Image courtesy of Digital Vault / X-05
Overview
The Open Source Preservation Initiative exists to keep essential software healthy, secure, and accessible for years to come. By protecting code from abandonment, we address the reality that many open source projects rely on a small number of volunteers who juggle competing priorities. This funding stream supports maintainers, hosting, documentation, and governance so communities and businesses can rely on stable, trustworthy tools. Each contribution strengthens the backbone of the digital commons and helps ensure that important libraries, frameworks, and utilities remain available to everyone.
To provide context and transparency, we’ve gathered a set of related readings that illuminate the broader ecosystem around sustainable software, open governance, and practical tooling. These articles offer perspectives on topics ranging from audio heritage in tech culture to practical approaches for creating useful, sellable artwork, and beyond. Explore them to better understand the environment in which this initiative operates:
- PS2 startup sounds nostalgia and the art of console audio
- Create Procreate color palettes that sell fast
- Sabertooth Outrider prioritization in drafting
- Exploring DeFi dashboards — a practical guide
- Temperature drives blue spectrum in a distant hot star
Why Your Support Matters
Open source depends on people who invest time, skill, and care to maintain software that others rely on. Your support helps sustain those efforts in practical, meaningful ways. By contributing, you enable ongoing improvement and reduce the risk that important projects stagnate or disappear. The initiative focuses on areas where measured, thoughtful investment yields lasting impact for maintainers, users, and the broader tech ecosystem.
- Sustainable maintainer time and capacity to review code, fix bugs, and plan future releases.
- Reliable hosting, continuous integration, and distribution infrastructure to keep projects accessible.
- Security reviews, vulnerability remediation, and dependency management to protect users.
- Clear documentation, onboarding materials, and inclusive resources that welcome new contributors.
- Transparent governance that invites diverse perspectives and accountable decision making.
How Donations Are Used
We aim for clear and responsible use of funds. Contributions are directed toward concrete needs that advance project health and community trust. In practice, donations typically support:
- Maintainer time for coding, code-review, and roadmap work
- Hosting, build systems, and release infrastructure
- Security oversight, dependency tracking, and remediation efforts
- Comprehensive documentation, tutorials, and accessible onboarding
- Community outreach, translation efforts, and efforts to broaden participation
- Open reporting, governance activities, and ongoing transparency commitments
Latest Updates
Public updates are ongoing as the initiative grows. When available, updates will highlight technical milestones, governance decisions, and measurable outcomes—so supporters can see how contributions translate into tangible progress. If you’re exploring this initiative for the first time, you’ll find a steady cadence of plans and reports becoming available over the coming months.
Community Voices
Community input shapes every step of open source preservation. We invite contributors, users, and organizations to share experiences, goals, and ideas about how sustainable support can empower meaningful software work. As voices are gathered, we will feature timely quotes and reflections that reflect diverse perspectives across regions and disciplines.
Transparency & Trust
Trust is built through openness. The Open Source Preservation Initiative maintains public records of activity, funding, and impact so donors and users can verify outcomes. We publish accessible summaries of how funds are used, along with governance notes and updates to keep the process clear and accountable. Our stance is simple: ongoing visibility, responsible stewardship, and a shared commitment to the long-term health of open source.
Contribute Today
Your support matters. By contributing through any of the channels below, you help sustain the people and systems that keep essential software reliable and available. Whether you’re an individual developer, a small team, or a larger organization, your involvement strengthens the ecosystem for everyone who relies on open source.