Start an EDF chapter in your city.
Chapter leads run the ground game. You bring the room, the speakers, and the local trust; we bring the playbook, the partner network, the credits, and a real budget. Together we build a local hub for the developers AI is displacing — before somebody less interested in their livelihoods does.
What an EDF chapter is
An EDF chapter is a small, credible presence in one city, run by one or two chapter leads. It exists to bring developers together — the ones already in transition, the ones about to be — and to give them a route into EDF's programs without a passport, an MBA, or a warm intro to somebody in San Francisco.
A chapter isn't a franchise, a job, or a networking club. It's an operating hub. Fewer, better events. Real follow- through. Warm handoffs into EDF training, credits, and funding.
What chapters do
Host one flagship event a quarter
A meetup, a workshop, a career transition day — whatever your city needs most. EDF supplies the templates so you're not designing from scratch.
Route developers to EDF programs
AI credits from partners, reskilling cohorts, resume analysis, and micro-grants land in the hands of the people in your community who can actually use them.
Bring local hiring partners to the table
Companies in your city are quietly hiring. Chapter leads convene them for career days and warm intros — no cold-application black hole.
Surface founders and fund them small, fast
Developers pivoting to build get intros to EDF-affiliated funders and priority review for micro-grants.
Feed the platform
Attendance data, event recaps, and what you hear from members shape the next round of EDF programs. Chapters are the sensor network.
Who we look for
Two things matter more than everything else. First: you're already useful to developers in your city — you answer their messages, you introduce them to jobs, you host the informal dinner. Second: you follow through. Once you say an event is happening, it happens; once you promise a recap, it lands.
Everything else is coachable. You don't need to be an engineer, you don't need to have run a conference, and you don't need to know anybody at EDF yet. You do need to be honest about your bandwidth.
What EDF gives chapter leads
The chapter playbook
Event formats, run-of-shows, moderation guides, and the language we use to talk about AI displacement without sounding like a policy paper.
Brand kit and event templates
Slide decks, sign-up landing pages, badge templates, and copy blocks you can adapt in an afternoon.
Event budgets
A modest per-event stipend for venue, refreshments, and travel help for out-of-town speakers. We keep it simple and reimburse fast.
Direct line to EDF partners
AWS, NVIDIA, Anthropic, OpenAI, Google Cloud — for credits, speakers, and cohort placements. You don't cold-email anyone.
Priority funder intros
When your chapter surfaces a founder raising, we make warm intros to funds already writing checks in this space.
Recognition and platform
Your chapter and name featured on endangered.dev, in partner materials, and across EDF's global stage.
What we ask in return
One flagship event per quarter
Any format. If life gets in the way, we'd rather you tell us early than push through a burned-out event.
Roughly 4–6 hours a week during event weeks
Less between. Chapters are a real commitment, not a full-time job. If it starts feeling like one, we've built it wrong.
A short recap after every event
Attendance numbers, what worked, what didn't, and any names we should follow up with. Five bullet points is plenty.
The EDF code of conduct
Respect, no harassment, no political or religious speech from the stage, no MLM or crypto grift pitching. Straightforward, enforced.
A 12-month initial commitment
Renewed by mutual choice. Stepping down early is fine — tell us with a month's notice and we help transition the community.
Common questions
Do I need to be a developer?+
No. Chapter leads have come from engineering, design, community, recruiting, and journalism. What matters is that developers in your city trust you and want to show up when you invite them.
Can two people co-lead?+
Yes — and this often works better. One person is the operations anchor, the other is the community face. Both sign the chapter agreement and both get credit.
Does EDF pay chapter leads?+
Not a salary — but we cover event costs and, for high-effort chapters running multiple events a quarter, we offer a small quarterly stipend. Details are in the chapter agreement once we approve your application.
I've never organised events. Am I disqualified?+
No. If you're already helping developers in your city informally, that counts. The playbook covers the rest, and you'll be paired with an existing chapter lead as a mentor for the first three months.
Can our chapter charge attendees?+
Small ticket fees to cover venue or catering are fine and often necessary. Chapters do not sell training, mentoring, or member access — that stays free at the point of contact.
Can we partner with other communities in our city?+
Please do. We'd rather co-host with an existing meetup than compete for the same room on the same Tuesday. The playbook has a section on co-hosting agreements.
What if I need to step down?+
One month's notice, a short handover doc, and an intro to whoever wants to pick it up. If nobody does, the chapter goes dormant — not shut down — and reopens when a new lead applies.
How does EDF handle disagreements between co-leads?+
First: talk to your program contact. Second: we mediate. Third — very rare — one lead stays, the other steps back. Chapters are a two-way trust exercise; if that breaks, we protect the community first.
Where are chapters forming right now?+
Active or forming in Bengaluru, Mumbai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Pune, Chennai, Kolkata, Ahmedabad, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, Jakarta, Dubai, Cairo, Ho Chi Minh City, and Hanoi. Anywhere else — if you apply, you're the first.
How long does the application review take?+
Ten business days. We call you if we want to move forward; we email either way. If you don't hear back inside two weeks, ping chapters@endangered.dev — occasionally applications get lost.
Apply to lead a chapter
Tell us who you are, where you are, and what you'd change if you had a room, a budget, and EDF behind you. A program lead reviews every application. Reply time is under ten business days.
Not sure yet? Attend an event first, or email chapters@endangered.dev.