1 billion for open source, challenges to funding digital public goods
summary
Argues that funding for open source social-impact apps needs lifecycle plans: a survey of ~500 projects finds 97% cite money as the primary struggle, with funding often collapsing around year five or six just as user adoption ramps. Proposes building mechanisms — fiscal sponsorship, governance rules, fiscal home models, paid product teams, and pathways for volunteer vs paid contributors — and launches a year-long Digital Public Goods charter to design a possible large-scale fund (hypothetical 1 billion).
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chapters (10)
- 0:00Why open source matters
- 1:50Funding open source at scale
- 3:14Responsibility to maintain projects
- 6:26Challenges of large-scale funding
- 8:32A billion for open source?
- 10:15Designing a funding system
- 13:04Key elements for sustainability
- 15:12Digital Public Goods Charter
- 17:22Are we ready for billion?
- 18:48Q&A begins
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