October 23rd, 2015

Initial Allocation of One Million US Dollars

Today Mozilla is launching an award program specifically focused on supporting open source and free software. Our initial allocation for this program is $1,000,000. We are inviting people already deeply connected to Mozilla to participate in our first set of awards.

Mozilla is a part of the open source and free software movement. We were born out of this movement. We prosper because of the technology and activism which comes from this movement. And we know that open source and free software remains a key part of the Internet and the online life we seek to build. We have had a grant program for many years. Now it is time to formalize a systematic way to provide a new level of support to this community.

The Mozilla Open Source Support program is designed to recognize and celebrate communities who are leading the way with open source projects that contribute to our work and the health of the Web. It encompasses both: a) a “give back” element for open source and free software projects that Mozilla relies on; and b) a “give forward” component for supporting other projects where financial resources from Mozilla can make our entire community more successful. We’ll give more specific names to these components as we go forward. The Mozilla Open Source Support program will also encompass a component supporting increased attention to the security of open source and free software programs. Our initial allocation for Mozilla Open Source Support is one million US dollars. As we develop this program we will determine future allocations.

We will start immediately implementing the “give back” component for open source and free software projects on which Mozilla relies. Our goal is to identify up to 10 projects we rely on and can fund in a thoughtful, meaningful way by December 12th.

I invite Mozillians and our community to participate in the further refinement of this program by suggesting improvements to its terms, which you will find at https://wiki.mozilla.org/MOSS. I’ll take input on the design of the program for a week and then will finalize the terms for the first set of awards. Please send suggestions to the Mozilla Open Source Support mailing list; you can subscribe here. The wiki contains a FAQ with more information about the program.

I also invite Mozillians and friends of Mozilla to begin identifying projects we rely on and are good candidates for this program. We are compiling a basic list of projects we rely on here.

I am reminded regularly of how deeply Mozillians identify open source and free software as a critical element of an open Internet and healthy, trustworthy online experiences. I am excited to build a program that helps us bring concrete support to this worldview. You are the key to making this program great – to identifying great projects, to helping figure out what engagement from Mozilla would make a meaningful difference and to deepening Mozilla’s connections with our open source and free software compatriots.

I’m here to support this effort, and to support you in making it awesome.