> to something that does not share the same goals so "fork" is arguable here

How do the goals differ, specifically?

> but I cannot help but notice that some has likely been misappropriated

You had no visibility into the project's finances, yet you're publicly implying financial impropriety without evidence.

I've raised substantially more funding for the new Freenet in the past 5 years than was raised during the entire prior 20-year history of the project.

> were awarded specifically for "protection against surveillance and censorship" that the "new freenet" does not even aim to provide.

In what way does a decentralized network with optional anonymity not protect against surveillance and censorship?

> "The board" of the non-profit seems to have been culled just before the decision. I don't know why, I wasn't on it. Maybe @agl can shime in (he was).

You also acknowledge here that you don't know what happened. Those board members' departures were at their request because they were no longer actively involved in the project.

> All I know is that this could have been handled better.

I'm sure you're right about that. But my experience at the time was that the disagreement was fundamentally about the outcome, not the process.