Cybersecurity shouldn't be a privilege, it's a necessity.

But 47% of small businesses have NO cybersecurity budget. Nonprofits serving our most vulnerable are defenseless against ransomware. Under-resourced schools can't afford the same security education as wealthy districts.

We're changing that.

We have the team. We have the plan. We have the partnerships with Tenable, ISC², CompTIA, and CloudRange. We have 200 students already in our pilot program.

Now we need $1 million to take this from a passionate volunteer effort to a sustainable, scalable national nonprofit that protects 10,000+ underserved Americans in the next 18 months.

Who We Serve

🎓 Under-resourced schools - Inner-city and rural districts that can't afford enterprise security
🤝 Community nonprofits - Organizations protecting sensitive donor and beneficiary data on shoestring budgets
🏪 Small businesses - Local shops facing 350% more cyberattacks than large corporations
👥 Underserved communities - Creating pathways to $70K-120K careers for people historically locked out

Why $1 Million?

Transparency is our superpower. Here's exactly where your money goes:

$600,000 - Team (60%) Building a movement requires paying talented people fairly, even if it's below market rate:

C-Suite Leadership (CTO, CISO, CDO): Currently volunteering their expertise. This funding allows them to go part-time (60% FTE) at $55K-60K/year, still 50% below industry rates, but sustainable enough to keep them building this mission.
Lead Developer: Building our curriculum platform, MSSP tools, and technology infrastructure full-time.
2 Program Coordinators: The boots-on-the-ground team managing daily operations, student outreach, nonprofit onboarding, and community partnerships.
CEO/Founder: Tony, our service-disabled veteran founder, needs to focus full-time on growth, partnerships, and strategy ($100K/year -below market for this level of responsibility).

Why we're being honest: Bad nonprofits hide salaries. Good nonprofits pay people fairly. We're not asking you to fund poverty wages, we're asking you to fund a professional team working at a discount for a mission they believe in.

$250,000 - Programs (25%)

K-12 curriculum development and licensing
MSSP-lite services for 50-100 nonprofits/small businesses
Workforce training for 100+ adults from underserved communities

$90,000 - Operations (9%)

Legal, insurance, accounting (being a real 501(c)(3) isn't free)
Technology tools, infrastructure, cloud hosting
Admin, office, and compliance costs

$40,000 - Marketing (4%)

Reaching the students, nonprofits, and businesses who need us
Professional website, materials, and campaigns
Community partnerships and outreach

$20,000 - Contingency (2%)

Because responsible nonprofits plan for the unexpected

Our Commitment

We're not asking for charity. We're offering you an investment in:

A service-disabled veteran-owned 501(c)(3)
A team with real cybersecurity expertise (CTO, CISO, CDO, Lead Dev)
Proven partnerships (Tenable, ISC², CompTIA, CloudRange)
200+ students already impacted
A scalable model ready to go nationwide

$1 million gets us 18 months to prove we can protect 10,000 people and train 2,000 students.

Then we scale.

Why This Matters Now

Cyberattacks on small organizations have increased 300% in the past two years. Every day we delay, another nonprofit loses donor data, another small business closes after a breach, another talented student misses their shot at a six-figure career.

We have the expertise. We have the partnerships. We need the funding to scale.

What $1M Looks Like in 18 Months

✅ 2,000 students receiving K-12 cybersecurity education across 10 schools
✅ 100 nonprofits receiving free/low-cost managed security services
✅ 100 adults trained and certified for $70K-120K cybersecurity careers
✅ Curriculum licensed to 3 additional school districts
✅ Full-time team building sustainable operations
✅ Proof of concept for nationwide scaling and Series B fundraising

Donation Tiers

$50 - Provides cybersecurity learning materials for 2 students
$250 - Funds a basic security assessment for a small nonprofit
$1,000 - Sponsors one adult through full certification prep and exam
$5,000 - Provides comprehensive security for 1 community organization for 1 year
$10,000 - Funds an entire workforce cohort (20 adults)
$25,000 - Major Donor - Funds 1 program coordinator for 6 months
$50,000 - Champion - Gets K-12 curriculum launched in 1 school
$100,000 - Founding Partner - Recognition on website, reports, events

Join the Mission

Every dollar you give protects a vulnerable organization. Trains a student. Launches a career. Closes the gap.

The underserved communities we protect today become the secure, thriving communities of tomorrow.

Will you help us get there?

🛡️ Tax-deductible | EIN: 33-3117801 | Quarterly impact reports sent to all donors

Learn more: www.cybersmrt.org

Closing the Cybersecurity Equity Gap: Protecting Underserved Communities