It's been an exciting few weeks since our plans for launching the organization began to come to fruition. After months of detailed discussion and years of informal collaborations, co-founders Erica Lukes and Jack Brewer, along with the support of Barry Greenwood, filed EFR as a nonprofit corporation with the State of Utah. Shortly thereafter, we sought and received nonprofit status under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, effective August 17, 2022.
So why did we do it? The short answer is to provide a platform for presenting original research; facilitating a supportive group for those who respect standards of evidence recognized by the professional research community; and maintaining and growing an archive of historic records. A bit more detailed answer follows.
There is an abundantly clear need to provide the public with both reliable research as well as resources with which to conduct such research. This is evident in virtually every aspect of Western culture, including fringe topics such as UFOs and conspiracies that overlap with politics and extremist ideologies. The harm has been apparent in aspects of life ranging from public health safety to election integrity.
EFR is confident it will make significant and positive contributions. Original research will be posted using sources that include documents obtained via the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and records obtained through requests submitted to regional law enforcement and government agencies. Universally recognized standards of evidence will be respected in the pursuit of providing reliable reports on a wide range of subject matter, but EFR is much more than just a publicly supported news or research site.
Our organization aims to additionally facilitate the sharing of research techniques, ideas, mentoring, and moral support. This will be accomplished through activities including conducting virtual events and organizing committees with a variety of goals and objectives. A network of competent and supportive research associates will be achieved and maintained. The research process will be as emphasized as the subject of inquiry.
Another tier of our organization is archiving. EFR is currently storing special collections generously contributed by UFO investigators and their families, as well as a variety of materials of interest to researchers and the public at large. These collections will be preserved and maintained for public benefit.
We are pleased to report we have already been contacted by individuals and journalists, asking about our intentions and funding sources. We find these to be more than reasonable lines of inquiry and we welcome more of same.
Perhaps it will be helpful to explain we are currently operating out of pocket; we do not have a specific financial sponsor. The purpose of incorporating a nonprofit was multi-fold: seek crowdsource funding for research projects which require expenses such as FOIA fees, various types of equipment, occasional travel, and miscellaneous costs while offering tax deductible donations; qualify ourselves as a media organization per the FOIA as it relates to requests, resulting appeals, and potential lawsuits; seek grant funding exclusively offered to 501(c)(3) corporations; create a platform for our research, and other benefits we envision.
Thank you again for your interest in Expanding Frontiers Research. We sincerely hope you find our work meaningful and worthy of your interest. We hope to impress you soon.
If interested parties aren't mindful of supporting the preservation of old UFO records, those records will slip through the cracks of history and be lost forever. This has already happened in many cases. The most urgent concern of researchers should be this kind of project and to offer funding support to preserve and disseminate the often-unique papers that such archives contain. Next to having a landed UFO in your possession, the printed information is as close as one will get to the legacy of the UFO controversy.