In 2019, a group of individuals from around the world, all suffering from endometriosis, were administrators of a Facebook meme group, aimed to provide humor and support to others with the condition. Most of the support was meme based, trying to find humor and positivity while living with chronic illness, but a lot of group members also found comfort and understanding, and opened up about their struggles with the condition.
One of the over 14,000 group members was battling the system in their country, unable to get proper care, and their mental health was deteriorating. The group pulled together to get crisis support to the person, but was lost on how else to help. The admins decided to hold a Facebook fundraiser for that individual. Sadly, they did not come close to reaching their goal, and there were issues with the person in charge of the fundraiser, so Facebook refunded all donations.
But the admins had realized they could make a difference. The collective decision was made to start a nonprofit. For logistical reasons, it was decided to establish the base in the United States. One of the founders chose their home state of Missouri, stating they had ample experience with the ways nonprofit organizations worked in that state. Two individuals co-founded the organization.
Shortly thereafter, the illness took its toll on the second founder, and they stepped away from the Facebook group to focus on their own health. The other followed shortly therafter, stating they wished to focus on the nonprofit. As happens when many individuals are involved, there was a disagreement in how to do that, and the Facebook group was separated from the founded organization.
No bylaws, business plan, fundraising plan, budget, or any other founding work was done to establish The Hedgehog Project. It existed in name only.
In June 2022, a disagreement between the two founders reached its peak, and the organization has now been dissolved.