Even though the Software Freedom Conservancy as crossed one major fundraising hurdle, additional funding is still needed — so give what you can.
Good news on the fundraising front from the folks at Software Freedom Conservancy.
When the organization began its annual fundraising drive back in November it announced that all donations up to $159,191 would be matched by “a few very generous anonymous donors” — its largest match offer ever. On Thursday, SFC announced that the match amount had been reached, meaning that the fundraiser has raised at least $318,382 so far.
“Despite the goal being the most ambitious one yet, this is the fastest we’ve ever reached this milestone,” the organization said in a statement. “Donations are continuing to come in. As the number creeps higher as we near our fundraiser end date of January 15, we believe that each dollar above our goal sends this message loud and clear: pursuing software freedom is an important goal for our society.”
In other words, this doesn’t mean people shouldn’t continue to donate, and not only just to send a message. Running a non-profit is expensive, and all funds raised will be put to good use.
The Software Freedom Conservancy is important to free software communities because it supplies a home and infrastructure support, including legal services, for FOSS projects. Currently the organization has more than 40 member projects, including such well known FOSS brands as WINE, Inkscape, phpMyAdmin, Outreachy, and others. A complete list of member projects is available online.
In addition, the organization supports diversity and outreach efforts, and works to advocate for and protect copyleft licenses. As an example of the latter, in October the conservancy filed a right-to-repair lawsuit against the TV manufacturer Vizio for GPL violations.
“It is our incredible pleasure to be funded by people like you so that we can remain unbeholden to corporate interests and pursue software freedom for all above all else,” the conservancy said. “Whether donors gave $31, $127 or $10,004, every single dollar makes a huge difference. With this historic match challenge completed, we’re excited to go into this new year with the support of you all.”
