Feven
@feven
At the UN Open Source Conference, I joined a breakout session on funding open source. We discussed tensions between current funding models, sustainability, and incentives with maintainers from Python Software Foundation, Processing Foundation, Linux devs, etc I brought up crypto...and things got interesting... ↴
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Feven
@feven
First takeaway: Sporadic funding = stalled momentum. Many OSS projects lack consistent financial support, making it hard to plan for long-term stewardship, security, or growth.
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Feven
@feven
We discussed funding types like: → Corporate sponsorship → Government grants → Civic tech & philanthropy → Consumer donations → Paid features → Crypto Each model has tradeoffs.
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Feven
@feven
Corporate sponsorship often skews priorities. Maintainers shared stories of feeling pressured to prioritize features requested by enterprise sponsors over what might actually be better for the project's long-term health, sustainability, or security. The incentive misalignment is persistent among projects.
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Feven
@feven
Government grants: what used to be consistently reliable is now very risky due to administrative cuts and shifting political climate. Several projects have shared that the grants that they were promised have now been cut and are now scrambling to meet needs.
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Feven
@feven
I brought up Crypto :) and it...sparked a conversation 😅 When I brought up crypto / tokens as another form of capital / fund raising, those familiar with the space were generally open to the discussion, but they also shared stories of significant push back from their communities
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Feven
@feven
Here’s the concerns they shared: → tokens could create artificial hype around a project → pump & dump schemes from unknown participants → market manipulation leading to reputational damage → unexpected fluxes in funding (volatility)
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