From ec82d1f6a6a6fc9413c9c59b427fb127166d72b1 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: "Andreas K. Hüttel" Date: Wed, 10 Apr 2024 07:31:22 +1100 Subject: Upload SPI announcement MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit Signed-off-by: Andreas K. Hüttel --- _posts/2024-04-10-SPI-associated-project.md | 103 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1 file changed, 103 insertions(+) create mode 100644 _posts/2024-04-10-SPI-associated-project.md diff --git a/_posts/2024-04-10-SPI-associated-project.md b/_posts/2024-04-10-SPI-associated-project.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..5c2e76c --- /dev/null +++ b/_posts/2024-04-10-SPI-associated-project.md @@ -0,0 +1,103 @@ +--- +title: 'Gentoo Linux becomes an SPI associated project' +--- + + + SPI Inc. logo + + +As of this March, Gentoo Linux has become an Associated Project of +Software in the Public Interest, +see also the +formal invitation +by the Board of Directors of SPI. Software in the Public Interest (SPI) is a non-profit +corporation founded to act as a fiscal sponsor for organizations that develop open source software +and hardware. It provides services such as accepting donations, holding funds and assets, ... +SPI qualifies for 501(c)(3) (U.S. non-profit organization) status. This means that all +donations made to SPI and its supported projects are tax deductible for donors in the United States. +Read on for more details... + + + +## Questions & Answers + +### Why become an SPI Associated Project? + +Gentoo Linux, as a collective of software developers, is pretty good at being a Linux +distribution. However, becoming a US federal non-profit organization would increase +the non-technical workload. + +The current Gentoo Foundation has bylaws restricting its behavior to +that of a non-profit, is a recognized non-profit only in New Mexico, but a for-profit +entity at the US federal level. A direct conversion to a federally recognized +non-profit would be unlikely to succeed without significant effort and cost. + +Finding Gentoo Foundation trustees to take care of the non-technical work is an ongoing +challenge. Robin Johnson (robbat2), our current Gentoo Foundation treasurer, spent a +huge amount of time and effort with getting bookkeeping and taxes in order after the prior +treasurers lost interest and retired from Gentoo. + +For these reasons, Gentoo is moving the non-technical organization overhead to +Software in the Public Interest (SPI). As noted above, SPI is already now recognized +at US federal level as a full-fleged non-profit 501(c)(3). It also handles several +projects of similar type and size (e.g., Arch and Debian) and as such has exactly the +experience and background that Gentoo needs. + +### What are the advantages of becoming an SPI Associated Project in detail? + +Financial benefits to donors: +- tax deductions [1] + +Financial benefits to Gentoo: +- matching fund programs [2] +- reduced organizational complexity +- reduced administration costs [3] +- reduced taxes [4] +- reduced fees [5] +- increased access to non-profit-only sponsorship [6] + +Non-financial benefits to Gentoo: +- reduced organizational complexity, no "double-headed beast" any more +- less non-technical work required + +[1] Presently, almost no donations to the Gentoo Foundation provide a tax benefit +for donors anywhere in the world. Becoming a SPI Associated Project enables tax +benefits for donors located in the USA. Some other countries do recognize donations +made to non-profits in other jurisdictions and provide similar tax credits. + +[2] This also depends on jurisdictions and local tax laws of the donor, and is often +tied to tax deductions. + +[3] The Gentoo Foundation currently pays $1500/year in tax preparation costs. + +[4] In recent fiscal years, through careful budgetary planning on the part of the +Treasurer and advice of tax professionals, the Gentoo Foundation has used +depreciation expenses to offset taxes owing; however, this is not a sustainable +strategy. + +[5] Non-profits are eligible for reduced fees, e.g., of Paypal (savings of 0.9-1.29% +per donation) and other services. + +[6] Some sponsorship programs are only available to verified 501(c)(3) organizations + +### Can I still donate to Gentoo, and how? + +Yes, of course, and please do so! For the start, you can go to +SPI's Gentoo page and scroll down to the +Paypal and Click&Pledge donation links. More information and more ways will be set up soon. +Keep in mind, donations to Gentoo via SPI are tax-deductible in the US! + +In time, Gentoo will contact existing recurring donors, to aid transitions to +SPI's donation systems. + +### What will happen to the Gentoo Foundation? + +Our intention is to eventually transfer the existing assets to SPI and dissolve the Gentoo +Foundation. The precise steps needed on the way to this objective are still under discussion. + +### Does this affect in any way the European Gentoo e.V.? + +No. Förderverein Gentoo e.V. will continue to exist +independently. It is also recognized to serve public-benefit purposes (§ 52 Fiscal Code of +Germany), meaning that donations are tax-deductible in the E.U. + -- cgit v1.2.3-65-gdbad