Service Before Recognition
We measure success by whether the organization we helped is stronger afterward. Credit for the work matters less to us than the result of it.
About
Free IT Support so You Can Focus on Doing Good
Founded in 2020, SpaceBoat is a 501(c)(3) public charity that helps mission-driven organizations secure and improve their technology. Its volunteers provide hands-on technical assistance, security assessments, incident response, and training to nonprofits serving LGBTQ+ people, people of color, and other historically underserved communities. These organizations are frequently targeted and rarely resourced to defend themselves.
Mission
Our Purpose
SpaceBoat strengthens the technology and cybersecurity of nonprofit and community organizations serving LGBTQ+ people, people of color, and other historically underserved communities, so that the people doing the work can do it safely and stay focused on the communities they serve.
At a Glance
- Founded in 2020.
- A 501(c)(3) public charity.
- Volunteer-driven, staffed by working IT and cybersecurity professionals.
- Assistance, education, and incident response provided at no cost.
Vision
A small organization defending a vulnerable community should not have to choose between doing its work and doing it securely.
SpaceBoat envisions a world in which every such organization has access to the same quality of technical support and security expertise that a well-resourced institution takes for granted, regardless of budget, staff size, or technical background.
Values
Our Five Values
Practicality
We recommend what a small organization can actually implement and sustain, rather than what would be ideal in a well-funded environment.
Confidentiality
We learn where organizations are vulnerable. That knowledge is held in strict confidence, and every volunteer is bound to protect it.
Building Lasting Capacity
We aim to leave organizations more capable than we found them, and to make ourselves progressively less necessary to them.
Dignity
We meet organizations and their staff where they are, without condescension about what they do or do not already know.
Who We Are
Working Professionals, Volunteering What They Know Best
SpaceBoat's volunteers come from systems administration, security, and software. We spend our SpaceBoat time on the maintenance and security work that keeps small organizations running.
Lena Fox
President
Lena is a senior security engineer on the corporate security team at 1Password, where she owns endpoint security for a 1,600-device macOS, Windows, and Linux fleet, runs device-trust access, and reviews the security of around 70 new software and AI tools a year.
She holds a B.S. in Security and Risk Analysis from Penn State, earned while working full time, and received an NSA Letter of Recognition from the program. At SpaceBoat she does the same kind of work for organizations that have no security staff of their own.