The F# Software Foundation is committed to increasing the diversity of its membership. So we’re going to start supporting members of underrepresented minorities to attend conferences and other community events.

We’re pleased to announce that sponsored (i.e. free entrance to the conference) tickets are now available for the following events:

Who can apply?

If you consider yourself to be a member of a minority that is underrepresented in technology, we’d love you to apply. Examples of underrepresented minorities would be women, ethnic minorities, and people from an economically or educationally deprived background. We don’t limit it just to those examples though.

Please apply by sending an email to diversity@fsharp.org. Please let us know in your email:

Which conference you’re applying for.

Why you consider yourself to be in an underrepresented minority. (You get to define what that means!)

A little bit about any existing programming or technology background you have.

Whether you will need additional assistance with travel and other costs, and an estimated minimum requirement which would allow you to attend. Limited funding exists to provide further assistance.

Please also confirm that you will be free and able to attend the conference, bearing in mind its location and facilities (see conference web sites).

Would I benefit?

Conferences generally have talks for a variety of skill levels. Give yourself the benefit of any doubt! We won’t be testing you to make sure you’ve absorbed everything.

That said it’s worth bearing in mind the flavor of the two conferences currently available:

If you have any background in computer programming at all (even just as a recent hobby) you’ll probably benefit. There will be pretty wide range of talks from beginner to advanced.

FableConf is a somewhat more specialized conference. You’ll probably only benefit if you have done a bit of JavaScript programming or a bit of F# programming. You don’t have to be any kind of expert though.

How will you choose the sponsored delegates?

The members of the F# Software Foundation Board will discuss all the applications confidentially and make a collective decision.

The board will select on the basis of who they think could most benefit from attendance. We'll take into account the applicant's background and the current diversity profile of the F# community.

We may get back to you by email with anything we need to clarify, but we won’t interview you or put you under pressure.

All the board members are good-hearted people - your application will get a fair hearing!

When will I know?

We’ll get back to applicants regarding Open F# by the end (UTC time) of 15th August 2017, and for FableConf by the end (UTC time) of 22nd August 2017. We’ll inform both successful and unsuccessful applicants.

What do you want in return?

For you to learn something and have a good time!

It would be great if you could share your experience of the conference with us, privately if you want. But we don’t insist on it, and we’ll assume confidentiality unless you tell us otherwise.

Who will know?

We’ll leave it up to you whether your receiving a sponsored ticket is kept confidential. We’ll assume confidentiality unless you tell us otherwise.

Some things to bear in mind

We can only help with tickets for the conference itself. It’ll be up to you to get yourself to and from the conference and to sort out any accommodation, food, accessibility provisions or other facilities you might need. Limited travel support may be available, but the majority of the costs and arrangements will need to be handled by you.

If you need any special facilities or arrangements for the conference, please contact the conference organizers directly.

Will there be more conferences?

Yes, the F# Software Foundation intends to continue sponsoring ‘diversity slots’ for new conferences as they come up. Both successful and unsuccessful applicants for current conferences will be welcome to apply for new ones.