Money For Space Colonies

Like Andrew has stated, I've seen a number of these
funds get created and lead to no where. And a few of
them actually produce hardware. Those that get closer
to producing hardware generally depend less on
volunteerism and small donations and more on vc and
government funding. Case in point, look at the
majority of the x-prize teams. Most are privately
backed by a donors or venture capital (a few have
snagged defense money even!).

My own take on this is that people are needed more
than resources. I am not talking volunteers, but
actually committing your career to furthering these
goals. Though volunteerism is a great thing (as well
as something I do on the side), IMHO one dedicated
employee is worth a dozen volunteers in terms of
productivity.