The Founders Circle
Beneath every old-growth forest is a quiet architecture — mycelium sharing water, nutrients, and medicine between trees so the whole canopy may thrive. The Founders Circles are the foundational network that ensures the forest will thrive and its trees will stand tall.
We are gathering an inner cohort of patrons, stewards and quiet believers to anchor the first land, the first maloka, the first version of the Lichen platform, and the first generation of healing offered. A foundational community where membership isn't transactional — it's a relationship, carrying lifetime recognition, year-round invitations, connection with like-hearted patrons, and a direct line to the founding team.
Give now, or pledge toward the build
Give now
Make a contribution today and impact access to care immediately. Your gift flows straight into the work already underway — including the initial platform build and the scholarship fund that will bring healers, veterans, and frontline workers onto the land at no cost.
Give now →Pledge toward the build
Commit a larger sum toward building out the location, platform and programming. We'll keep you close and, once we reach the critical mass of funds needed to begin, we'll let you know — and translate your pledge into a donation at that moment.
Pledge →Name the true value of everything
Lichen's economy is built on one discipline: name the true value of everything. We apply it to ourselves first — so our gratitude comes in two forms, and we're transparent about the difference.
Recognition & Relationship
Your name in the land's permanent record, your voice in our circle, your place at community gatherings, a direct line to the founding team. These carry no market value the IRS can price — which means they attach to every gift, however you give, and your full contribution remains deductible.
Founders' Experiences
Ceremonies, retreats, consultations, private dinners. These are real things with real value — and a conscious economy doesn't pretend otherwise. Experiences are available as an election on gifts made from personal funds: we state each experience's fair market value in writing before you commit, and your deductible amount is your gift minus that value. Nothing hidden, nothing inflated. It's simply the honest price of the honey.
Every founder chooses their path at commitment:
- Full Deduction path — Recognition & Relationship only. Your entire gift is deductible. This is the required path for gifts made through donor-advised funds, private foundations, and IRA qualified charitable distributions — IRS rules do not permit personal benefits on these giving vehicles, and we protect your tax position as carefully as our own.
- Experiences path — Recognition & Relationship plus your tier's elected experiences, on personal-fund gifts, with written value disclosure. We hope that many founders will choose this and consider the non-deductible portion money well spent.
You may switch to the Full Deduction path at any time by waiving future experiences.
Each tier, a deeper layer of the forest
Substrate Circle
An ocean of those who are ready for sea change.
- Name etched on the Founders' Stone at the property entry
- Lifetime invitation to all-tier seasonal gatherings and land workdays
- Annual founder's letter and seasonal land updates
- Recognition in the printed Founders' Chronicle
- Priority early booking on public programming
Root Circle
The hidden architecture that anchors what grows.
- Permanent recognition on the Founders' Stone and maloka entryway
- Two reserved seats at the Annual Founders' Convergence
- Everything in Substrate Circle
- One three-day ceremonial weekend each year
- Priority booking on all retreats and supervised programming
Hearth Circle
Where the fire is tended.
- Naming rights on a hearth-scale feature — fireplace, bench, or sauna stone
- Everything in Root Circle
- Two ceremonial retreats annually
- Annual private steward dinner with the founder
- One personal integration consultation each year
Maloka Circle
The sacred container itself.
- Naming rights on a structure or interior feature
- Standing voice on the Founders' Advisory Council
- Inclusion in the founding documentary and archive
- Everything in Hearth Circle
- Four ceremonial retreats annually for member and family
Old Growth Circle
The mother trees that anchor the entire forest.
- Named in perpetuity on a flagship element of the land
- Land Legacy Steward designation and a permanent Advisory seat
- Legacy recognition extending to your lineage
- Everything in Maloka Circle
- Annual private retreat with a dedicated practitioner team
Contributions compound — a member at one level is welcomed into the next as commitments accumulate, across all giving vehicles. Anonymity is honored at every tier. Before any transfer of funds, you receive in writing: confirmation of your tier, your chosen path, and — on the Experiences path — the stated fair market value of each elected experience and your resulting deductible amount. The Founders’ Stone, the gatherings, and every on-the-land experience come online with the land itself — they are what Phase 1 builds.
Where your contribution lives
Founders Circle commitments fund the Phase 1 land, the maloka, the first guest structures, the founding clinical and ceremonial program, the Phase 1 tech platform — and the scholarship fund that will bring healers, veterans, and frontline workers onto the land at no cost. The platform is live today; the land is what we're raising toward.
It begins with a conversation
Begin the conversation
Schedule a personal call so we understand what draws you to Lichen.
Choose your tier
Select the level that matches your capacity and intended depth.
Complete your commitment
Confirm in writing — a single gift or a twelve-month pledge, your giving vehicle, and your path: Full Deduction, or Experiences with values disclosed.
Receive your welcome
A personal letter, land book, and the year’s convergence calendar arrive.
Come to the land
The moment Phase 1 secures the property, your first invitation to walk it goes out — founders set foot on the land before anyone else.
Annual convergence calendar
This is the annual rhythm your commitment brings into being — gatherings begin as the land and programming come online, and founders are the first to know when each one is scheduled.
| Month | Gathering | Access |
|---|---|---|
| January | New Year Integration Convergence | All Tiers |
| February | Founders' Winter Briefing | Root + Above |
| March | Spring Equinox Land Ceremony | All Tiers |
| April | Earth Stewardship Day — Land Workday | All Tiers |
| May | Founders' Weekend Retreat | Hearth + Above |
| June | Summer Solstice Ceremony & Founders' Gala | All Tiers |
| July | Practitioner Symposium | All Tiers |
| August | Behind-the-Land Tour & Patron Convening | Maloka + Above |
| September | Autumn Equinox Harvest Gathering | All Tiers |
| October | Annual Founders' Convergence | All Tiers |
| November | Private Steward Dinner with the Founder | Hearth + Above |
| December | Year-End Gratitude Circle & Impact Showcase | All Tiers |
All-tier gatherings are community events, open in spirit and free of charge. Where a gathering has a ticketed equivalent (e.g., the Founders' Gala), its fair market value is disclosed to attending founders in writing.
Take your place in the Circle
Begin the conversation
The Founders Circle is intentionally small — a sanctuary, not a subscription. Share a little about yourself and the founding team will reach out personally.
Or reach us directly: founders@lichen.health
Good to know
Is my founding contribution tax-deductible?
Lichen Health is a registered 501(c)(3), and contributions are deductible as the law allows. Here is the honest version, because that's how we do everything: if you choose the Full Deduction path, your entire gift is deductible. If you choose the Experiences path, we state the fair market value of your elected experiences in writing before you commit, and your deduction is your gift minus that value — exactly as the IRS requires, with documentation to match. We're glad to walk through the details with you and your advisors before any commitment.
Can I deepen my commitment over time?
Yes — commitments compound. A member who begins at Substrate is welcomed into Root, Hearth, or beyond as contributions accumulate. There is no penalty for starting small.
What if I want to remain anonymous?
Anonymity is honored at every tier, without exception. You receive the same access and invitations; your name appears nowhere unless you ask for it to.
Can a business, family foundation, or DAF contribute?
Yes — and we coordinate documentation with you and your advisors. One important protection: IRS rules do not allow donors to receive personal benefits (like retreats or ceremonies) in connection with gifts from donor-advised funds, private foundations, or IRA distributions. Gifts through these vehicles are honored on the Full Deduction path — complete Recognition & Relationship, full tier standing, no experiences. Many founders pair vehicles: DAF gifts for tier standing, a personal-fund gift when they want to elect experiences. We'll help you structure it cleanly.
What if I don't want any perks at all?
Then you are our favorite kind of complicated. Choose the Full Deduction path at any tier — full recognition, full relationship, full deduction, nothing else. You can also waive recognition itself and give in complete anonymity.