Hello everyone,
I wanted to provide a consolidated update on OpenRefine's fundraising efforts, as information has previously been available in bits and pieces through the Advisory Committee minutes (see Topics tagged minute-advisory).
I have been working with CS&S's dedicated fundraising consultant, Lila Jane Mabe, from Serial Comma Consulting. Below is an overview of the current funding landscape and opportunities we are exploring.
Current Funding Status
Wikimedia Foundation
No further funding is available at this time. We are exploring the possibility of Creating an OpenRefine Wikimedia Group
OTF - Superbloom
I am currently discussing with Superbloom Design to explore support for some design work. I shared with them some of the projects identified during the BarCamp, the 2025 Year Ahead blog post, and the 2024 User Survey.
While Superbloom is directly funded by the OTF User Experience Discovery Lab (UXD Lab), meaning there is no new funding specifically for OpenRefine, their involvement is still valuable in helping us advance specific projects. They will share a proposal by the end of the month, and I will post it here on the forum for discussion.
Goal Post
This effort made me realize that having a roadmap/goal post page would be incredibly useful. I have started compiling notes and plan to publish a dedicated page soon.
Upcoming Outreach & New Proposals
As part of our next outreach phase, we want to initially focus on two communities: Internet Freedom and Open Science, for which I opened a dedicated thread Discussion: How OpenRefine Can Support Federated Data Repositories for Open Science?
Regarding the Internet Freedom angle, we are preparing proposals for the following organizations and would appreciate any connections, insights, or advice on how best to engage with them:
- Futo Grants, OpenRefine aligns with Futo’s mission as an alternative to big tech software. You can learn more about their philosophy: What Does Futo Believe?.
- FlossFund: OpenRefine is an alternative to big tech software. While funding chances might be limited, they offer the funding.json format to publicize funding needs. I am interested in this format to increase the transparency within OpenRefine regarding our funding needs and plan. You can refer to Announcing Floss Fund blogpost and this SustainOSS Podcast episode.
- Open Society Foundations: We want to prepare for their next funding round, focusing on Future Worlds initiatives.
- Arcadia Fund: We are exploring potential funding under their Open Access & Cultural Heritage program.
How You Can Help
- If you have connections with any of the above organizations, insights on the best way to approach them, or ideas you would like to pitch, please let us know on this forum or reach out privately.
- If you have other funding suggestions, feel free to share them in this thread.
I’ll keep you updated as we progress with these discussions. We will publish the details of each application publicly before submitting them. Looking forward to hearing your thoughts and input!