NumFOCUS Small Development Grants
NumFOCUS quarterly small development grants for open source scientific computing projects to fund development work, documentation, community events, and contributor onboarding.
Overview
NumFOCUS is a nonprofit organization supporting open source scientific computing projects including NumPy, SciPy, Pandas, Matplotlib, Jupyter, and over 40 other affiliated projects. The NumFOCUS Small Development Grants (SDG) program provides quarterly grants of up to $10,000 to NumFOCUS affiliated and sponsored projects to fund specific development activities that would not otherwise be funded. Eligible activities include code development and new features, documentation improvements, community building, contributor onboarding events, sprints, and accessibility improvements. The program runs four cycles per year with applications reviewed by the NumFOCUS SDG Committee.
What You Can Find Here
- Quarterly grants of up to $10,000 per application for NumFOCUS-affiliated projects
- Funding for code development, documentation, accessibility, and community work
- Support for contributor sprints, hackathons, and onboarding events
- Funding for translations and internationalization of project materials
- Multiple grants per year possible - projects can apply across different quarterly cycles
- Community governance and process improvement funding
Who Should Use This
- Maintainers and contributors to NumFOCUS Sponsored or Affiliated projects
- Open source scientific computing project teams needing small amounts for specific improvements
- Community organizers planning contributor sprints or onboarding events for NumFOCUS projects
- Documentation authors working on improving accessibility and reach of scientific Python projects
How to Get Started
- Step 1: Verify your project is a NumFOCUS Sponsored or Affiliated project at numfocus.org/open-source-projects
- Step 2: Review the SDG guidelines at numfocus.org/programs/small-development-grants
- Step 3: Apply during a quarterly application window with a specific budget and deliverable plan
- Step 4: Applications are reviewed by the NumFOCUS SDG Committee on scope, feasibility, and impact
- Step 5: Approved grants are paid to the submitting contributor or project after the award
Things to Check Before Applying
- Only projects affiliated with or sponsored by NumFOCUS are eligible - not general open source projects
- Grants are capped at $10,000 per application - for larger needs, pursue separate NumFOCUS fiscal sponsorship fundraising
- Applications must have a clear, specific scope and budget - vague requests are not funded
- Grants are awarded quarterly - missing a deadline means waiting for the next cycle
Frequently Asked Questions
Which projects are eligible for NumFOCUS Small Development Grants?
Only NumFOCUS Sponsored Projects (like NumPy, SciPy, Pandas, Jupyter) and NumFOCUS Affiliated Projects are eligible. Check the full list at numfocus.org/open-source-projects.
Can an individual apply, or must it be the project as a whole?
Individual contributors to NumFOCUS projects can apply for SDGs for specific work they plan to do. The grant goes through the project but can fund individual contributor time.
What is the maximum grant amount?
Up to $10,000 per application. A project can submit multiple applications across different quarters.
How are NumFOCUS SDG applications judged?
The NumFOCUS SDG Committee evaluates applications on: specificity of scope and deliverables, realistic budget, impact on the project and community, and feasibility within the requested timeline.
Are there larger NumFOCUS grants available?
For larger funding needs, NumFOCUS offers fiscal sponsorship (helping projects accept and manage donations) and helps projects apply for grants from NSF, Moore Foundation, and similar sources.
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