How Open Source Projects Fund Their Development

Episode 38 of Open Source with Fexingo explores the often uncomfortable reality of funding open source. Lucas and Luna unpack why so many critical projects rely on volunteer labor or corporate handouts, and how a handful of projects—like curl and ESLint—have managed to build sustainable income models. They dig into the numbers: the 2025 Tidelift survey found that 60% of maintainers earn nothing from their work, while the median income among those who do is just $2,000 a year. Lucas explains the three-tier 'funding ladder' that works for many projects, from individual sponsorships to corporate consortiums. Luna shares the story of curl creator Daniel Stenberg, who pivoted from side-project burnout to a consultancy that now supports over 200,000 users. The episode also touches on Open Collective and GitHub Sponsors, and asks whether the open source community can ever agree on a funding norm—or if fragmentation is the new normal. #OpenSource #Funding #MaintainerBurnout #Tidelift #Curl #DanielStenberg #ESLint #OpenCollective #GitHubSponsors #OpenSourceSustainability #CommunitySoftware #VolunteerCoding #CorporateSponsorship #Technology #FexingoBusiness #BusinessPodcast #OpenSourceWithFexingo #Episode38 Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo