named programs · 4 · from sources
What they call their work
Contributor Invites Program
Initiative that posts beginner-friendly tasks in coding, design, documentation, and testing to engage new contributors and grow the development community.
Developer Manual and Documentation
Produces educational resources such as the "Tutorial: Writing Apps for FreedomBox" to lower barriers for new developers and support community-driven development.
FreedomBox Hackathon
Community event co-hosted with the Software Freedom Law Center to teach participants how to install, develop, and contribute to FreedomBox, including installfests and guided coding sessions.
FreedomBox Summit
Annual gathering of the FreedomBox core team and foundation staff to review progress, set goals, and engage with the community through virtual or in-person discussions and Q&A sessions.
activities · 4 groups
What they do
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Free and Open-Source Software Advocacy & Development 3 activities
- Advocate for digital freedom and advise policymakersProduces reports and advisory materials on digital rights, privacy, and information policy, and provides expert input to national and international communications and intellectual property regulators to advance digital freedom.
- Develop and distribute FreedomBox open-source software systemDevelops, maintains, and distributes a free and open-source software platform (licensed under AGPLv3) that enables individuals to self-host private internet services such as file sharing, encrypted messaging, voice calls, and personal websites. The software is released approximately every two weeks with updates including patches, new features, UI improvements, and support for additional hardware like ARM64 devices and Orange Pi Zero.
- Host community events and development summitsOrganizes and hosts annual FreedomBox Summits (including fully virtual events) and collaborative hackathons, such as one co-hosted with the Software Freedom Law Center at Columbia Law School, featuring discussion sessions on development plans, UI changes, and actionable project ideas, along with installfests and developer training.
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Annual Impact and Evaluation Reporting 1 activity
- Conduct research and publish summit proceedingsPublishes reports summarizing discussions and outcomes from annual FreedomBox Summits, including proceedings from the 2018 and 2019 events held in New York City, to document community insights and guide future development.
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Digital Communications and Content Management 1 activity
- Promote the FreedomBox project globallyManages global communications, marketing, and partnerships to promote awareness and adoption of the FreedomBox project.
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Uncategorized 3 activities
- Enable developer contributions and project coordinationProvides technical infrastructure and hosting for developers, publishes onboarding materials including a manual and tutorial for contributing code, conducts training sessions to set up development environments, coordinates developer activities, shapes strategic direction through partnerships, and drafts governance frameworks such as a code of conduct.
- Provide technical support and user resources for FreedomBoxOffers free technical support through public forums, maintains comprehensive documentation via a wiki with user manuals and release notes, provides educational videos, setup instructions, and operates a free online demo of the FreedomBox software for prospective users.
- Support decentralized deployment through Network ManagersSupports volunteer Network Managers who lead networks of FreedomBox servers by providing free consulting, prioritized patch and feature support, on-site visits, hardware, and educational resources to help communities adopt decentralized digital infrastructure.
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financials · form 990EZ · fy2024
revenue
Total revenue$32K
Contributions & grants$30K92%
Program service revenue——
Investment income$2K8%
Other revenue$162
expenses
Total expenses$4K
Program expenses—
Admin / overhead—
Fundraising—
Salaries & benefits—
Grants paid out—
balance sheet
Total assets$62K
Cash—
Investments—
Liabilities—
Net assets$62K
5 years on record · 2020–2024 · YoY revenue +763.4%
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2024
Who runs it
board members · 2
- EBEN MOGLEN — DIRECTOR AND PRESIDENT
- YOCHAI BENKLER — DIRECTOR
relationships · 16
Who they work with
- Berkman Center for Internet and Society Partner — Board member serves as faculty co-director of the Berkman Center for Internet and Society.
- Berkman Center for Internet and Society Partner — Connected through Yochai Benkler, Member of the Board of the FreedomBox Foundation and faculty co-director of the Berkman Center.
- Columbia University Law School Partner — Board president is Professor of Law and Legal History at Columbia University Law School.
- Debian Partner — Collaborates with Debian on development and infrastructure, including hosting project resources on Debian servers.
- Electronic Frontier Foundation Network — Recipient of the Electronic Frontier Foundation's Pioneer Award, indicating alignment and recognition within the digital rights community.
- Felix Freeman Partner — Volunteer Network Manager who runs a FreedomBox node and promotes decentralized infrastructure through free software activism and training.
- FreedomBox Foundation Network — Develops and supports the FreedomBox platform as its primary organizational mission.
- Harvard University Partner — Board member holds faculty position and co-directs the Berkman Center for Internet and Society at Harvard University.
- Localization Lab Partner — Collaborates with Localization Lab to support translation and localization of FreedomBox software.
- Olimex Partner — Collaborated with FreedomBox Foundation to launch a FreedomBox hardware product.
- Olimex Partner — Partnered to launch a FreedomBox product.
- Olimex Partner — Produces and sells Pioneer FreedomBox Home Server Kits in collaboration with the FreedomBox Foundation.
- Rohan Grey Partner — Volunteer Network Manager who runs a FreedomBox node and advocates for the technology through academic and nonprofit networks.
- Software Freedom Law Center Partner — Co-hosted a hackathon with the FreedomBox Foundation at Columbia Law School to commemorate the 10-year anniversary of the FreedomBox project.
- Software Freedom Law Center Partner — Co-hosted a hackathon with the FreedomBox Foundation at Columbia Law School.
- Software Freedom Law Center Partner — Collaborates with the FreedomBox Foundation through shared leadership; founded by Eben Moglen, who also leads the Foundation.
strategies · 4
How they approach the work
Named approaches extracted from this org’s sources. Where others share an approach, follow it to see the full set of orgs running it.
- Community-Driven Development and Governancemethodology: community-driven developmentBy involving the community in roadmap shaping, strategic planning, and open development processes, we ensure the project evolves according to user needs and collective values, because inclusive governance strengthens sustainability, trust, and innovation.
- Decentralized Self-Hosting for Digital Autonomymethodology: decentralized_self-hostingBy enabling individuals to self-host internet services on personal hardware, we reduce dependence on centralized platforms and enhance user control over data and communications, because direct ownership of infrastructure ensures privacy, security, and digital freedom.
- Each One Teach One Knowledge Expansionmethodology: each-one-teach-oneBy leveraging peer-to-peer knowledge transfer, we grow the developer and user community around FreedomBox, because grassroots education multiplies capacity and sustains adoption beyond institutional outreach.
- Usability-by-Design to Democratize Privacy Toolsmethodology: usability-by-designBy simplifying complex privacy software through intuitive user interfaces, we enable non-technical users to adopt self-hosted solutions, because accessibility is essential to widespread use and empowerment beyond developer communities.