The Johns Hopkins University Open Source Programs Office (OSPO) is excited to announce the launch of the new Free and Open Source Software Project Fund (FOSSProF). FOSSProF is a community-driven program that will provide funding of up to $50,000 to support open source software (OSS) practitioners on campus and to help the OSPO discover new ways to effectively contribute to OSS program success.
FOSSProF is open to all groups at Hopkins that are working on creating, developing, or contributing to open source projects. To participate, simply submit a proposal via the web form on the OSPO website. Interviews and proposal review will occur on a rolling basis, with projects designed to execute during the spring semester, wrapping up in May 2024.
All types of proposals will be considered; including, but not limited to, projects designed to:
- Improve software quality, e.g. via bug fixes, updated documentation, improved user experience, or accessibility testing and improvements
- Increase functionality, including new features, integrations, or plug-ins
- Increase visibility and adoption through value proposition development, market analysis, or promotional activities
- Improve community engagement by holding events, creating communications plans, or developing new community-led training programs
- Increase learning and development; for example, by providing space for program staff to create new features requiring new skillsets or program materials requiring new tools
- Improve project governance, by establishing or improving decision-making structures or policies
Do you have an idea but need help shaping it into a proposal? Reach out to ospo@jhu.edu to set up a time to meet with OSPO staff for assistance.
OSPO staff will work with all participating programs to identify project goals and hoped-for outcomes; develop project budgets, timelines, work plans, and evaluation methods; and write final project reports. The OSPO will also work collaboratively with participating programs to define useful metrics for project assessment, leveraging existing tools from Bitergia, CHAOSS, and GitHub for metrics or developing novel methodologies as needed.