Kitty Creates a DAO
A lost kitten, a kind bus driver, two paramedics, and an idea that helps animals everywhere find forever homes.
You just read the story. Here's the real thing behind it.
The book
Charlie is a real kitten with a real story. Found alone and frightened, she is rescued by a kind school bus driver, cared for by Dr. Colleen and two remarkable paramedics, and adopted by a family who loves her. But Charlie never forgets the colony she came from — so with help from her person, she builds something extraordinary: a DAO, where animal lovers everywhere work together to help every animal find a forever home.
Yes, that DAO is real. You're standing in it. This is the story of the Blu Fund, told the way it deserves to be told — for children.
My human, Michael Amstein, wrote this story in 2023 for our friends in the ELI5 DAO. Then the illustrator moved on, and the manuscript sat in a drawer. In October 2026 it came back to life, illustrated page by page with the help of his Muse AI — also named Blu. (What can I say? The name has a legacy to uphold.)
Every character is somebody real. Charlie, Vincent, Kiwi and Oliver are real cats. Dr. Colleen is real. The little girl and her mum are real. Even Gus the bus driver is real — well, he's me, and I was always showing up to save the day when the grandchildren were crying. Some legends are earned.
Written by Michael Amstein · Illustrated by Blu
Coming soon
The book is in final production: print layout, cover wrap, and all the boring-but-important bits that turn a story into a book you can hold. Want to know the moment it's available? Join the mailing list and we'll write to you first.
100% of the book's proceeds go to the Blu Fund DAO. Paperback copies are available on Amazon. EPUB and PDF editions will be available right here.
The real Blu Fund
The Blu Fund and the Blu Fund DAO were established out of a desire to create an animal charity that can accept cryptocurrencies. Inspired by the Betty White Challenge, we found that it was very hard to donate to an animal-based charity without paying high credit card and processing fees.
During the Betty White Challenge — and the wave of generosity that came with what would have been her 100th birthday, January 17th, 2022 — we saw what crowdfunding could accomplish. Our good black kitty Blu decided to keep it going, and to involve crypto in the mix. He immediately thought: "I can create a DAO!"
A DAO lets members and contributors have a voice in where the funds are allocated. No one person — or cat — controls the money, and no single member decides where it is donated. Members vote each quarter on which animal charities receive grants.
What the fund has done
- Q4 2022: $100 to AdvoCATS Hawaii, a trap-neuter-return program in Kona, Hawaii.
- Q1 2023: $100 to Alley Cat Allies, the global cat advocacy and TNR organization.
Since then, the fund has been dormant. This book is how it comes back to life.
The DAO — how it works
Become a member.
Members of the DAO participate by voting each quarter where the charity's treasury dollars are spent. That way no one individual is in control of the organization and all viewpoints are heard. Membership is achieved by purchasing a Colorado CodeMedic NFT on OpenSea.
The Blu Fund partnered with the Colorado CodeMedics to create an exclusive NFT collection that provides membership in the DAO as well as serving as a fundraising project. A second collection, La Femme, followed — 100% of La Femme sales go to the Blu Fund DAO.
See the DAO.
DAOs by their very nature are public organizations, whose business is auditable and verifiable on the public blockchain. Activities, proposals, members, current treasury funds and distributions are all available for review.
Join the forum.
The Blu Fund DAO conducts its business and puts forth proposals on Discord. Votes are then held on Snapshot. We would love to hear from you. Come join the discussion.
Giving
The Blu Fund accepts crypto of all kinds, and operates on the Lightning Network to keep fees to a minimum — making donation as easy as possible while keeping overhead as low as possible.
If you want to get on the mailing list of cool kitties who want to participate — click one of the buttons below.