Hi everyone,
Thank you again to everyone who provided feedback in private messages and discussions on the proposed institutional support package. After further internal conversations and a dedicated review by the Advisory Committee, we wanted to share an update on the direction we’ve decided to take.
After careful consideration, we’ve decided not to pursue the institutional support package as originally outlined.
The main reasons behind this decision are the following:
- Alignment with the project’s long-term direction. Supporting business-style needs (such as dedicated support or service commitments) would risk diverting the focus of both the Advisory Committee and paid staff away from the broader OpenRefine community and project stewardship.
- Unclear benefit for the community as a whole. While such a model could generate some revenue, it would require dedicating significant project resources to supporting specific clients. There is no clear guarantee that this investment would meaningfully overflow back to the wider community, and the tipping point at which that might happen remains uncertain.
- Risk of creating a two-tier dynamic. Business users would reasonably expect specific update commitments, release timelines, or prioritization. This introduces a real risk of perceived (or actual) two-tier software governance, which could create tension with the community and conflict with OpenRefine’s values.
Given these concerns, we believe this model does not serve the project well in the long term.
What we will do instead
We will continue to offer a donation-based option via invoice for institutions that cannot donate through standard channels. This will take the form of corporate donations and sponsorship opportunities, without any associated support or service guarantees.
As a next step, I’ll update the existing institutional package materials to reflect this donation-only format, which we can share with potential partners as another way to support the project financially while keeping OpenRefine fully community-driven.
As always, thank you for engaging openly and critically with these discussions. Your input is essential in helping us navigate sustainability questions while staying true to the project’s values.