Association for Free Software announces grants programme
Focussed help for individual projects
The Association for Free Software (AFFS - http://www.affs.org.uk/), the UK's
leading point of contact for information on Free Software, announces a
grants programme to help individuals working on free software projects
in the UK, or for a particular UK market currently served only by
proprietary software.
The money has been generously donated by the UK Free Software Network
(UKFSN - http://www.ukfsn.org/), a leading ISP, and others, and this first call for projects will start directing that money towards the people at the
cutting edge of free software development.
The application process is as informal as possible - all the applicant
needs to do is send a one-page summary of their project, and the AFFS
Committee will make a decision on support within three months.
Suggestions on what the summary should cover are on the AFFS website
(http://www.affs.org.uk/grants/). Preference will be given to those projects where an
AFFS grant will attract match-funding.
Richard Smedley, Chairman of AFFS, said: "AFFS has always provided a
discussion space for Free Software developers (with our annual
conference being the highpoint here), and I am very pleased that we are
now able to complement this with a programme which will help free
software developers directly. Even small amounts of cash can make a big
difference to the pace of a project, and we want to get money to where
it will make the biggest difference."
Alex Hudson, vice-chair of AFFS, adds, "There are still a few
significant niches lacking Free Software solutions, particularly on the
desktop. For example a Free Software solution for content creation and
delivery in the education market that could match Flash. There are
several promising technologies here which need the right push, though we
remain open-minded as to where to award the grant, and eagerly await
applications"
Notes for editors
AFFS was established in 2002 to promote the wider use of free software
in the UK.
UKFSN is committed to the concept of free software, and donates all
its profits to the free software movement.
"Free Software" doesn't refer to the price of software, but the fact is it licensed to the end-user on non-proprietary terms that allow modification and redistribution. It is often also called "open source" or "free/libre/open source software (FLOSS)"