Slashdot Mirror
Obtaining Grants for Open Source Projects?
Michael Chisari asks: "Does anybody have any leads or information about where and how to apply for grants for open source projects? I've been working on an open source social networking software called Appleseed for around two years now. The goal is to be a free, distributed alternative to MySpace or Friendster where users on separate Appleseed websites can fully interact with each other. The project is huge, and while relatively far along, I've had a hard time keeping up while maintaining the full time job necessary to pay the bills. Ideally, I'd like to get funding so that I could focus exclusively on development. I'd prefer a grant from a foundation as opposed to corporate funding. Individual donations are nice but can't always be counted on. I'm not sure where to find organizations which provide grants for free software or social networking."
That's great, but these projects don't seem comparable if one final package is open source, and the other isn't.
How can it be truly distributed if you have to run proprietary software to use it?
This appleseed project seems really cool, especially since it's web-based. It seems to solve the problem of what happened when everybody jumped from Friendster to MySpace. It'll be interesting to see if it catches on.
The only way I've personally seen open-source projects funded by traditional non-profit foundations has been when that project is part of a larger academic initiative. I'm working on a project based on open-source archive software; it's being funded I believe by a major non-profit foundation as well as a few corporate foundations and private donors because it's part of a larger civil rights project. I'm aware of another project involving learning modes that had as a major component an open source "virtual tutor" system. It too was funded my some major grants.
My suggestion to you would be to find an academic whose research interests intersect with the functionality of your open source project. Find a way to establish a joint project, and then apply for funding. I would also point out that obtaining funding can be a full-time job itself, don't short-shrift that position.
I'm very glad Slashdot posted this. I've been looking for sources of funding for a little bit now, and I'm at a loss for where to go from here. We've had a trickle of individual donations, which are great and have really helped a lot. But what I'd like to be able to do is take a few months or even a half a year and focus exclusively on Appleseed, especially since it's really starting to come together as a project.
I invest about US$20K a year in new projects and businesses, but all of them require a business plan, a personal statement of intent, and a matching investment by all the principals of the business. In 2006 I have not found any places to spend my money. I also reinvest in all my businesses, but all of them have plans and hard workers to back them up. You'll find it VERY hard to sell a product even to people with grant money if the long term goal of the product is ethereal. Make some CONCRETE plans and post them. I'm a fan of open source, but only if there are enough people willing to spend their time on the project. Money means nothing if you have hundreds of co-developers each putting in their 2 cents (or 2 hours).
Most of the past two years have been creating an API.
Wouldn't your time be better spent promoting the basic plan and finding a dozen people willing to help on the API? Diversify!
The purpose of appleseed is to create a network of websites that all work together, and open source is a big part of making sure that anybody who wants to set up an appleseed node (even if it's just for them and a dozen friends) can do so and still maintain full interaction with everybody in the appleseed network.
It's a great idea, but where is the profit in it? Profit is not greed, it is a sign that someone is willing to compensate those working on a project for a viable product. Donations are great, but is there a "need" for the final product, or are you in a chicken-and-egg situation where no market exists because no product exists because no market exists?
This is really a project I'm very excited about, and the possibilities are endless.
Great ideas are never enough, in fact, great ideas have no value without the idea actually adding value to the products already out there. Consumers are fearful of free projects because they know that there is no money to continue them. If this is to be an open API, maybe you need to work on foundational support before raising money to build the house?
For me, this is where I want the web to go,
The best second step is to review your first step. Get others to love the idea, and there's your source for funding and co-development time. A grant isn't going to get you much, and if you want others to invest their time and money in you, you should do that first. Save a ton of cash for a year (work 3 jobs). Then take a year off and live cheaply while focusing on the marketing aspects. Show other people you're putting your money and your time where your mouth is, and they'll jump on once you are committed.
Not everything is for-profit.
While I agree with what you say I don't think the way you said it is the most effective. I have seen posts from dada21 on how he pays employees etc. I don't agree with the way he operates and the majority of /. doesn't seem to either. However lets be a bit more intelligent in the way we disagree shall we?
Charles Wyble System Engineer