not handed directly to researchers. Releases require dual sign-off, with provisions for petty cash and pre-approved vendor accounts for routine expenses. How each project spends its funding is made public, so donors can see exactly where their contribution went.
What do donors actually get?
Rather than merchandise, donors receive early access — under NDA — to research results and upcoming work from the projects they fund, along with progress updates as milestones are hit. You’re funding the science and getting a front-row seat to it.
What is the NDA access, and why is it required?
Academic research often involves unpublished results and pre-print findings that are sensitive before formal publication. An NDA lets researchers share early progress and data with their donors while protecting the integrity of their work and future publications.
Who can post a research project?
The platform is built exclusively for University of Michigan research. During the private beta, researchers join through the tester gateway and set up a project page describing their goals, methodology, timeline, and milestones. Get in touch if you’re a U-M researcher who’d like access.
Can donors request research on a specific topic?
Yes. Donors can post the causes they care about — say “Alzheimer’s research” or “sustainable concrete” — so that relevant labs can discover and connect with them. Funding can be donor-driven, not just researcher-initiated.
Want to fund research, get funded, or partner with us?
We’d love to hear from researchers, donors, alumni, and university partners.