Open Source Summit + Embedded Linux Conference North America 2026

This birds of a feather (BOF) session is for two audiences to get together. OSS funders & members of OSS projects who are seeking funding. The goal of the BOF is to share experiences from both perspectives. To be clear, this is not a match-making session or a funding giveaway, but an exchange of experiences. The BOF facilitators will seed the discussion with insights from interviews of both audiences, also our personal experiences from implementing the funding programs of the “Paid Open Source Model” (POSM).

We’ll discuss the changing landscape of open source funding. Long-time funding programs, like the Mozilla Open Source Support (MOSS) awards closed doors. However, new funding programs are designed to align with open source values are offering new opportunities, whether it is funding from blockchain treasuries like POSM or government programs like the German Sovereign Tech Fund.

The outcome of the BOF is two fold. One, maintainers and OSS project members who are seeking funding, can better understand how to access funding. Two, OSS funders can hear directly from projects to better understand what process improvements could help with funding more effectively and efficiently.