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Similar idea to the Public Software Fund, only we allow for different size donations and multiple bidders for the same job. I have plans to modify the system so it allows for dominant assurance contracts.

This is what the Public Software Fund does. Write up a bounty and pledge some amount for it. If nobody will do it for that amount of money, talk your friends into pledging more money .... until somebody decides it's enough to write the code.
-russ

You mean like the Public Software Fund?
-russ

Why should you pay taxes for development of public (free/open source) software? Fund your project through the Public Software Fund, and everyone who contributes gets to deduce their contribution from the US taxes.
-russ

LinuxFund.org: From teh FAQ: Issuing development grants for projects which may not be suitable for commercial or volunteer efforts but which will enhance the long-term vitality of the Open Source. All projects we fund will become Open Source. To be more clear, the projects that we aim to fund are the development and the
documentation of Open Source.

Pubsoft.org: They seem to do something similar.

Of course, I'm sure the FSF would be delighted to broker a donation to a specific project or developer.

Sounds like he's proposing what I've already done, pubsoft.org. We take tenders for software, whether for entire new pieces of software, or improvements to existing software, and seek to put together developers and users. Multiple funding models are supported: matching grants, whole grants, or the Street Performer's Protocol. We've funded the up2us program (which never made it out because of the difficulty of tracking up2date development), and are currently funding FreeS/WAN, and GNU Radio.
-russ

The Public Software Fund already has tax exempt status. As long as you assign the copyright to the funded improvements to a non-profit, the donor can get a break on their US federal taxes.
-russ

Yes. If you fund your project through the Public Software Fund, anyone who donates money can take a tax writeoff on their US taxes.
-russ

they obligate you to demonstrate significant progress on the project for the rest of your life,

Actually, pubsoft is project-based. Once you finish the project, you get paid, and that's it. If you choose to get paid part-way through the project, then sure, you can expect to have to show progress.
-russ

We just went through this at the Public Software Fund. Basically, you need a good lawyer and thousands of dollars. You also need to show that nobody will get any private benefit from the publicly-funded works. You also have to show that what you're doing falls into several categories of public benefits, like scientific research, or charitable works.

But if all you want to do is have your public software project receive tax-free donations, just register with Pubsoft and add your project to the list?

We just went through this at the Public Software Fund. Basically, you need a good lawyer and thousands of dollars. You also need to show that nobody will get any private benefit from the publicly-funded works. You also have to show that what you're doing falls into several categories of public benefits, like scientific research, or charitable works.

But if all you want to do is have your public software project receive tax-free donations, just register with Pubsoft and add your project to the list?

We just went through this at the Public Software Fund. Basically, you need a good lawyer and thousands of dollars. You also need to show that nobody will get any private benefit from the publicly-funded works. You also have to show that what you're doing falls into several categories of public benefits, like scientific research, or charitable works.

But if all you want to do is have your public software project receive tax-free donations, just register with Pubsoft and add your project to the list?

A directory is good though. Freshmeat or the like would be the obvious place home for it, just another field or so attached to each project's record.

now... if you just bounced onto that company online -- what goes on in your mind?
1) public fund open source software company
2) beer related software company
3) beer

my reaction was somewhere between 2 and 3 above, leaning strongly toward 3...