[OSGeo-UK] GoFundGeo Launched!

Mon Dec 8 09:52:27 PST 2025

Thanks Nick,

That's a very sensible and considered position. I agree with knocking GDAL
off the list, especially as we have had applications for more funding than
is available.

Kind regards,

Matt.

On Mon, 8 Dec 2025 at 15:17, Nick Bearman via UK <uk at lists.osgeo.org> wrote:

> Hi Matt and others interested in funding GDAL,
>
> GDAL is certainly a vital piece of software and I am very happy that we
> support it's fundraising approach.
>
> However given the size of GDAL, and their previous fund raising efforts, I
> do wonder whether our (relatively) small budget is best spent on $1000
> (~£750) sponsorship.
>
> GDAL's budget is open (https://opencollective.com/gdal#category-BUDGET)
> and well worth a look if you are interested. I approached the gdal-sponsors
> email address and received this reply from Howard Butler:
>
> > Indeed GDAL's funding situation is secure at this time, although our
> recent loss of two Gold sponsors is likely to change the program's approach
> significantly in the future if we are unable to backfill them. Our current
> fundraising strategy is to focus on large corporate institutional
> organizations that derive market benefit from their customers using GDAL
> (ie, the clouds) or organizations who have strategic economic interest in
> GDAL. The former has been lacking in the last year, however. Our operation
> strategy has been to build up a comfortable pool of resources relative to
> our expenditures to help us weather business and fundraising cycles. Now
> that we're in a downturn, we are consuming some of that rainy day fund.
>
> > The most significant benefit of OSGeo:UK donating to GDAL would be
> visibility of the organization on the GDAL Sponsors page – an arguably
> minimal one. I think it is more efficient for OSGeo:UK to continue to put
> resources toward the smaller projects it is currently supporting (this is
> great!). GDAL can't redirect its resources as easily, and to do so requires
> building relationships with those entities, which your organization already
> has. The GDAL Sponsorship Program has redirected some of its resources in
> the past, but only to direct project or code dependencies. The breadth of
> your sponsorship program is much wider and able to be more speculative.
> IMO, you should keep doing more of that rather than providing resources to
> GDAL.
>
> So I will take that as a recommendation that we don't sponsor GDAL this
> year and use the money for some of our smaller projects.
>
> Evan Rouault also came in on the email thread, and said that they would
> really like us to use our influence and contacts to highlight GDAL's
> sponsorship program to large UK based organisations who are GDAL users. He
> suggested Met Office, Ordnance Survey and private owned business in the GIS
> industry, etc. He also said
>
> "Underline that this is a large project (2+ million lines of code),
> dealing with low-level, yet crucial, details that are both essential to all
> building blocks based on it, but too far from end-users to attract enough
> spontaneous contributions sufficient for its daily maintenance. GDAL isn't
> using an open-core model with a free tier and a commercial tier. The free
> product is the enterprise one, integrating capabilities like direct access
> to commercial cloud storage. The revenue stream to improve it without the
> sponsorship program is thus relatively modest. Improvements done in it have
> a huge leverage on the industry that depends on it. We have more details in
> https://gdal.org/en/stable/development/rfc/rfc83_use_of_project_sponsorship.html
> on what kind of activities the funds are used for."
>
> So I hope this helps explain our position.
>
> Any comments or feedback, please do post here, comment in the Google Docs
> https://docs.google.com/document/d/1UUl6NmGmUUowluU8L6dNfF6mUO9kZCOU7W1TvmPQM4I/edit?usp=sharing
> or come to the meeting on 10th Dec, 12pm
> https://meet.google.com/mow-pbyj-wah.
>
> Best wishes,
> Nick.
> On 24/11/2025 17:06, Nick Bearman via UK wrote:
>
> Thanks very much Matt - I will add this to the list when I can.
>
> Best wishes,
> Nick.
> On 20/11/2025 19:51, Matt Walker via UK wrote:
>
> Hi,
>
> I'd like to propose we sponsor GDAL as part of OSGeo:UK GoFundGeo. GDAL
> underpins so much geospatial software. Further details here:
> https://gdal.org/en/stable/sponsors/.
>
> Given the levels I'd suggest we look at the Supporter level at $1000.
>
> Kind regards,
>
> Matt Walker
> https://mastodon.social/@walkermatt
>
> On Thu, 20 Nov 2025, 14:43 Nick Bearman via UK, <uk at lists.osgeo.org>
> wrote:
>
>> Hi Everyone,
>>
>> Do remember to suggest projects for GoFundGeo.
>>
>> Currently we have two projects who have applied (qgis2web and GeoServer)
>> and we are also looking to continue our regular funding of pgRouting,
>> QGIS and GISRUK & OSGeo:UK GoFundGeo Award.
>>
>> These are listed in Google Docs linked below and we value your comments.
>>
>>
>> https://docs.google.com/document/d/1UUl6NmGmUUowluU8L6dNfF6mUO9kZCOU7W1TvmPQM4I/edit?usp=sharing
>>
>> Feel free to add comments to the document, or share comments on the
>> email list.
>>
>> This will be a live document, updated with more information and
>> submissions as we receive them until the deadline, Sun 30th Nov.
>>
>> If you have any questions, please do ask.
>>
>> Best wishes,
>> Nick.
>>
>> On 13/11/2025 16:13, Nick Bearman via UK wrote:
>> > A quick reminder about GoFundGeo.
>> >
>> > Deadline for Submissions is Sun 30th Nov.
>> >
>> > So far we have had 1! Please do submit your project and if you know
>> > anyone doing interesting work, please encourage them to submit their
>> > project. If anyone has any questions, please do ask, either here or
>> > via osgeouk at gmail.com or nick at nickbearman.com.
>> >
>> > We have decided on the meeting where we decide which projects to
>> > fund: 10th December 2025 12pm - 1pm on Google Meet,
>> > https://meet.google.com/mow-pbyj-wah.
>> >
>> > Best wishes,
>> > Nick.
>> >
>> > On 30/10/2025 3:19 pm, Nick Bearman wrote:
>> >> Every year around November we use surplus funds from FOSS4G:UK
>> >> conferences (and other funds) to support Open Source Geospatial
>> >> software projects that will have an impact in the UK. We usually have
>> >> around £5000 to support a variety of projects, and have done
>> >> previously each year since 2022. For more details of the projects we
>> >> have supported, please see https://uk.osgeo.org/gofundgeo.html.
>> >>
>> >> This year we have a budget of £6,000 and will be making the decision
>> >> about which projects we support in early December. Come along and
>> >> have your say!
>> >>
>> >> We are looking to use this money to fund relevant projects in the
>> >> range of £500 - £1000 each that will benefit UK users.
>> >>
>> >> We would like to hear from you - what project(s) do you think we
>> >> should fund?
>> >>
>> >> We are making this as simple a process as possible, so please submit
>> >> your ideas to osgeouk at gmail.com by Sun 30th Nov 2025. We will need a
>> >> short paragraph that covers what is being funded, why it is useful,
>> >> who will do it and how much you are applying for. We will share these
>> >> to the email list around Tue 2nd Dec, for discussion at our meeting
>> >> in early December.
>> >>
>> >> We have funding guidelines
>> >> (https://uk.osgeo.org/fundingguidelines.html) and briefly we only
>> >> fund open source projects, our preference is to support discrete
>> >> pieces of work, or to meet specific sponsorship levels, and we are
>> >> focused on items that will benefit the UK community.
>> >>
>> >> We will discuss the submissions at our meeting in early December, and
>> >> decide which ones to fund.
>> >>
>> >> We are hopeful again to get support from the RGS-IBG GIScience
>> >> Research Group who have previously provided funding of £250 to
>> >> support GoFundGeo projects.
>> >>
>> >> If your organisation is interested in supporting GoFundGeo with a
>> >> donation, please email osgeouk at gmail.com.
>> >>
>> >> If you have any questions, or need any more information please see
>> >> the website https://uk.osgeo.org/gofundgeo.html or email
>> >> osgeouk at gmail.com.
>> >>
>> >> Best wishes,
>> >> Nick.
>> >>
>> >> Nick Bearman
>> >> OSGeo:UK Chair
>> >>
>> --
>> Nick Bearman
>> +44 (0) 7717745715
>> nick at nickbearman.com
>>
>> Please let me know if I can make any adjustments related to disability or
>> neurodivergence to improve how we interact.
>>
>> Due to my own life/work balance, you may get emails from me outside of
>> normal working hours. Please do not feel any pressure to respond outside of
>> your own working pattern.
>>
>>
>> _______________________________________________
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>> https://lists.osgeo.org/mailman/listinfo/uk
>>
>
> _______________________________________________
> UK mailing listUK at lists.osgeo.orghttps://lists.osgeo.org/mailman/listinfo/uk
>
> --
> Nick Bearman
> +44 (0) 7717745715nick at nickbearman.com
>
> Please let me know if I can make any adjustments related to disability or neurodivergence to improve how we interact.
>
> Due to my own life/work balance, you may get emails from me outside of normal working hours. Please do not feel any pressure to respond outside of your own working pattern.
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> UK mailing listUK at lists.osgeo.orghttps://lists.osgeo.org/mailman/listinfo/uk
>
> --
> Nick Bearman
> +44 (0) 7717745715nick at nickbearman.com
>
> Please let me know if I can make any adjustments related to disability or neurodivergence to improve how we interact.
>
> Due to my own life/work balance, you may get emails from me outside of normal working hours. Please do not feel any pressure to respond outside of your own working pattern.
>
> _______________________________________________
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>

-- 
Matt Walker
https://mastodon.social/@walkermatt
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