MOSS/Mission Partners

The Mission Partners track is open to any open source/free software project which is undertaking an activity which significantly furthers Mozilla's mission.

Project Criteria

Award applications should be submitted by a leader of the project. The project/people need to meet the following criteria:

• The project should be to write or enhance some software or software documentation which is under an OSI open source and/or an FSF free software license (non-software exceptions will be considered on a case-by-case basis).
• The project should benefit Mozilla’s mission. This is normally demonstrated by tying the objective of the project to specific Mozilla manifesto principles or other demonstrated priorities.
• Activities which are not sufficient for an award on their own include:
  • Writing open source software (notwithstanding manifesto principle #7)
  • Building something cool with web technologies
  • Translating open source software into another language
• The project’s home can be anywhere in the world where we can make payment without undue burden. We have a preference for funding legal organizations rather than individuals representing projects, although circumstances could lead to some flexibility.
• The specific project activity should be endorsed (on the application form) by someone well-known and respected in a wider software community of which the project is a part.

Selection Criteria

All criteria are indicative rather than determinative - that is to say, they will make us more or less likely to make an award, but none will guarantee a particular outcome.

• How significantly does the project advance the Mozilla mission?
• What sort of reputation does the project have in general, if any?
  • This includes reputation in technical, inclusion and other areas
  • Is the project known for something besides the code we are relying on?
• Will this award make a significant impact on the project?
• Is the level of funding appropriate for the task to be accomplished?
• Does the person (or group) who will receive the money have a track record of delivering?

We expect the vast majority of MOSS awards to be singular rather than regular - that is, support for doing a particular defined thing, rather than ongoing support for a project in general. However a previous award proposal, successful or unsuccessful, does not disqualify a project from applying again.

The minimum award for the Mission Partners track is $10,000, and the maximum is $250,000.

How To Apply

The application form is here. For application deadline information, see the main page.

If you need help completing your application, see the list of mentors on the main page.

FAQs

What is an 'endorser'?

We are keen to enable applications from groups not currently connected with Mozilla, and from communities outside the English-speaking free software world. Therefore, applications for Mission Partners do not require a Mozillian to support them, as applications for Foundational Technology do. Instead, they must be endorsed by a well-known and respected figure from a wider software community of which the project is a part, who is not directly connected with your project. This could be a language community, or a national community - it does not have to be the international open source community.

What about tax?

Recipients are responsible to determine the tax implications of receiving an award, based on their respective countries’ tax laws and compliance requirements. Amounts applied for should be sized such that any tax or other liability that will be incurred is accounted for. Mozilla reserves the right to use different payment mechanisms or tax characterisations for different awards in the MOSS program based on a number of factors specific to the award.