semantica/FLOSS_FUND_APPLICATION.md

FLOSS/Fund Application Guide for Semantica

Overview

FLOSS/fund is a $1 million per year fund by Zerodha supporting free and open source projects globally. They provide up to $100,000 per year per project.

Application Process

Step 1: Create funding.json Manifest

A funding.json file has been created in the repository root. This file:

• Follows the fundingjson.org standard
• Contains project information, funding request, impact, goals, and budget
• Requests $50,000 USD per year (fits within FLOSS/fund's $25,000 increment structure)

Step 2: Make funding.json Publicly Accessible

The funding.json file needs to be accessible via a public URL. Options:

Option A: GitHub Raw URL (Recommended)

https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Hawksight-AI/semantica/main/funding.json

Option B: Project Website If you have a project website, host it there at:

https://your-domain.com/.well-known/funding.json

Step 3: Verify Project Association (Optional but Recommended)

To verify the association between your project and the funding manifest, implement the wellKnown method:

1. Create a .well-known directory in your repository root
2. Add funding.json to .well-known/ directory
3. This allows verification via: https://github.com/Hawksight-AI/semantica/.well-known/funding.json

Step 4: Submit to FLOSS/fund Directory

1. Visit: https://dir.floss.fund/submit
2. Enter your funding.json manifest URL:

   https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Hawksight-AI/semantica/main/funding.json
   

3. Click "Submit" and "Validate"
4. Your application will be publicly visible on the FLOSS/fund directory

Step 5: Evaluation Process

• Applications are evaluated quarterly by an internal investment committee
• Factors considered: value, impact, criticality, and innovation
• FLOSS/fund prioritizes existing, widely used, and impactful projects
• If accepted, you'll be contacted to complete paperwork (tax residency documents, etc.)

Eligibility Criteria

✅ You Meet These:

• Open source project (MIT licensed)
• Existing project with development history
• Clear impact and use cases
• No strings attached funding

⚠️ Considerations:

• FLOSS/fund prioritizes widely used projects
• They prefer projects with existing user base
• Very new projects with minimal usage may not be considered

Funding Details

• Requested Amount: $50,000 USD per year
• FLOSS/fund Limits:
  • Minimum: $10,000
  • Maximum: $100,000 per year
  • Increments: Multiples of $25,000 after $10,000
• Your Request: $50,000 (fits perfectly: $10,000 + $25,000 + $15,000)

Budget Breakdown (from funding.json)

• Human Labor: $25,000 (50%)

  • Lead developer full-time
  • Contributor support and mentorship

• Infrastructure: $13,000 (26%)

  • Database hosting, cloud CI/CD
  • GPU compute, developer tools

• Community: $5,000 (10%)

  • Conferences, workshops, engagement

• Research: $3,000 (6%)

  • Datasets, benchmarks, research

• Operational: $2,000 (4%)

  • Accounting, compliance, hosting

• Contingency: $2,000 (4%)

  • Unforeseen needs

Next Steps

1. Review funding.json: Ensure all information is accurate
2. Commit and Push: Add funding.json to your repository
3. Verify URL: Test that the raw GitHub URL works
4. Submit: Go to https://dir.floss.fund/submit and submit your manifest URL
5. Wait for Evaluation: Quarterly evaluation cycles
6. If Accepted: Complete paperwork and acknowledge funding publicly

Public Acknowledgment

If funded, FLOSS/fund requests public acknowledgment with a link to their website. Embeddable badges are available.

Additional Resources

• FLOSS/fund Website: https://floss.fund/
• FLOSS/fund FAQs: https://floss.fund/faq/
• Funding.json Standard: https://fundingjson.org/
• Submission Portal: https://dir.floss.fund/submit

Notes

• The funding.json file is already created in the repository root
• You may need to adjust the amount or details based on your needs
• Ensure your GitHub repository is public and accessible
• Consider adding the funding.json to .well-known/ directory for verification