Process for funding proposals

This describes the process that the board and the Jupyter community follow in order to unlock funds from the Foundation.

Important links¶

• First funding round:
  • Call for Proposals, including timeline and funding targets. Proposals are due by September 28, 2025.
• jupyter-governance/funding-proposals is the repository where we track proposals.
• This issue template begins a new proposal idea, we use it to coordinate writing, discussion, and status.
• This proposal template has all the information needed for a new proposal. Authors duplicate it to do their writing in a public space.
• This proposals tracker Board is where all proposals are tracked - update the “status” field as you write.

Overview of the process¶

1. Discussion: Create an issue to track discussion and status around the proposal. In this issue, scope out whatever information is needed to drive conversation and sharpen ideas about the proposal.
   • Issue template for new proposals →
   • Board for tracking all proposals →
2. Writing: When the idea is concrete enough, draft language for the proposal in a proposal Google Doc.
   • New proposal template →.
   • Copy the template, put it in the same folder as the template so anyone can access.
   • Set the issue status to Writing.
   • See Tips for writing a proposal.
3. Submission: When the proposal is ready for review, announce that it’s ready for a subcommittee to take review:
   • Make a comment on the proposal issue pinging @jupyter-foundation-admins team and telling them that the proposal should be considered as submitted.
   • Set the status in the proposal document to Reviewing.
   • The foundation admins will also change the project tracking board status to indicate the proposal is being reviewed and determine which subcommittee will review the proposal.
4. Review: Subcommittees review proposals and recommend next actions. Proposal authors may be contacted with additional questions about their proposal.
   • A few potential outcomes from the review process:
     • Recommend for funding.
     • Request changes.
     • Declined (for example, proposal is low quality or is not aligned with our funding priorities).
5. Board Review: At least one week is given to the Foundation Board to request actions other than approval.
   • If there are no objections after one week, then the funding is approved.
   • If there are objections or requested changes, the subcommittee decides how to proceed.
6. Sign-Off by LF: The Treasurer coordinates with the LF Program Manager and Accountant for financial validation and compliance.
7. Execution: Once approved, funds are disbursed by LF (the specific mechanism and timing will depend on the proposal). Proposal owners are responsible for ensuring the work is executed.
8. Reporting. Proposal owners should provide regular updates to the Foundation board, ideally in the form of public blog posts. At least one public blog post should be communicated describing the outcomes of the funding effort.

Tips for writing a proposal¶

• Focus on the outcomes and the value to the community, not implementation details.
• Focus on our funding priorities and board strategy.
• Keep your budget reasonable; smaller budget proposals tend to have a higher acceptance rate. That said, don’t hesitate to be ambitious! We want to see creative and impactful ideas.
• Demonstrate strong community support for your proposal through endorsements, references, or visible discussion.

Who can propose funding?¶

Anybody can propose funding following the process above, and we encourage community members to do so as collaborative efforts.