@n0toose Of course. Ping me tomorrow.

@sabrinkmann @NGIZero Different funds have different grant sizes, there’s no norm for funds

We used to do 50k grants but when you split them between teams of 4 over 6 months, that’s not a lot of working hours per person.

100k works better for how we fund and who we fund, so we adapted.

@ekaitz_zarraga @PrototypeFund @janneke We can fund teams only if one person at least resides in Germany

@ekaitz_zarraga @PrototypeFund @janneke That’s a bit vague. Send us a bit more info at info@prototypefund.de and we’ll reply!

Btw: If you're at #FrOSCon and missed our talk - we're here, say hi

I can't wait to stand by the side of all the projects we'll be funding over the two years, I can't wait to read your proposals for our new funding tracks.

If you haven't checked out what's new yet, you can do so here: https://www.prototypefund.de/en/blog/ptf-3-0

PS: We turn 10 next year. Want to celebrate with us? Save the date, 11.06.27, Berlin.

That said: 19 million € for FOSS — woohoo 🥳 ! The past few months have been a wild ride, and it's incredible to see this upgraded version of Prototype Fund come to life so quickly. We couldn't have done it without the fantastic support of Bundesministerium für Forschung, Technologie und Raumfahrt, our wonderful colleagues at VDI/VDE Innovation + Technik GmbH, our mother ship @okfde and, of course, every single member of Team @PrototypeFund (best team ever 🩷).

I can confidently say that a FOSS world with @PrototypeFund is better than a world without it — but Prototype Fund alone won't save the FOSS world.

So, while we celebrate more funding, we should also start thinking about where the next 19 million €, ideally with a few more zeros added, will come from. Let's urge funders and public institutions, not only in Germany, to follow the example set by BMFTR in funding those who build technology for actual people.

They've taken risks with us, followed us on paths far from traditional state funding methods and encouraged us to explore ideas we didn't even dare to dream of.

With @PrototypeFund BMFTR has made it possible to create a blueprint for other institutions that want to fund technology for civil society. Almost 10 years later, we have demonstrated that the model works.

We are incredibly lucky to work with one of the few public institutions that have decided to invest in technologies built by people and for people. With our program, the Bundesministerium für Forschung, Technologie & Raumfahrt has been paving the way to more funding for FOSS communities for almost 10 years. They haven't just provided funds; they've also supported us in experimenting with ways to build better funding structures.

It means: 140 projects will be funded with up to 100.000€ and 90 will get additional Second Stage funding - on top of the grants we have already secured.
It means: 140 software projects will be built with users in mind rather than the companies behind them.
It means: 140 teams will get a chance to work on their dream project.

In a critically underfunded FOSS world it's a lot, but at the same time, it's nothing compared to the absolutely crazy amounts of money available in proprietary tech.

Today, we @PrototypeFund had the pleasure of announcing a new expansion to our funding program, with two new funding lines and 19 million € for FOSS projects

It's tempting to write a classic "woohoo, more funds, let's celebrate" post. 19.000.000€ is more money than my brain can comprehend, and I've been working as a funder for a while.

It's a lot.