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The world's first

Open Source
Endowment

Truly sustainable funding for critical OSS through a community‑driven endowment.
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curl
mpld3
pandas
cpython
openssl
imagemagick
tokio
numpy
log4j
joda-time
matplotlib
requests
iced
git
zlib
xz
$471Kdonated
47donors
$20Kprofit to date
A leaf-shaped squiggle

Sustainable

Provides a stable, long-term funding model, independent of the volatility of traditional support.

A building block

Systemic

Supports the critical but underfunded projects that conventional models miss.

A performance gauge

Efficient

A lean, digital-first, community-led organization designed for maximum impact and transparency.

Trusted by open source creators, founders, executives and investors

Open Source is a cornerstone of the tech-enabled world, operating similarly to a global research university. Leveraging “OSS alumni,” this community-led endowment can provide maintainers with truly sustainable funding!

A portrait of Konstantin Vinogradov

Konstantin Vinogradov

ex General Partner at Runa Capital

The Open Source Endowment is so obvious in retrospect, it’s a wonder it took so long to connect the dots. What better way to permanently fund vital non-profit work? It’s high time we brought the endowment model to bear on the Open Source sustainability crisis.

A portrait of Chad Whitacre

Chad Whitacre

Head of Open Source, Sentry

Open source underpins the critical infrastructure of the global tech ecosystem, and the community-driven Endowment is a wonderful initiative to pursue its long-term sustainability.

A portrait of Mitchell Hashimoto

Mitchell Hashimoto

Co-founder, HashiCorp

Aenean molestie nibh in turpis venenatis, nec auctor est ultricies. Maecenas porta quis augue eget luctus.

A portrait of Daniel Dover

Daniel Dover

CEO, Blooper

Sed malesuada mauris et aliquet mollis. Nunc sodales eu lacus sed viverra.

A portrait of Erin Enoch

Erin Enoch

Research Lead, Foofax

Solving Open Source Sustainability Together

The modern world runs on open source software that is mostly built and maintained by unpaid volunteers

The Problem Critical but Fragile Infrastructure

Maintainers’ burnout and lack of funding often lead to bugs and serious security incidents, as seen with Log4Shell, the XZ Utils backdoor and Heartbleed. The unsustainable state of OSS financing makes critical infrastructure more fragile and puts our world at ever-growing risk.

>95%

software depends on open source packages

500+

open source dependencies in the average app

This xkcd comic shows a Jenga-like tower of blocks, illustrating “all modern digital infrastructure”. The structure precariously rests on a small load-bearing block, titled “a project some random person in Nebraska has been thanklessly maintaining since 2003”.
xkcd “Dependency”

The Solution OSS Community Endowment

Successfully used by leading universities for centuries, endowments spend only investment returns from donations to advance their causes, weathering economic and political volatility.

We are building a community-led endowment fund that leverages “open source alumni” to sustainably fund the most critical OSS projects. It is an open nonprofit, and everybody is welcome to join — every contribution matters.

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Next-gen Nonprofit,
Based on Principles

An academy

Data-Driven & SMART Goals

Data guides our goal-based strategy, ensuring every donation makes a measurable difference.

A globe

Global Outlook

Supports the long-term health of the global open source supply chain, not of specific countries or ecosystems.

An open door

Maximum Transparency

Provides open data, public governance processes, and clear accountability in all funding decisions and operations.

Two people

Inclusive and Diverse Governance

Empowers the community to shape key strategic decisions with a focus on individuals over companies.

A global network

Decentralized Funding

A broad funding base from diverse sources makes every contribution meaningful and fosters community governance.

An umbrella

Neutrality

Remains independent from political or corporate influence, ensuring unbiased, mission-driven funding for the public good.

How It Works

1

Fundraising

Individuals, companies, and foundations donate to the Open Source Endowment, forming its permanent principal, which is not spent.

Individuals, companies and foundations donate money
2

Investing

The endowment principal is invested in a low-risk portfolio that generates sustainable annual returns. We target a ~5% spend rate, typical for U.S. universities.

The donated money is invested
3

Grantmaking

We distribute grants based on open, data-driven inputs and our model, co-developed with the Endowment's Members and in consultation with the open source community.

Grants are distributed
4

Monitoring

Supported projects are tracked for accountability, refining strategy, and maximizing OSE's positive impact. The grantmaking model is iteratively improved.

The progress of grant-funded work is monitored

Supported by the tech community

Here are some of the generous donors helping make Open Source sustainable

A portrait of Alina Adorno

Alina Adorno

Co-Founder, Enorma
A portrait of Alina Adorno

Alina Adorno

Co-Founder, Enorma
A portrait of Alina Adorno

Alina Adorno

Co-Founder, Enorma
A portrait of Alina Adorno

Alina Adorno

Co-Founder, Enorma
A portrait of Alina Adorno

Alina Adorno

Co-Founder, Enorma
A portrait of Alina Adorno

Alina Adorno

Co-Founder, Enorma
A portrait of Alina Adorno

Alina Adorno

Co-Founder, Enorma
A portrait of Alina Adorno

Alina Adorno

Co-Founder, Enorma
A portrait of Alina Adorno

Alina Adorno

Co-Founder, Enorma
A portrait of Alina Adorno

Alina Adorno

Co-Founder, Enorma
A portrait of Alina Adorno

Alina Adorno

Co-Founder, Enorma
A portrait of Alina Adorno

Alina Adorno

Co-Founder, Enorma
A portrait of Alina Adorno

Alina Adorno

Co-Founder, Enorma
A portrait of Alina Adorno

Alina Adorno

Co-Founder, Enorma
A portrait of Alina Adorno

Alina Adorno

Co-Founder, Enorma
A portrait of Alina Adorno

Alina Adorno

Co-Founder, Enorma
A portrait of Alina Adorno

Alina Adorno

Co-Founder, Enorma
A portrait of Alina Adorno

Alina Adorno

Co-Founder, Enorma
A portrait of Alina Adorno

Alina Adorno

Co-Founder, Enorma
A portrait of Alina Adorno

Alina Adorno

Co-Founder, Enorma

Sustainable, systemic, efficient

Donate now to make an ever-lasting impact on the open source ecosystem

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