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Meshtastic EmComm Grant Submitted to ARDC
All,
I am excited to update everyone on a project I have been working on for the past several weeks.
After researching and posting about Meshtastic here in the forums, I explored possible funding options for a club EmComm mesh network. I first checked with club leadership — they gave full approval to move forward. With help from Grok AI on analysis and drafting, I prepared and submitted a grant request to Amateur Radio Digital Communications (ARDC).
What is ARDC and Why Might They Fund This?
ARDC is a California-based nonprofit foundation dedicated to supporting amateur radio and digital communications technology. In the late 2010s they sold a portion of their large IPv4 address block (originally obtained in 1981 by Hank Magnuski, KA6M) to Amazon for roughly $108–109 million. They retained the majority for amateur radio use and now fund grants from the endowment.
- 2026 grantmaking target: ~$3.8 million
- Total assets: ~$128 million (end of 2024)
ARDC prioritizes projects that advance learning, experimentation, mesh networking, and community resilience — exactly what our Meshtastic proposal targets. They review applications quarterly, and many clubs and groups have received funding for similar repeater, mesh, and education initiatives.
Our Submission
I patterned our request after several previously funded, nearly identical Meshtastic projects. We submitted before the July 2nd deadline for this review cycle.
The package includes:
- 20 × ELECROW ThinkNode M6 solar nodes ≈ $2,400
- 30 × LILYGO T-Deck Plus portable nodes ≈ $2,700
- Antennas, mounts, cases & accessories ≈ $900
Total requested: ~$6,000
We recently added a strong endorsement letter from Lamar County Emergency Management Coordinator Quincy Blount. Club board member Haskell Maroney (K5HRM) coordinated the request, and the letter (now part of our packet) is very supportive. Thank you, Haskell!
Next Steps
ARDC typically takes up to three months to announce decisions. While we wait, I strongly encourage everyone to read through our existing Meshtastic forum thread. Get familiar with the hardware, theory, range mapping, and potential EmComm applications.
If the grant is approved, this will add a powerful new layer of resilient communications capability for our area. I am looking forward to the possibility of hands-on deployment, testing, and training together.
The full submission package and endorsement letter are linked here:
Submission Package
Endorsement Letter from Quincy Blount73
Phillip Beall (W5EBC)
Vice President & Web Admin, RRVARC
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