[alexchamberlain]

> Government support won't work for OSS at scale — it's too globally decentralized... We recently received US 501(c)(3) tax-exempt charity status.

If this is successful in the first iteration, I'd love to see a UK and EU based charities too. That would allow european donors to support on a gross pay basis, and may simplify grants to european nationals too. (I'm sure similar things apply in other jurisdictions too.)

[kvinogradov]

OSE actually has it on its roadmap: https://github.com/osendowment/foundation/blob/main/roadmap....

Most likely we won't create our own subsidiaries, but will partner with local nonprofits (suggestions are welcome), which could make donations tax-deductible for UK/EU residents.

As for grants, we are totally fine with supporting European open source maintainers now. OSE has a global scope, limited only by the available payment infra and US regulations.

[svilen_dobrev]

> will partner with local nonprofits

mmh. be very careful when choosing those. Esp. in former socialistic countries, and esp. in some of them (hint), where $$$ scheming has become bread-and-butter of the.. kind-of-former-but-new aparatchiks.. it's like an official mafia. Electrically speaking, they manage to find ways to ground and leech on any potential.. $100 or $100M alike.

otherwise - great initiative. The Commons (as of ivan ilich) need support and care in order to be .. there when needed.

[kvinogradov]

Sure - we donate our own money to this endowment fund and carefully choose partners who have a solid reputation and can deliver maximum efficiency. I don't think we will have any of them in former socialist countries,except for those based in Berlin :)

[whit537]

Thanks, Alex. Ticketed here:

https://github.com/osendowment/foundation/issues/26

Will take some time ofc but good to plant the seed now. :)

[pabs3]

There is already NLNet and other charities in the EU for funding FOSS.