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Open-source funding beyond GitHub Sponsors comes through several different routes: thematic grants, public-interest investment in foundational software, regional community grants, corporate nomination programs, and security-focused ecosystem initiatives. The right option depends on what your project does, where you and the work are based, what you plan to deliver, and whether the fund accepts your application type and license.
Which open-source funding route fits your project?
Start with the funding mechanism, not just the size of a possible award. Some programs accept direct applications, some fund only work that matches a specific call, and others rely on nominations or are managed through an ecosystem initiative rather than an open application.
| Route | Best fit | How access works | Key constraint |
|---|---|---|---|
| NLnet grants and calls | Open internet infrastructure, software, research, and related work that matches a fund’s scope | Apply to a suitable fund or call | Each fund may set its own eligibility rules; outputs must meet NLnet’s open-access and licensing baseline |
| Sovereign Tech Fund | Foundational open digital technologies on which other software or networks depend | Apply with a defined work proposal | Proposed work must cost more than €50,000, and the same activities cannot already receive public financing from another public entity |
| FOSS United | FOSS creators, maintainers, projects, and events in India | Consult current criteria and apply through its grants program | Geographically focused on India |
| Microsoft FOSS Fund | Projects used by Microsoft that meet its license and payment requirements | A Microsoft employee or intern must nominate the project | Not an open self-service application |
| Open-source security ecosystem funding | Security work coordinated through Alpha-Omega and OpenSSF | Check those organizations for current funding routes | The announced funding does not itself establish a general application open to any project |
Where can I get funding for my open-source project?
NLnet: internet infrastructure and thematic calls
NLnet says individuals, research organizations, nonprofits, public institutions, and companies may apply in principle, but individual funds can impose additional conditions. Its general baseline requires scientific outcomes to be open access and software or hardware produced by funded work to be published entirely under a recognized free/open-source license. Its stated areas include internet infrastructure, security, software supply-chain management, reproducibility, trust-enhancing technologies, standards, social protocols, and research and higher-education networks. The Open Social Fund supports auxiliary work connected to decentralized social technology; a pilot call may be narrower still. See NLnet’s funding page for the relevant fund’s current terms.
The Restack call is a time-limited example, not a general grant for all OSS. NLnet says its first call opened on September 3, 2026, and closes November 3, 2026, at 12:00 CET. It aims to mature and scale operational internet commons across the technology stack, with examples including open hardware, middleware, productivity tools, and local-first infrastructure. Read its applicant guide and eligibility clauses before deciding that a project fits.
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Sovereign Tech Fund: foundational digital infrastructure
The Sovereign Tech Fund supports open digital base technologies that are vital to other software or digital networking. Examples on its official criteria page include programming-language libraries, package managers, open protocol implementations, developer administration tools, and encryption technologies. It says it is not currently seeking user-facing applications such as messaging or file-storage services, and it does not finance prototypes. Supported code and documentation must be freely reusable, changeable, and redistributable under the license families it accepts.
The fund requires proposed work to exceed €50,000 in cost. It also excludes proposed activities already receiving public financing from another public entity. Its assessment considers factors including prevalence, societal relevance, vulnerability or structural underfunding, public interest, planned activities, and the applicant’s expertise. Review the eligibility criteria before investing time in a proposal.
Rank #2
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FOSS United: India-focused grants and fellowships
FOSS United describes its programs as supporting FOSS creators, maintainers, projects, and events across India. Its project grants are largely non-thematic; examples include developer tools, consumer applications, nonprofit foundations, mirrors, open hardware, individual contributors, and programming languages. It also offers fellowships for individuals contributing to projects and communities, as well as event grants. The organization reports that it has disbursed more than INR 3 crores to Indian FOSS projects and maintainers to date; that is FOSS United’s own cumulative figure, not an independent industry-wide statistic. Check its current grant criteria and application information.
Microsoft FOSS Fund: employee nominations
The Microsoft FOSS Fund is a corporate sponsorship route, not an application that maintainers submit directly. Microsoft employees and interns nominate projects. The published rules require that a nominated project be used by Microsoft, use an OSI-approved license, have a way to receive funds acceptable to Microsoft’s procurement and legal teams (GitHub Sponsors is preferred), and not be owned by a Microsoft employee. Microsoft describes quarterly distributions of up to $12,500 USD across one or more projects. See the fund’s repository for its rules; this route is relevant only if a plausible internal nominator exists.
The Tool Desk
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Security funding: follow the managing organizations
On March 17, 2026, the Linux Foundation announced $12.5 million in grants from Anthropic, AWS, GitHub, Google, Google DeepMind, Microsoft, and OpenAI to strengthen open-source security. Alpha-Omega and OpenSSF are to manage the funding and work with maintainers and communities on sustainable security solutions, including security-report triage and remediation. The announcement describes an ecosystem investment, not a standing grant application for any project. Security-focused maintainers should check the announcement and then Alpha-Omega and OpenSSF for current routes and eligibility.
How should you compare open-source grants?
Screen each program against your project and the specific work you want funded. A strong reputation or a large user base does not override a mismatch in geography, scope, licensing, applicant rules, or timing.
Rank #4
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- Geography: Is the program global, regional, or restricted to a jurisdiction?
- Project scope: Does it support foundational infrastructure, security, internet commons, research, community work, or a broader range of FOSS?
- Work type: Is the proposed work maintenance, feature development, security, documentation, prototype development, or an event? Are prototypes excluded?
- Mechanism: Is there an open application, a call with a deadline, an employee nomination, or an ecosystem-managed investment?
- Applicant and payment: Can an individual apply, or is an organization or fiscal host needed? Can the recipient legally accept the funds?
- License and outputs: Must code, hardware, documentation, or research outputs use specified licenses or open-access terms?
- Budget and schedule: What work and costs are eligible, what is the minimum or maximum scope, and how long might a decision and start take?
- Existing funding: Does overlapping public funding make the proposed work ineligible, and can you clearly explain the unmet need?
How do you prepare an open-source funding application?
Describe a bounded work package rather than asking vaguely for support for the whole project. Tailor the proposal to the program’s criteria; the checks below are practical preparation, not a claim that every fund uses an identical application rubric.
Quick Recap
Best Value
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- Powerful Pass-Through Charging: Supports up to 85W pass-through charging so you can power up your laptop while you use the hub. Note: Pass-through charging requires a charger (not included). Note: To achieve full power for iPad, we recommend using a 45W wall charger.
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- What You Get: Anker 332 USB-C Hub (5-in-1), welcome guide, our worry-free 18-month warranty, and friendly customer service.
- Define the deliverables. State what will be completed, how maintainers or users will be able to verify it, and when it can be delivered.
- Explain the public value and need. Identify who depends on the software, why the work matters, and why it is not already funded.
- Show who will do the work. Name the people or roles responsible and connect their relevant experience to the proposed tasks.
- Build a credible budget. Tie costs to the work package and check the fund’s eligible-cost rules and any minimum or maximum scope.
- Confirm open outputs. Identify how code, documentation, hardware, or research results will be made available under the program’s required terms.
- Check eligibility before submitting. Confirm jurisdiction, applicant and payment structure, license, deadline, restrictions on duplicate funding, and realistic award timing on the official program page.
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