[okfn-discuss] Setting up 2 Funds (for F/OSS and Open Knowledge)

Wed Jul 19 13:24:01 UTC 2006

Benj. Mako Hill wrote:
> <quote who="Tom Chance" date="Fri, Jul 14, 2006 at 08:05:36PM +0100">
> 
>>It sounds like a potentially great idea to me. It would be worth
>>talking to the Association for Free Software, who started a similar
>>scheme a while back allocating grants to UK developers. The money came
>>from the UKFSN, a hosting company, and was on a fairly small scale.
>>I'm sure they'd have lots of useful advice on this matter!
> 
> 
> It's not at all clear to me that grants to developers are always or even
> frequently the best idea for these kinds of projects.  In many
> situations, introducing paid labor into otherwise volunteer projects has
> the effect of crowding out the volunteers and ultimately hurting the
> long-term sustainability of the project.
> 
> I've written a little bit about this here:
> 
>   http://mako.cc/writing/funding_volunteers/funding_volunteers.html

[Having now had a proper chance to read it] Thanks for sending this -- 
it's very interesting and is relevant to both proposed funds. I have to 
say that my view had been to provide the money with very few 
requirements as to how it should be used. In fact I suggest that we 
require *no* detail either for what the funds will be spent or report as 
to what happened (I also wouldn't even mind if we disbursed money in 
recognition for work already done -- though normally this would be done 
in the context of an ongoing project). At the same time I would expect 
the sums disbursed, at least at any one time to any given group or 
individual, to be low -- 500 euros or less.

Thus many of the questions addressed in the essay would be left to the 
project and not to us -- though the sums involved might encourage their 
usage for the 'low-risk' uses you mention such as:

   * hardware
   * capacity building (accounting systems etc)
   * sponsoring events and code sprints

Finally I want to come to the issue of transparency which I think is 
probably the most important of the those raised in the essay as well as 
being one which **is** directly relevant to the management of the funds. 
  I think this is crucial and the best ways to address it is, as your 
essay advises, to keep, as far as possible, all discussion on the issue 
public (i.e. on this list).

Regards,

Rufus