Open source software is the backbone of today’s technology with more than 95% of all technology being built with open source code. Yet, many projects face funding and staffing challenges, making it tough to keep up with evolving innovations and integrations, implement new features, and address security risks.
The open source ecosystem relies heavily on the contributions of a diverse, global developer community, yet many of the people contributing to and maintaining open source are still volunteering their time and expertise.
Consistent and reliable funding is essential for open source sustainability and ensuring long-term contributions from open source contributors and maintainers.
Seeing a better way to connect funding from companies to open source communities, OpenTeams recently launched our Reimbursed Enhancement Proposals for Open Source (REPOS) initiative, a platform to connect open source developers with sponsors and contributors.
REPOS: How It Works
Step 1: Open source software contributors, maintainers, or organizations submit proposals to enhance existing open source projects or introduce new innovative ideas.
Step 2: These proposals are made available to businesses, non-profits, and even individual sponsors via the website to support collaborative funding of community-driven open-source. Think: Kickstarter for open source.
Step 3: OpenTeams actively promotes submitted proposals to our network of sales professionals, clients, and architects increasing the chances of being noticed by potential sponsors and collaborators.
Step 4: Once a proposal secures the minimal funding specified, OpenTeams provides comprehensive support by handling contracts, procurement, disbursement, reporting, sponsor communication, and project management tasks while supporting community communication consistently.
Our approach allows confident investment from the sponsor into a myriad of projects and allows the open source contributors to focus on delivering progress.
REPOS facilitates sustainable funding for both existing projects and new projects.
REPOS For Maintainers and Contributors
For open source maintainers and contributors, REPOS is a pathway to secure sustainable funding for development efforts, free from the constraints and overhead of traditional funding models that often limit open source work.
By tapping into OpenTeams’ extensive network, REPOS expands the reach of maintainers and contributors, connecting them with a broader pool of potential sponsors and additional collaborators for their project.
This increased visibility and networking opportunities foster new partnerships and open doors for innovative collaborations.
Through its holistic approach, REPOS empowers the open source community to thrive, while driving innovation.
REPOS For Organizations
REPOS presents opportunities for organizations to efficiently engage with and support the open source communities they rely on. Open source projects are the key behind most of today’s technological advancements, including AI, data, infrastructure, and cybersecurity.
Participating in funding the open source projects you depend on is critical. Not only does it ensure that you can rely on the project long term, but you get a seat at the table and can talk directly to maintainers who influence or determine the direction of the project. This can reduce both your direct development and maintenance costs significantly. By sponsoring open source, organizations can also get access to key community participants who can help you grow your team (either directly or indirectly through their network).
Open source libraries and frameworks like PyTorch, JAX, and NumPy form the foundation for cutting-edge AI models and applications. Through REPOS, organizations can directly invest in these open source projects both by proposing open source work that they’re eager to fund and by funding the proposed work of the maintainers and contributors they rely on.
Open source contributors and maintainers can be challenging to contract with as you would need to maintain contracts with multiple organizations and individuals to connect with the right people. REPOS simplifies the process entirely by using OpenTeams as the single point of accountability for project success.
Your organization maintains a standard Master Service Agreement with OpenTeams and each funded project becomes its own specialized Statement of Work extending from the innovative work of Quansight which created the “Community Work Order.” This direct engagement allows organizations to shape the future of technologies aligned with their specific needs and goals while building a bridge to the maintainers and contributors trusted by the projects.
Funded Projects
REPOS emerged from several examples of sponsored open source development and collaborative efforts to fund community-driven efforts that many organizations relied on. We built the REPOS idea based on the efforts of our partner organization, Quansight, where we saw the same things over and over again. The projects below were fully funded using our internal sales network and contributors in the OpenTeams Network.
Although the funding of these projects precedes our official launch and the Proposal Author is therefore an internal team member who described the funding happening, REPOS has already garnered attention from notable open source projects, and we look forward to more and more proposals and funded activities coming now that we’ve launched.
Our Open Source Roots Enabled REPOS
OpenTeams is deeply rooted in open source, starting with our founder, Travis Oliphant, a well-known leader in the Python Data and AI community. He authored or led the creation of industry cornerstones, such as NumPy, SciPy, Numba, and Conda, and helped establish the NumFOCUS organization and the PyData conference series. He also founded Anaconda and established the industry-standard platform for data science and machine learning. Travis went on to found Quansight and help establish Quansight Labs as a leading open source research and innovation Lab.
Over the years, Travis and his colleagues have interacted with a network of open source contributors, built several teams to develop open source software, and built solutions using open source for enterprises large and small. With this experience, OpenTeams has assembled a team and a network of partners to enable organizations to build trusted connections with open source communities they rely on.
REPOS also complements the Open Source Professional Network (OSPN) which was released last year and is available to help open source contributors build their unique contribution resume at ospn.org. With long-standing involvement in supporting open source software, communities, and businesses worldwide, OpenTeams is uniquely qualified to grow and support the REPOS initiative.
Get Started With REPOS
Ready to make open source more sustainable or get funding for your idea?
Check out the proposals or propose your own.
