LI Development Grant Fund

Linux will remain free. Help us help Linux to become a market force

Thousands of people use Linux, many thousands. They know it works well, they know it is free. Linux will remain free, because:

Linux International is a worldwide, non-profit organization devoted to promoting Linux development and its growth in the marketplace. A lot of people have asked about how to donate money or other things to Linux in the last three years, and some have done so. We thank those who have already contributed to Linux in this way.

Linux International is pleased to announce a way of making a formal donation to Linux. The goal of the Linux Development Grant fund is simply to collect and distribute money to developers to help them in their work on Linux.

We have worked hard to get a fair way of distributing the money, and will make sure that anyone in the world can find out what has happened to it. Donations will be collected into a pool and used to award Linux development grants - specific amounts of money for specific development projects. Anyone can make such a request.

About the Grant Fund

Anyone may submit a grant request for a specific Linux development project. Grant requests must meet certain conditions; for example, grants must be used to directly fund a Linux development project (through the purchase of hardware, or documentation for example). Also, the software developed by projects that have received funding must be made freely available. This will make sure that the project benefits both the Linux community and any others who are able to use it.

Further information on making submissions is available by sending an email message to:

grant-submissions-info@li.org

Making a Donation

Simply cut out the donation template form at the end of this document, fill it in and send it off.

We plan to have official Linux International donation points in many countries, with many donation methods. At present, however, there are just three ways to transfer money to the Grant Fund: check/cheque, international money order, or credit card. 100% of the money donated to the grant fund will be used to award development grants. Linux International does not retain any portion of the funds.

People sending credit card details by email are encouraged to encrypt their email using Linux International's public PGP key. This is to prevent unauthorized access to your credit card details. Linux International's public PGP key can be obtained by fingering

donations@li.org

Donors are also encouraged to include their email address so a thank-you note can be sent to them. (Once the donation has been processed and the message has been sent, all personal records will be deleted.) Linux International also plans to periodically publish a list of donors to the Grant Fund (the option to exclude yourself from this list is available.)

Linux International looks forward to helping improve Linux through the Grant Fund. We expect a good response, both in funds and in comments which will help ensure the Grant Fund serves the Linux community.

We commend the Grant Fund to all who have an interest in the bright future of Linux. 

Michael K. Johnson
Secretary/Treasurer of LIDGF
Linux International
donation-comments@li.org

Making a Request

For now, send an email to the grant-submissions-info@li.org address

Questions, Answers and Comment

Can I still send donations to individual developers?

Of course! Linux is Linux, and our best wishes to those who have a project that they are able to support directly.

Are donations to the Grant Fund tax exempt?

Not yet. Corporate donations can usually be counted as a normal business expense. This will of course depend upon the tax laws of your country.

What currency is best?

The Grant Fund is pretty flexible and should be able to cope with any currency that people care to send. If you have a choice, US dollars, Deutsche Marks, Pounds Sterling or Australian dollars will allow us to save money on currency conversions.

Can I send cash to the Grant Fund?

No! Please don't. The chances of the money arriving are very small. This is an unfortunate fact of life.

What if the donation gets lost in the mail?

Provided you don't send cash, this shouldn't matter. While Linux International cannot take responsibility for what happens to postal mail or electronic mail this is just a normal risk.

Thank you for your donation, on behalf of Linux!
Donation Template
 
Name:
Email address:
Fax number:
 
Value of Donation: __,___.__
Currency of Donation:
American dollars: _
Australian dollars: _
Belgian francs: _
Canadian dollars: _
Dutch guilders: _
French francs: _
German mark: _
Japanese yen: _
UK pounds: _
Other (please specify):
 
 
Please find my donation enclosed: _
Please charge my: Visa: _
Mastercard: _
American Express: _
Credit Card number:
Expiry Date:
Name of Cardholder:
 
 
Exclude your name from the list of donors
that will be published periodically?
Yes, do exclude me: _
 
 
Email donations : credit card payment only
Fax donations : credit card payment only
Postal donations: credit card, check/cheque
or international money order
 
All donor information will be kept confidential,
and donation records will be deleted once the
donation has been processed.

If sending this template by email, Linux International recommends encrypting the email message using PGP and Linux International's public PGP key. Linux International's public key can be obtained by

finger donations@li.org

Donors can then email their donation to:

donations@li.org

Or post it to: 

Linux International
Attn: LIDGF
80 Amherst St.
Amherst, N.H. 03031-3032
U.S.A.