The Essential Open Source Software for Science program, initiated by the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, supports software maintenance, growth, development, and community engagement for open source tools critical to science.
| Resource information | Details |
|---|---|
| Resource name | Essential Open Source Software for Science program |
| Website | https://chanzuckerberg.com/eoss |
| Focus | Funding sources and programs |
The Essential Open Source Software for Science program, initiated by the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative (CZI), supports software maintenance, growth, development, and community engagement for open source tools critical to science.
The program states that many projects often suffer from a lack of investment a few years into development, which is, paradoxically, right when they start to become widely used. The program also rightly notes that grant-based funding is often exhausted shortly after new software is released, and without support, in-house maintenance of the software and the systems it depends on becomes a struggle. The program was designed for open source software essential to modern scientific research. Going beyond funding for writing code, there is focus on improving documentation, addressing usability, managing the project, and building community.
Each award grantee may be allocated funds of up to $200,000 per year for up to two years, as of 2022 (please check the website for latest details). Applications may be submitted by non-profit and for-profit organizations, public and private institutions, such as colleges, universities, hospitals, laboratories, units of state and local government, companies, and eligible agencies of the federal government.
