@nrp Regarding spending Framework’s cash on supporting various projects, why not let each customer decide what projects should be supported?
Here’s the idea: When a person buys a laptop or desktop, let him/her decide what project a $10 donation should go to. That way, donations don’t go to projects (s)he doesn’t use, doesn’t think are well run, never heard of, etc.
After the return period has elapsed, you can send that $10 to the selected project.
Offer a large selection of software and hardware projects, not just well known projects that may very well have other sources of income but also tiny projects.
While the napkin math on this seems simple enough; there is a bunch of administrative things that go along with this. Framework may or may not really be in a position to dedicate the human elements necessary to manage this effectively. Trying to encapsulate large, small, and tiny projects sounds too much like advocating for a Kickstarter-like model that is already saturated enough.
Alternatively, individuals are always welcome to support the projects that are worthy of donations on their own. Simply making a web page that outlines some of the projects that might interest Framework clients would allow people to pick and choose for themselves what to support or at a minimum understand a project in more depth for future appreciation/support.