GNOME Foundation

{{Lead rewrite|date=June 2023|reason=Too short, one sentence is not enough.}}

{{Infobox organization

| name = GNOME Foundation

| logo = Gnomelogo.svg

| logo_size = 100px

| type = 501(c)(3){{cite web

| author1 = Lois G. Lerner

| title = Gnome Foundation IRS 501(c)(3) Determination letter

| url = https://wiki.gnome.org/FoundationBoard?action=AttachFile&do=view&target=Gnome+Foundation+IRS+501%28c%29%283%29+Determination+letter.PDF

| website = wiki.gnome.org

| access-date = 23 February 2019

| date = 2 August 2002}}

| founded_date = 5 March 2001

| founder =

| location = Orinda, California, US

| origins =

| key_people = Steven Deobald

| area_served =

| product = GNOME

| focus =

| method =

| revenue = {{decrease}} $298,297{{cite web|url=https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/43572618/202202239349300400/full|title=GNOME FOUNDATION INC|publisher=ProPublica|work=Nonprofit Explorer|date=2022-08-10|access-date=2023-06-23}}

| revenue_year = 2021

| expenses = {{IncreaseNegative}} $850,347

| expenses_year =

| endowment =

| num_volunteers = 200

| num_employees = 4

| num_members =

| subsib =

| owner =

| Non-profit_slogan =

| homepage = {{URL|https://foundation.gnome.org/}}

| dissolved =

| footnotes =

}}

GNOME Foundation is a non-profit organization based in Orinda, California, United States, which works to coordinate the efforts in the GNOME project.

Purpose

The GNOME Foundation works to further the goal of the GNOME project: to create a computing platform for use by the general public that is composed entirely of free software. It was founded on 5 March 2001{{Cite web |last=Dercem |first=Bart |orig-date=2001-03-05 |title=Articles of Incorporation |url=https://bizfileonline.sos.ca.gov/api/report/GetImageByNum/007036187131000160249125021042022233115138010082 |access-date=2022-09-28 |website=California Business Search |publication-date=2001-03-11}} by Compaq, Eazel, Helix Code, IBM, Red Hat, Sun Microsystems, and VA Linux Systems.

To achieve this goal, the foundation coordinates releases of GNOME and determines which projects are a part of GNOME. The foundation acts as an official voice for the GNOME project, providing a means of communication with the press and with commercial and noncommercial organizations interested in GNOME software. The foundation produces educational materials and documentation to help the public learn about GNOME software. In addition, it sponsors GNOME-related technical conferences, such as GUADEC, GNOME.Asia, and the Boston Summit, represents GNOME at relevant conferences sponsored by others, helps create technical standards for the project, and promotes the use and development of GNOME software.{{Cite web |title=The GNOME Foundation |url=https://idmark.ca/project/gnome-foundation-annual-reports/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240109143016/https://idmark.ca/project/gnome-foundation-annual-reports/ |archive-date=January 9, 2024 |access-date=December 15, 2024}}

Management

The GNOME Executive Director is selected and hired by the GNOME Board of Directors.

Between 2008 and 2010, Stormy Peters served as the foundation's executive director.{{cite press release|publisher=GNOME Foundation |title=GNOME hires Stormy Peters as Executive Director |url=http://www.gnome.org/press/2008/07/gnome-hires-stormy-peters-as-executive-director/ |date=2008-07-07 |access-date=2014-03-09 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111223013856/http://www.gnome.org/press/2008/07/gnome-hires-stormy-peters-as-executive-director/ |archive-date=23 December 2011 }}{{cite web|title=Changing Roles|url= http://stormyscorner.com/2010/11/changing-roles.html|date=2010-11-02|access-date=2011-09-12}} She was replaced in June 2011 by Karen Sandler, who served until March 2014.{{cite web|title=Karen Sandler Steps Down as GNOME Foundation Executive Director|url=https://www.gnome.org/news/2014/03/karen-sandler-steps-down-as-gnome-foundation-executive-director/|publisher=GNOME Foundation|access-date=16 April 2014}} Following Sandler's departure, the GNOME Board announced that cash reserves had been drained due to a cash flow problem, as the GNOME Foundation had to front the costs of late payments from sponsors of the 'Outreach Program for Women'.{{cite web|last=Walton|first=Zach|title=GNOME Foundation Has Run Out of Money|date=15 April 2014|url=http://www.webpronews.com/gnome-foundation-has-run-out-of-money-2014-04|publisher=WebProNews|access-date=16 April 2014}} Spending for non-essential activities was therefore frozen to allow the cash reserves to recover throughout 2014.{{Cite web|url = https://wiki.gnome.org/FoundationBoard/CurrentBudgetFAQ|title = GNOME Foundation Current Budget FAQ|date = 2014-04-16|access-date = 2014-09-21}} This led to various rumors that the GNOME foundation had gone bankrupt, which the GNOME foundation has clarified never happened.{{cite web|title=GNOME Foundation was never bankrupt|url=https://www.gnome.org/press/2016/02/gnome-foundation-was-never-bankrupt/|publisher=GNOME Foundation|access-date=2 February 2016}}

The executive director position remained unfilled until February 2017, when former Debian leader Neil McGovern was appointed.{{cite web |date=2017-02-01 |title=Neil McGovern Named New Executive Director of the GNOME Foundation |url=https://www.gnome.org/press/2017/02/mcgovern-gnome-executive-director |access-date=2017-02-06}} In February 2022, Neil McGovern resigned as executive director of the GNOME Foundation.{{Cite web |date=2022-02-14 |title=Handing over – looking for our new Executive Director |url=https://discourse.gnome.org/t/handing-over-looking-for-our-new-executive-director/8929 |access-date=2022-02-17 |website=GNOME Discourse |language=en}}{{Cite web |last=McGovern |first=Neil |date=14 February 2022 |title=Handing over |url=https://blog.halon.org.uk/2022/02/handing-over/ |access-date=2022-02-17 |website=Neil McGovern's personal blog |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |last=McQueen |first=Robert |title=Forward the Foundation |url=https://foundation.gnome.org/2022/02/16/forward-the-foundation/ |access-date=2022-02-17 |website=The GNOME Foundation |language=en-US}} A call for job applications was opened for the executive director role in August 2022,{{Cite web |date=2022-08-05 |title=Application open for GNOME Foundation Executive Director |url=https://foundation.gnome.org/2022/08/05/application-open-for-gnome-foundation-executive-director/ |access-date=2023-09-04 |website=The GNOME Foundation |language=en-US}} and was subsequently reopened with a modified job description in May 2023.{{Cite web |date=2023-05-19 |title=GNOME (@gnome@floss.social) |url=https://floss.social/@gnome/110396864870187753 |access-date=2023-09-04 |website=FLOSS.social |language=en}}

Holly Million was announced executive director on 17 October 2023.{{cite web |date=2023-10-18 |title=The GNOME Foundation's new executive director |url=https://lwn.net/Articles/948098/ |access-date=2023-10-21 |website=LWN.net}} She stepped down from her role only nine months later.{{cite web |date=2024-07-12 |title=GNOME Foundation Announces Transition of Executive Director|url=https://foundation.gnome.org/2024/07/12/gnome-foundation-announces-transition-of-executive-director/ |website=GNOME Foundation}} Richard Littauer served as interim executive director until 8 May 2025, when Steven Deobald was appointed, making him the current executive director.{{cite web |date=2025-05-09 |title=GNOME Foundation Welcomes Steven Deobald as Executive Director |url=https://foundation.gnome.org/2025/05/09/gnome-foundation-welcomes-steven-deobald-as-executive-director/|access-date=2025-05-23|website=foundation.gnome.org}}

Board of directors

The foundation's board of directors is elected every year via elections held by the GNOME Foundation Election Committee. The 2024 board president is Robert McQueen, and the other board members are Sonny Piers, Jeremy Allison, Sammy Fung, Erik Albers, Regina Nkenchor, and Michael Downey.{{cite web |url=https://foundation.gnome.org/team/ |title=Our Team |publisher=GNOME Foundation |access-date=2024-05-18}}

{{cite web |title=2022-2023 GNOME Foundation Annual Report |url=https://foundation.gnome.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2024/04/2022-2023-AnnualReport-Digital-1.pdf |access-date=2024-05-18}}

=Some notable former board members=

Behdad Esfahbod (2007–2010)
Nat Friedman (2001–2003)
Jim Gettys (2000–2002)
Miguel de Icaza (2000–2002)
Raph Levien (2000–2001)
Michael Meeks (2001)
Federico Mena Quintero (2000–2001, 2004–2005)
Havoc Pennington (2000–2001)
Stormy Peters (2011-2012)
Karen Sandler (2014-2016)
Jim Hall (2016-2017)
Luis Villa (2002–2006, 2008–2009)
Jeff Waugh (2003–2004, 2006–2008)

Membership

All GNOME contributors can apply for Foundation membership. All members are eligible to stand for the Board of Directors, vote in Board elections, and suggest referendum for voting.

Advisory board

The foundation's Advisory Board is a body of organizations and companies that wish to communicate and work closely with the board of directors and the GNOME project. Organizations may join the advisory board for an annual fee of between US$11500 and US$23000, or be invited as a non-profit.

{{As of|2024|}}, Advisory Board members include: Canonical Ltd., Debian, Endless Computer, Google, Red Hat, Sugar Labs, SUSE, and The Document Foundation.

GNOME Patent Troll Defense Fund

In September 2019, Rothschild Patent Imaging (RPI) filed a lawsuit against GNOME Foundation claiming that Shotwell infringed on its patent because "[Shotwell] imports and filters photographic images from cameras, allowing users to organise the photos and share them on social media". GNOME Foundation called allegations baseless and started a defense aimed not just to defend Shotwell, but to invalidate the patents in question altogether.{{Cite web|title=GNOME faces 'baseless' patent lawsuit for organising images|url=https://www.zdnet.com/article/gnome-faces-baseless-lawsuit-from-patent-troll/|last=Kwan|first=Campbell|website=ZDNet|language=en|access-date=2020-05-22}} To finance the defense, GNOME launched GNOME Patent Troll Defense Fund.{{Cite web|title=GNOME files defense against patent troll – GNOME|url=https://www.gnome.org/news/2019/10/gnome-files-defense-against-patent-troll/|language=en|access-date=2020-05-22}} On 23 October 2019, Debian Foundation publicly stated their support for GNOME Foundation and urged users to donate to the fund.{{Cite web|title=Bits from the Debian Project|url=https://bits.debian.org/|last=Project|first=The Debian|website=Debian Project|language=en|access-date=2020-05-22}} In October 2019, Open Innovation Network announced that their lawyers would assist help GNOME Foundation in discovery process to find prior art to invalidate the patent claims.{{Cite news|title=Open Invention Network comes to GNOME's aid in patent troll fight|url=https://www.zdnet.com/article/open-invention-network-comes-to-gnomes-aid-in-patent-troll-fight/|last=Vaughan-Nichols|first=Steven J.|website=ZDNet|language=en|access-date=2020-05-22}} The GNOME Patent Troll Defense fund received support of over 4000 contributors and surpassed the original goal of US$125,000.{{Cite web|title=Donate Now {{!}} GNOME Patent Troll Defense Fund by GNOME Foundation|url=https://secure.givelively.org/donate/gnome-foundation-inc/gnome-patent-troll-defense-fund|website=Give Lively|language=en|access-date=2020-05-22}}

On 20 May 2020, GNOME Foundation announced resolution of the patent case. The sides have settled on the following conditions:{{Cite web|title=Patent case against GNOME resolved – GNOME|url=https://www.gnome.org/news/2020/05/patent-case-against-gnome-resolved/|language=en|access-date=2020-05-22}}

GNOME received a release and covenant not to be sued for any patent held by Rothschild Patent Imaging
Both Rothschild Patent Imaging and Leigh Rothschild grant a release and covenant from material part of infringement allegations to any software released under an existing Open Source Initiative approved license and subsequent versions of thereof, including for the entire Rothschild portfolio of patents

Thus Rothschild Patent Imaging and Leigh Rothschild keep their original patent, but GNOME Foundation and any project released under OSI-approved license is immune from any future patent claims made by Rothschild Patent Imaging and Leigh Rothschild.

References

{{Reflist|refs=

{{cite press release|title="Red Hat Joins Industry Vendors as a Founding Member of the GNOME Foundation"|url=http://www.gnome.org/press/2000/08/red-hat-joins-industry-vendors-as-a-founding-member-of-the-gnome-foundation/|publisher=GNOME|access-date=30 January 2013|date=15 August 2000}}

{{cite press release|publisher=GNOME Foundation|title=Karen Sandler Named New Executive Director of the GNOME Foundation|url=http://www.gnome.org/press/2011/06/karen-sandler-named-new-executive-director-of-the-gnome-foundation/|date=21 June 2011|access-date=30 January 2013}}

{{cite journal|last=Peters|first=Stormy|author-link=Stormy Peters|title=The GNOME Foundation Is All About People|journal=Open Source Business Resource|publisher=Talent First Network|date=1 June 2009|url=http://www.osbr.ca/ojs/index.php/osbr/article/view/883/853|access-date=21 June 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120314045951/http://www.osbr.ca/ojs/index.php/osbr/article/view/883/853|archive-date=14 March 2012|url-status=dead}}

{{cite press release|publisher=GNOME Foundation|url=http://foundation.gnome.org/membership/|title=Foundation Members|access-date=30 January 2013}}

{{cite press release|title=GNOME Advisory Board|url=https://wiki.gnome.org/AdvisoryBoard |publisher=GNOME Foundation|access-date=26 June 2018}}

}}