# Piloting Heritage-Linked Revenue and the Road Ahead

After months of collaboration, travel, co-design, and real-world testing, **SummitShare’s first report is out**.
It marks the culmination of a unique pilot: connecting digital exhibitions with **direct, revenue sharing** to the communities whose heritage forms the heart of the exhibit.

From idea to implementation, this has been a journey of listening, learning, and co-creating with institutions and communities alike.

We’re proud to announce that **the first stage of the revenue distribution is now complete pilot**—funds raised through ticket sales to *The Leading Ladies of Zambia* exhibit are in the process of being disbursed. These funds will support development proposals created by the communities themselves.

It’s a small step, but a powerful one. A seed has been sown.

## The Report

Our newly released report,
**[Repatriation in Practice: A Field Report on Community Linked Digital Exhibits in Zambia](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.28855799.v1)**,
offers a high-level retrospective of this pilot. It walks through:

1. The design and implementation of decentralized funding infrastructure
2. Insights from fieldwork in Sinazongwe and Gwembe
3. Reflections on metadata, community knowledge, and collaborative governance
4. And what we learned from linking exhibits to real impact

## Where We’re Headed

SummitShare’s next chapter builds on what we’ve learned in this pilot phase and sets the stage for what’s to come.

The platform is being restructured not to replace community-led action, but to **support it more effectively**—with tools for digital preservation, metadata governance, and transparent, modular infrastructure. While we may not always lead the direct implementation of revenue distribution models, we will continue to **build the exhibits, systems, and experiences that others can rely on**.

Our vision for the virtual exhibit experience is expanding:
We want these digital showcases to be more than just repositories. They should serve as **living interfaces**—ways for people to not only view but **interact**, **contribute**, and **respond**. Through features like community contributions, metadata enrichment, and contextual overlays, the goal is to create spaces that invite meaningful engagement and spark conversations.

To make that possible, we’ve also **updated our access policy** to prioritize openness. Where we began with ticketed entry, we’ve now shifted toward a more inclusive approach, removing barriers to access while maintaining traceable, community-directed support models. This is part of a broader belief: **digital visibility is a step toward physical repatriation**. You cannot ask for something to return if you don’t know it exists.

Ultimately, SummitShare aims to create not just awareness, but momentum—by providing entry points for communities, researchers, and institutions to participate in the process of recontextualization and cultural return. Our exhibits will grow in depth and interactivity, and with them, we hope, so too will the networks of action they inspire.

## A Retrospective & Our New Focuss
**Read the full report here:**
[**SummitShare: Bridging Tradition and Technology – Operational Report**](https://hackmd.io/@summitshare-eth/HyqSRxj3Jg)