Open Source Initiative Blog

PALO ALTO, Calif. - Nov. 5, 2018 -- The Open Source Initiative® (OSI) is thrilled to announce the largest single donation in organizational history, a $200,000 contribution from Handshake. Handshake is a new system for the internet namespace that builds in security, openness, and reliability from the start. Handshake's work—as a community-oriented organization, and the open technologies delivered—will jump-start a new era of public internet commons, where critical infrastructure is owned by the open source developers who build and sustain it.

As a symbol of Handshake's commitment to open source software, developers, and communities, the organization has pledged the entirety of their venture capital investment (approximately US $10.2M) to the free and open source software community. In addition to the generous support provided to the OSI, other recipients include, OSI Affiliate Members Debian, KDE e.V, Mozilla Foundation, and Wikimedia Foundation, as well as several other non-profits working in the public interest through openness and collaboration.

"These pledges serve as a long overdue thank you to the open source community both for the immeasurable contributions to the world, and making Handshake possible in the very first place," said Christel Dahlskjaer, Director of Philanthropy and Engagement at Handshake. "We thank the OSI for doing amazing work, while managing to maintain a proper grassroots approach—so much love for the work undertaken by the OSI."

Handshake's pledge arrives at a critical point in time for the OSI and the broader open source software movement. "Although the OSI and open source software have enjoyed tremendous success over the past twenty years, we're actually seeing greater confusion, even skepticism, around established norms, the principles and practices that have made open source development and technologies a standard across industries," said Patrick Masson, OSI's General Manager. "Handshake's funding will allow us to extend the reach and impact of our Working Groups and Incubator Projects, many which were established to confront the growing efforts to manipulate open source through "fauxpen source software" and "open-washing."

Contributions like those from Handshake, allow the OSI to maintain its internationally recognized status as a nexus of trust with a mandate to protect and promote open source. The OSI engages with open source developers, communities of practice, as well as the public and private sectors around the world, furthering open source technologies, licenses, and models of development that can provide economic and strategic advantages.

Masson added, "I know I speak for the OSI Board in expressing our deepest gratitude for Handshake's gift, which will support our ongoing work to promote and protect open source, but perhaps even more gratifying is Handshake's recognition of our commitment to, 'maintain a proper grassroots approach' in those efforts."

About Handshake
Handshake (handshake.org ) is building an alternative to digital certificate authorities using blockchain technology. It's a new system for the internet namespace that builds security, openness, and reliability into the protocol right from the start. Handshake will spark a new era of development in decentralized and secure internet protocols, which aims to redistribute ownership and control among internet users around the world. Blockchain technology has the potential to create the internet imagined by its first pioneers: one free from corporate or government control. Handshake will be a key part of this movement.

About The Open Source Initiative
Founded in 1998, the Open Source Initiative (OSI) protects and promotes open source software, development and communities, championing software freedom in society through education, collaboration, and infrastructure, stewarding the Open Source Definition, and preventing abuse of the ideals and ethos inherent to the open source movement. The OSI is a California public benefit corporation, with 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status. For more information about the OSI, see opensource.org. (https://opensource.org)