FLOSS/fund

FLOSS/fund is a funding initiative started at Zerodha in 2024 to sustain free and open source projects globally. Its homepage describes a program budget of up to $1 million per year, not an award available to each applicant.

Eligibility and benefit. The FAQ focuses on existing, widely used, impactful projects and excludes very new projects or those with minimal usage. Individuals, groups, communities, projects, and organizations can apply. Recipients need a bank account and jurisdiction-specific tax documents. The FAQ allows requests up to $100,000 in one year, with a $10,000 minimum and specified larger request denominations. Selection is discretionary.

Application. Publish a funding.json manifest on the project’s website or repository, then submit its URL to the official directory. The submission page explicitly says this creates a grant application and makes the funding request publicly discoverable.

Timing and caveats. The FAQ describes quarterly evaluations and paperwork taking up to four weeks. A later official update, dated October 18, 2025, reports irregular tranches and payment delays of four to sixteen weeks. That update is the latest dated fund announcement found during this review. The application route remains available, but the next selection date, available 2026 budget, and payment timeline are unconfirmed. Applicants should confirm timing before relying on an award.