Contributions made from institutions, funds, companies, foundations, or organizations to individual maintainers, contributors, or OSS projects. Often these are large or recurring payments to enable quasi-salaries that do not require repayment.
Requires:
- Application for grant or stipend
- Setup of a payment receiver (might require incorporation / freelancing or fiscal host)
- Recurring "documentation activites" to document the use of the funding
Variants & Options:
- Single grant: One-time contribution
- Recurring grant: Monthly recurring contributions
- Python Software Foundation (Tech-specific: Python only)
- Prototype Fund (Country-specific: Germany only)
- Sloan Foundation (Topic-specific: Science-related only)
- Open Technology Fund (several topic-specific funds)
- List of Grants
| Characteristics | Value | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Effort to set-up | Weeks | Applications often require longer descriptions and impact analysis |
| Effort to maintain | Medium | Often runs automatical for several month |
| Cost to set-up | None | |
| Cost to maintain | None | |
| One-time Income | Medium | Can encompass several person-month for salaries |
| Recurring Income | Medium | Often runs for several month but very hard to renew for a second period |
| Income Predictability | Low | Stable for several months but very hard to renew or find another grant |
| Full income Threshold | 1+ | |
| Recipient | I + C | Often specific for a person but can go to a legal entity |
| Additional Work | Low | Might require documentation, PR work, etc. |
| Visibility | None | Projects seek out funds - no visibility required / possible? |
| Necessity to pay | Low | Completely voluntary but funds often have to spend their budget |
| Entry Threshold | Medium | Often easy if maintainers are from one country. Harder for international projects. |
| Countervalue | Work | Can range from unrestricted use of money to development of specific features |
| Scalability | Low | Multiple grands not always possible |
| Effort for marketing | N/A | Funds often have application phases |
| Competitors | M | Another maintainer might be a competior for a person-specific grant |
| Software types | All | Easier for high impact / visibile projects that can be explained to the public |