This isn’t a startup.
It’s an institution.
Every memory entrusted to Eternaflame deserves to last longer than any company does. Here’s how we’re making sure it does.
Live statistics
6,503
Lives in the record
375
Added today
0
Families who have claimed
0
Memories contributed
Preservation fund
The Preservation Fund is a publicly visible reserve dedicated solely to keeping Eternaflame online. It is not operating capital. It is not used for growth. It exists for one purpose: ensuring the records we hold never go dark due to financial failure.
Every dollar is disclosed publicly, every transaction is recorded here. The balance starts at zero and grows as we grow. The fund is the institution’s commitment made visible.
The open data pledge
Every profile on Eternaflame — the biographical data, the life story, the connections — belongs to the person remembered and their family. Not to us.
We commit to three things:
- Export always works. Any family member who contributed to a profile can download everything they added as PDF and JSON, at any time, for free. No account required after the fact.
- If we shut down, the data goes somewhere. In the event Eternaflame ever closes, all profile data will be transferred to the Internet Archive or a comparable permanent institution — not deleted, not sold, not held ransom.
- No profile is ever paywalled. Creating and viewing profiles is free forever. If we ever add optional premium features, they will never gatekeep access to existing records.
Why this won’t disappear
What if Eternaflame shuts down?
All data goes to the Internet Archive or an equivalent permanent institution. We are actively pursuing a formal data partnership with the Internet Archive. The records are not deleted. They are transferred.
What if you get acquired?
Any acquisition agreement requires the acquirer to honor the open data pledge and the permanence commitment. This is written into our founding documents. An acquirer that refuses these terms doesn't get the deal.
What if you run out of money?
The Preservation Fund exists for exactly this scenario. It is separate from operating capital and can sustain the site in read-only mode indefinitely. Beyond that, the data is exportable and transferable — so the records survive even if the platform doesn't.
Can I download my family's data?
Yes. Any profile you've contributed to has an 'Export your contributions' button that downloads a PDF and JSON zip of everything you added — biographical details, memories, photos. The export is free, immediate, and always available.
Internet Archive partnership
We are actively pursuing a formal data preservation partnership with the Internet Archive. Under this partnership, Eternaflame profile data would be periodically archived in the Wayback Machine and permanently hosted in the Archive’s open collections.
Partnership pending — expected to be formalized in 2025.