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Funding Northtube

5 min read
1033 words

Funding NorthTube: Building Something Sustainable

I launched NorthTube yesterday - an ad-free PeerTube instance for Canadian creators, educators, and people focused on public good content. The technical side was challenging but manageable. The funding side? That's the real puzzle.

The Problem

Video hosting is expensive. Even with a lean setup:

  • VPS hosting: ~$20/month (bare minimum)
  • Storage & bandwidth (growing): ~$10-20/month
  • Domain, SSL, misc: ~$5/month

That's ~$40/month minimum. Not breaking the bank, but not sustainable long-term if I'm paying out of pocket, especially as usage grows.

More importantly: if this is truly community-owned, the community should fund it. Otherwise it's just my project that happens to be open to others.

How We're Funding NorthTube Right Now

NorthTube is currently funded through community donations via Open Collective. No ads, no data selling, no corporate sponsors - just people who believe in ethical media.

We're building toward a 6-month reserve (~$240 for bare minimum hosting) plus buffer for moderators, creator support, and infrastructure = $1,000 CAD total.

All finances are 100% transparent on Open Collective - you can see every dollar.

Become a supporter →

What I'm Planning: Membership Tiers

Once we hit sustainability, I want to implement something different. Here's what I'm thinking:

Friend of NorthTube - $5/month

  • 5GB storage quota (vs 1GB free)
  • Listed as supporter (optional)
  • Behind-the-scenes updates
  • Community pride

Pretty standard. Entry-level support.

Creator Supporter - $15/month

Here's where it gets interesting:

  • 20GB storage quota
  • Early access to features
  • Vote on community decisions
  • Choose one NorthTube creator to support directly ($5/month goes to them)

That last point is the experiment. When you become a Creator Supporter, $5 of your monthly contribution goes directly to a creator you choose (not yourself). The other $10 goes to platform sustainment.

Community Champion - $50/month

  • 100GB storage quota
  • Support three creators ($15/month split between them)
  • Custom channel badge
  • Your name in platform credits
  • Priority support
  • Input on roadmap

Institutional Partner - $200/month

  • For schools, libraries, nonprofits
  • 250GB+ storage quota
  • Dedicated support
  • Custom branding
  • Priority features

Why the Creator Support Feature?

Most platforms treat creator monetization and platform funding as separate problems. You fund the platform through one system, creators through another (Patreon, Ko-fi, etc.).

What if they were connected?

Benefits:
1. Builds community - Members have a direct relationship with creators
2. Distributes wealth - Platform success flows to creators immediately
3. Incentivizes quality - Creators want to make content worth supporting
4. Novel differentiation - I don't know of other PeerTube instances doing this

Challenges:
1. Administrative complexity - Tracking who's supporting whom, monthly payouts
2. Eligibility rules - Who can receive support? (3+ videos? Good standing?)
3. What if creator leaves? - Supporter picks someone else
4. Tax implications? - I'm not a lawyer or accountant

The Math

Let's say we get to 100 members with a typical distribution:

  • 50 Friends @ $5 = $250/month
  • 35 Creator Supporters @ $15 = $525/month ($175 to creators, $350 to platform)
  • 12 Champions @ $50 = $600/month ($180 to creators, $420 to platform)
  • 3 Institutions @ $200 = $600/month

Total: $1,975/month
- Platform gets: $1,620/month (covers $40/month hosting + moderators + reserves)
- Creators get: $355/month (distributed among supported creators)

At 100 members, we're not just sustainable - we can pay moderators fairly, support creators, and build reserves for growth.

Even at just 10 Friends ($50/month), we cover base hosting costs and prove the model works.

What I'm Unsure About

Transparency:
Do I publish exactly who's supporting whom? Anonymous? Opt-in?

Payout mechanics:
PayPal? Interac? Monthly? Quarterly? Minimum threshold?

Creator eligibility:
Must opt-in? Minimum content requirements? What about new creators?

Tax handling:
Is NorthTube a payment processor here? Do creators get 1099s/T4As? (I really need to talk to an accountant.)

Scaling:
At 10 creators this is manageable. At 100? Need automation.

Alternative Models I Considered

Patreon-style per-creator:
Each creator sets up their own funding. Platform takes a cut.
Problem: Splits the community, adds friction.

Co-op incorporation:
Formal democratic governance, member-owners.
Maybe later: Too complex for day one, but interesting long-term.

Grants/sponsorships:
Apply for public good tech funding.
Exploring: But can't rely on this as primary funding.

Just keep it simple:
Regular membership tiers, no creator support feature.
Boring: But maybe that's smarter?

What I'm NOT Doing

Not running ads - That's the whole point.

Not selling data - Your privacy isn't for sale.

Not seeking VC funding - The moment you take investor money, you serve investors, not users.

Not making it complicated - No NFTs, no tokens, no blockchain nonsense. Just transparent community funding.

What Happens Next

I'm starting with the Bootstrap to Sustainability goal on Open Collective: $1,000 CAD. This gives us 6 months of hosting if we upgrade to $150/month, proves people actually care about this, and gives us runway to figure out what comes next.

Once we hit that milestone, I'll implement the membership tiers. The creator support feature might launch as a beta - test it with a small group first, work out the kinks.

If it's too complicated or doesn't work well? We simplify. The goal is sustainability, not novelty for its own sake.

Your Thoughts?

If you're reading this and have experience with:
- Community platform funding
- Creator monetization systems
- Co-op governance
- Canadian tax law for platforms (please help)

I'd love to hear from you. Email me at [email protected] or find me on Mastodon.

And if you believe in what NorthTube is trying to do - an ad-free, community-focused alternative to YouTube - consider supporting us.

Building in public,
Mathew Storm (smattymatty)

October 24, 2025

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