the main office
The preservation fund
How far along it is
- $400 · one year of costs, in cash
- $2,000 · five years of costs
- $13,333 · enough that the income alone keeps the gates open
The arithmetic
The meadow costs about $400 a year to keep open. At a cautious 3% return, a fund of $13,333 earns that much without touching the principal. That is the target. The fund is considered large enough only when its income at that rate covers a year and a half of costs, so one hard year cannot switch it on and off.
| The database that holds every plot | $300 |
| Photo, film, and sound storage | $36 |
| The domain name | $12 |
| Hosting and email (free tiers today) | $0 |
| Room for growth and surprises | $52 |
| Each year | $400 |
Card fees are paid per purchase out of the meadow's own share, never out of the fund. Storage is the only line that grows as the meadow fills, and it grows slowly: ten thousand plots is a few dollars a month.
Every deposit
| September 6, 2026 | the first stone, laid by the keeper | $100.00 |
The rule
One tenth of every memorial purchase goes into the preservation fund, from the first purchase on. The fund's principal is never spent; only what it earns. The tenth keeps flowing until the fund can carry the meadow's costs on its own, and it starts again in any year the fund cannot. The fund is kept in the meadow's name, apart from every other account, and when it is large enough to justify one, it will be placed in a trust for the meadow itself.
The balance, the tenth owed, and every deposit are counted here once a month. If the two numbers above ever disagree, that is a debt the keeper owes the meadow, and it is paid at the next count.
the keeper
