latest update: January 1st, 2006

In the early 1970's I came up with the idea for the Human Trust. The concept was concretized after hours of talks, hundreds of laughs, and serious personal testing with the late Henry G Vanek, co-founder. In the 1980's I registered the original charter for The Human Trust with the Library of Congress. Later, I discovered that there is no legal instrument for an individual to create a nonprofit structure. So, if time permits, The Human Trust will most likely become a nonprofit operating foundation, allowing it to receive grants and donations, raise money through my musical royalties and from other sources, and give out grants to people engaged in their own explorations, be they musical, literary, humorous, artistic, or otherwise.

The fundamental premise for the Trust is a deep and abiding appreciation for the simultaneous absurdity and wonder of human life, and the expression, testing of, and further exploration of the same. No affiliation with any educational, religious, governmental, or other entity will be permitted. Further, no employee, including the founder, may earn any annual salary or other compensation higher than the median income as prescribed by Congress for that employee's situation (for example, a single earner for a family of four). Accounting will be totally transparent, down to the cost of paper, and will be posted on this site at least quarterly.

Censorship will not be tolerated, and provocative material that addresses the core thrust of the Trust will be encouraged and published here. Outside of books, periodicals, musical releases, multimedia titles, and the occasional coffee mug or sweatshirt with the appropriate, non-pompous message (with a minimum of 85% after-cost income going to the Trust's general fund), no commercial exploitation will be allowed.

Any formal creation of a nonprofit operating foundation, its board, charter, and structure will be announced and published here. Until then,, I remain both the creator and financier of the Trust. No outside financial help will be accepted. You may, however, leave a quarter in the tin cup, if you can find it...

Thanks,

John Woodle, Austin, TX