There are foundations that support and get funds for free and open source software (FOSS).
Foundations allow to have vendor-independent organizations that manage FOSS projects, improving neutrality.
An example of vendor-dependent FOSS project is Java.
This post features a list of foundations supporting FOSS.
List of Multi-Project FOSS Foundations
FOSS foundations that support multiple projects featured on this post:
- Free Software Foundation
- Apache Software Foundation
- The Linux Foundation
- Mozilla Foundation
- Eclipse Foundation
- OASIS Open
Free Software Foundation
Free Software Foundation (FSF) is the earliest FOSS foundation, and was founded in 1985.
GNU’s Not Unix (GNU) Project is part of the FSF.
It usually releases its software under the GNU General Public License (GPL) v3.0 or later.
Most popular GNU Project software is GNU C Compiler (gcc) and GNU Image Manipulation Porgram (GIMP).
Free Software Foundation official website
Apache Software Foundation
Apache Software Foundation was founded in 1999.
Its most famous project is Apache HTTP Server.
It usually releases its software under the Apache License 2.0.
Apache Software Foundation official website
The Linux Foundation
The Linux Foundation (TLF) was founded in 2000.
Its most popular project is the Linux kernel.
The Linux Foundation official website
Cloud Native Computer Foundation (CNCF)
Cloud Native Computer Foundation (CNCF) is part of the Linux Foundation.
Some popular projects hosted by CNCF is Kubernetes and Valkey.
It requires that the whole project toolchain (it means, software and tools used to develop software projects) is FOSS.
CNCF promotes that all their projects are licensed under an Apache 2.0 license. You can read about it on this external link.
OpenSSF
OpenSSF is part of this foundation. You can read more about OpenSSF on this post.
Mozilla Foundation
The Mozilla Foundation was founded in 2003.
Its most popular products are Firefox and Thunderbird.
It usually releases software under the Mozilla Public License 2.0.
Mozilla Foundation official website
Eclipse Foundation
The Eclipse Foundation was founded in 2004 by IBM.
Its most popular product is Eclipse IDE. Their projects are mostly focused on Java development.
It usually releases software under the Eclipse Public License 2.0.
Eclipse Foundation official website
Open Standards Organizations
Open standards organizations:
- ISO
- OASIS Open
OASIS Open
The Organization for the Advancement of Structured Information Standards (OASIS) is a nonprofit consortium that focus on open standard and open source.
Among its members there are big corporations.
List of Single Project FOSS Foundations
FOSS foundations that focus on a single project featured on this post:
- The Document Foundation
- Rust Foundation
- Django Sotware Foundation
- Python Software Foundation
The Document Foundation
The Document Foundation focuses on the LibreOffice software suite and Document Liberation software.
The Document Foundation official website
Rust Foundation
Rust Foundation focuses on Rust programming language project.
Rust Foundation official website
Django Software Foundation
Django Foundation focuses on Django web framework project.
Django Software Foundation official website
Python Software Foundation
Python Software Foundation (PSF) focuses on Python programming language project.