Open source software is essential in our daily lives, valued at around $9 trillion and primarily developed by unpaid volunteers. However, funding for maintenance is lacking, leading to potential dysfunction. Large open-source foundations prioritize major projects, neglecting smaller crucial ones, creating risks. While platforms like Thanks.dev and Open Collective help with funding, they favor popular projects over important ones. To address this, an algorithm-based index for OSS funders, similar to the S&P 500, could efficiently allocate donations. By analyzing data on Python packages, the author allocated $5,000 in microgrants to GitHub users through GitHub Sponsors, aiming to support essential but underfunded projects.
https://kvinogradov.com/algo-sponsors/