Mission and Objectives of the Prototype Fund

We are Prototype Fund. We promote Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) from society and for society.

We recognise the social dimension and transformative potential of FOSS. We believe that the distribution and purposeful use of FOSS empower social participation. We are convinced that FOSS can make better technologies available to everyone.

The Prototype Fund is aimed at users, developers and contributor communities. We support independent developers and are dedicated to increasing the visibility of projects and their social impact. We provide users with independent and self-determined access to software. In doing so, we are responding to societal interest in Free and Open Source Software.

• We want better technologies for everyone.
• We want to strengthen projects from society and for society.
• We believe in the potential and exemplary function of ideas emerging from civil society.
• We want to support alternatives to the tech giants.
• We support projects financially and ideally in order to create resources for the construction and improvement of FOSS software.
• We want to make FOSS projects visible.
• We are committed to promoting inclusivity and diversity in the FOSS community.
• We believe that FOSS developers should be rewarded for their work.

• We support tools for everyone. To this end, we prioritise projects with large user groups (many potential users), with a big impact (e.g. tools that make the internet safer for everyone), as well as software for smaller user groups that have a significant need (e.g. projects for greater accessibility).
• We support projects with a plan for the future: We select projects that pursue well thought-out concepts for sustainable structures. It does not matter whether this involves a business model or another sustainability approach.
• We support projects that think beyond code: Building good software requires more than just programming expertise.
• We support modular projects: We don't want to reinvent the wheel, but fund projects that embed themselves in existing FOSS communities. We prioritise interoperability in software projects.
• We support projects that are committed to creating a more inclusive software landscape.

• We support people from underrepresented groups in FOSS communities.
• We support people who are not (yet) established in the FOSS space.
• We support people who still have to learn.
• We support people who have already made valuable contributions to FOSS.
• We support people who want to develop software for everyone.

• We support grantees in making their projects sustainable.
• We help grantees to design their software with usability, data security and accessibility in mind.
• We support as individually as possible and strive to meet specific needs.
• We create spaces for experimentation.
• We build networks and connect people.
• We learn: We continuously evaluate our work and constantly improve ourselves as a funding program.
• We share our knowledge, identify key topics and get involved in the debates surrounding the funded projects and relevant policy issues.
• We do what we say: As a team, we do our best to use FOSS technologies where it is possible.