A civic assembly that measurably rebuilt trust inside a representative group drawn from a polarized county cost roughly $300,000 and a year of groundwork led by a retired colonel. A visitor from Silicon Valley looked at it and asked how to get it cheaper. Part II is Matt Abrams's answer, and his diagnosis: the trust crisis is not a moral failing but a funding model, in which the solutions that break trust get capital and the ones that repair it get porridge. He explains what $1 Billion for Trust is building instead, and why nobody involved gets to be the hero.
The paired essay, Show Me the Incentives and I'll Show You the Outcome, is at https://www.sparkoftrust.com/p/show-me-the-incentives-and-ill-show-you-the-outcome
$1 Billion for Trust: https://www.1billionfortrust.org · hello@1billionfortrust.org
Matt on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattabrams
Disclosure: Matt is a friend of Keiron's, and his $1 Billion for Trust organization and this show are fellow travelers. Keiron has sat in on their working calls; they often compare notes.
Reach Keiron directly: keiron@sparkoftrust.com
Spark of Trust — Igniting the Trust Revolution.
Episode Timestamps:
00:00 Nobody gets to be the hero
00:24 Spark Of Trust - A Spark With Matt Abrams, Part II
01:06 How One Billion for Trust began, from a failed venture fund to a shared conviction
02:44 The civic assembly that cost more than anyone expected, and why trust has no funding ecosystem
09:32 Why "show me the incentives" explains everything, and why a billion still isn't enough
15:53 Watch Duty, USAFacts, and the proof the work is real
23:26 Why "social impact" is the wrong frame, and the economic case for trust
30:16 Why Matt won't touch politics with a ten-foot pole
34:55 Letting go of the need to get the credit
40:19 How do you measure something as slow-moving as trust
44:13 Ten years from now, and what gives Matt hope right now
53:26 Where to find One Billion for Trust
If this conversation named something you've been feeling, share it with someone who needs it. And follow the show wherever you listen. It helps the right people find it.
Connect with Spark of Trust
https://www.youtube.com/@SparkofTrust
https://www.linkedin.com/company/sparkoftrust https://www.instagram.com/sparkoftrust/
https://www.facebook.com/sparkoftrust
https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/spark-of-trust/id6807994008
https://open.spotify.com/show/3XYhVqgSkTCGMpUYiRZDAQ?si=befe38707d834864
Our guests' views are their own, shared to encourage honest conversation. They don't necessarily reflect those of Spark of Trust or the host, and nothing here is legal, financial, medical, or professional advice.
Until next time, keep being the spark that ignites the Trust Revolution.
