named programs · 1 · from sources
What they call their work
Associated Projects Program
Provides fiscal sponsorship, legal protection, and administrative support to free and open source software projects that meet criteria of genuineness, substance, and significance
activities · 7 groups
What they do
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Legal Representation for Members 1 activity
- Facilitation of legal and technical resource access for open source projectsFacilitates access to legal counsel for associated projects by funding cross-project legal solutions and enabling project-specific legal representation using designated funds. Accepts donations of computer equipment and technical services from companies and universities for use by member projects.
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Free and Open-Source Software Advocacy & Development 1 activity
- Fiscal sponsorship for open source projectsActs as a fiscal sponsor for free and open source software and hardware development organizations, providing them with 501(c)(3) status to receive tax-deductible donations. Handles non-technical administrative tasks so projects can operate without forming their own legal entities.
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Endowment and Gift Fund Management 1 activity
- Funding administration for associated open source projectsAccepts and manages donations designated for specific associated free and open source software projects, holding funds on their behalf and disbursing them for approved project expenses such as travel, equipment, conferences, legal costs, and marketing materials. Deducts transaction fees and a 5% overhead from incoming donations.
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Membership Program Administration 1 activity
- Individual membership program for free software supportersOffers membership opportunities to individuals who support the principles of free software, granting voting rights to contributing members actively involved in the free software community.
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Nonprofit Organizational Management 1 activity
- Provision of financial and accounting services to member projectsProvides comprehensive accounting services for associated projects, including processing reimbursements, invoicing, vendor payments, fund tracking, financial reporting, audit compliance, and issuing monthly financial reports detailing donations received and expenses paid.
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Transparent Governance Meetings 1 activity
- Public governance and organizational transparency operationsConducts monthly public board meetings via IRC, maintains a publicly accessible agenda, posts approved meeting minutes and raw logs online, and publishes board-adopted resolutions through the spi-announce mailing list and website to promote transparency and community feedback.
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Uncategorized 1 activity
- Management of assets and intellectual property for open source projectsHolds legal ownership of tangible and intangible assets purchased with SPI funds or donated to associated projects, including equipment (over $300) and domain names, trademarks, and licenses. Provides protection and registration support for intellectual property and ensures proper stewardship of assets when projects become defunct.
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financials · form 990 · fy2024
revenue
Total revenue$685K
Contributions & grants$547K80%
Program service revenue$12K2%
Investment income$126K18%
Other revenue$0
expenses
Total expenses$926K
Program expenses87%
Admin / overhead13%
Fundraising0%
Salaries & benefits$0
Grants paid out$0
Largest expense lineOther
balance sheet
Total assets$2.61M
Cash$2.40M
Investments$0
Liabilities$85K
Net assets$2.53M
Liquid reserves31.1 mo
3 years on record · 2020–2024 · YoY revenue +47.9%
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2024
Who runs it
board members · 9
- FORREST FLEMING — Director
- HECTOR ORON MARTINEZ — Treasurer
- JEREMY STANLEY — Director
- JONATAS L NOGUEIRA — Vice President
- Joe Conway — Director
- KATHERINE MCMILLAN — Director
- MICHAEL SCHULTHEISS — President
- Milan Kupcevic — Director
- ZACH VAN RIJN — Secretary
relationships · 69
Who they work with
- 0 A.D. Partner — Associated free and open source software project sponsored by SPI.
- Adélie Linux Partner — Associated free and open source software project sponsored by SPI.
- Apache Software Foundation Partner — Eligible recipient for fund transfers from SPI-associated projects due to compatible nonprofit purpose.
- Apache Software Foundation Partner — Eligible recipient for transfer of funds, substantial assets, or intangible assets held by SPI on behalf of associated projects.
- Arch Linux Partner — Associated free and open source software project sponsored by SPI.
- Arch Linux 32 Partner — Associated free and open source software project sponsored by SPI.
- ArduPilot Partner — Associated free and open source software project sponsored by SPI.
- Associated Projects Partner — Independent projects fiscally sponsored by SPI, each with a designated liaison for coordination and support.
- Battle for Wesnoth Partner — Associated free and open source software project sponsored by SPI.
- Best Practical Solutions, LLC Partner — Hosts SPI's Request Tracker instance.
- Board of Directors Network — Governing body responsible for managing SPI and making organizational decisions.
- Board of Directors Partner — Manages the affairs and business of the organization and oversees committees and officers.
- Click & Pledge Partner — Online donation processing partner used to facilitate credit card contributions to SPI.
- Compile Farm Partner — Associated free and open source software project sponsored by SPI.
- Debian Network — Associated project with a defined election procedure for selecting its SPI liaison.
- Debian Partner — Associated free and open source software project sponsored by SPI.
- Drizzle Partner — Associated free and open source software project sponsored by SPI.
- FFmpeg Partner — Associated free and open source software project sponsored by SPI.
- Free Software Foundation Partner — Eligible recipient for fund transfers from SPI-associated projects due to compatible nonprofit purpose.
- Free Software Foundation Partner — Eligible recipient for transfer of funds, substantial assets, or intangible assets held by SPI on behalf of associated projects.
- GNU TeXmacs Partner — Associated free and open source software project sponsored by SPI.
- GNUstep Partner — Associated free and open source software project sponsored by SPI.
- Gandi Partner — Sponsors domain names for SPI and many SPI associated projects
- Ganeti Partner — Associated free and open source software project sponsored by SPI.
- Gentoo Linux Partner — Associated free and open source software project sponsored by SPI.
- Google Funder — Provides substantial donations to SPI's general fund
- Himmelblau Foundation Partner — Associated free and open source software project sponsored by SPI.
- Internal Revenue Service Government — Determined SPI's 501(c)(3) non-profit status in 1999.
- LibreOffice Partner — Associated free and open source software project sponsored by SPI.
- Libreboot Partner — Associated free and open source software project sponsored by SPI.
+ 39 more
strategies · 3
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.
- Capacity Building for Open Source Public Benefitmethodology: open_source_capacity_buildingBy strengthening the organizational capacity of open source projects through centralized financial stewardship, fund allocation, and compliance management, SPI amplifies their ability to deliver public benefit via reliable and accessible technology, because robust back-end infrastructure enables sustainable technical innovation.
- Fiscal Sponsorship with Autonomy Preservationmethodology: fiscal_sponsorship_with_autonomyBy providing fiscal sponsorship and administrative support without asserting control, SPI enables open source projects to focus on technical development and maintain independence, because preserving project autonomy increases innovation and sustainability while reducing legal and administrative barriers.
- Open Governance for Community Trust and Engagementmethodology: open_governanceBy conducting transparent operations through public board meetings, published governance documents, and member-driven decision-making, SPI fosters community trust and participation, because transparency and inclusivity strengthen legitimacy and alignment with the open source ecosystem’s values.