Open Source Awards Sponsorship

The Open Source Awards is an attempt to build a sustainable institution that will serve as a focal point of the open-source community and last for centuries. Doing that takes money; in fact, it needs an endowment, like the Nobel endowment that funds the Nobel prizes. Accordingly, the Awards invite sponsorship from individuals, corporations, and governments with a stake in the growth and vigor of open source. The Awards are hosted by the Open Source Initiative, which is a 501(c)3 nonprofit association; thus, all contributions are tax-deductible in the United States.

Sponsorship of the Awards may be in cash or in kind (via services rendered to the OSAs at a valuation agreed on by OSI and the sponsor). Sponsorship carries benefits for each year in which it is maintained, years running from one annual Collegium meeting to and including the next one.

Contributions in excess of those required to cover OSA's annual operations will be directed to a stability fund, with the ultimate goal of running the OSAs from interest on that fund.

Sponsorship levels are as follows:

Bronze Sponsor: $1,000 per annum.

Carries with it the right to be listed as a current sponsor. This level is designed for philanthropic individuals.

Silver Sponsor: $5,000 per annum.

Carries with it the right to be listed as a current sponsor. Silver sponsors have the additional privilege of having their name attached to a Special Award of their choosing (subject to the Collegium's decision about whether to issue that award in any given year). This level is designed for small corporations.

Silver Sponsors for the year ending at the 2004 annual awards are: ActiveState and US Venture Partners.

Gold Sponsor: $10,000 per annum.

All Silver Sponsor privileges, plus a small logo placement on the OSA main page. This level is designed for medium-sized corporations.

Gold Sponsors for the year ending at the 2004 annual awards are: O'Reilly & Associates.

Platinum Sponsor: $25,000 per annum.

Platinum sponsors have all the privileges of Gold Sponsors, plus the right to designate a legate to participate in Collegium deliberations and be acknowledged in all OSA promotional materials. This level is designed for Global 500 corporations and for governments.

Platinum Sponsors for the year ending at the 2004 annual awards are: HP.

At all levels of sponsorship, a sponsoring organization has the right to display this graphic on their web site and in printed materials to publicize their involvement with the Open Source Awards.