Fellowship for Maintainers FAQ
Frequently asked questions about different aspects of the Sovereign Tech Fund's fellowship pilot program
Can you check on my or my projects’ eligibility before I apply?
We can't provide individual assessments prior to application. Please review our criteria and use the attached guiding questions to evaluate your project's suitability. If you're still unsure, we encourage you to apply.
Can I apply to the fellowship if I'm not located in Germany?
The freelance option is available for maintainers anywhere. The employment option is limited to applicants who reside and are authorized to work in Germany.
Can I submit my application in languages other than English?
Please submit your application in English only.
How can I reach you if I have questions that are not answered by this FAQ?
If your question isn’t addressed in our blog post, the fellowship program page, or within this collection of frequently asked questions, you can contact us using the email address fellowship@sovereigntechfund.de.
How do you define a "maintainer"?
A maintainer is someone with permission to merge pull requests or trigger releases for an open source project's repositories.
What's your definition of a "contributor"?
A contributor regularly commits changes to an open source project's repository.
What qualifies as an open source project?
An open source project has one or more public repositories and is licensed for free reuse, modification, and redistribution. We accept OSI-approved or FSF Free/Libre licenses for code. Documentation licenses should not include non-commercial or "no derivative" clauses.
Can package maintainers apply?
Yes, if the impact of the package repository is significant (for example, high volume or critical packages). For these cases, we will consider the package repository the open source project.
Can emerging prototypes apply?
No, we're currently only considering widely-used technologies. Please refer to our criteria for more details.
Can one of my projects be a user-facing, open source application?
For the pilot program of the fellowship, we're focusing on digital infrastructure – open source components that are dependencies of user-facing applications, not the applications themselves.
Do I need to speak German?
German is not required for the fellowship. You should have a strong command of written and spoken English and can communicate complex or technical topics clearly.
Can companies apply to get funding for their employed maintainers?
No, this pilot targets individual maintainers paid directly by our program, not through other entities.
What are the work hour requirements for the employment option?
We require 32-40 hours per week for the employee option of the fellowship. Applications for less than 32 hours will not be considered.
Can I work 40 hours per week under the freelance option?
No, freelance work is limited to 32 hours per week due to legal and budgetary constraints.
What are the differences between the freelance contractor and employee options?
Freelance Contractor:
- Service contract with a statement of work
- Monthly invoicing based on a timesheet
- Not part of the STF team
- Unpaid vacation and sick days
- Can be located anywhere
Employment:
- Full STF team member for 12 months
- Work includes maintainer duties and team collaboration
- Participation in team meetings and program development (depending on experience and preferences)
- Reside in Germany
Is the employment option a fully remote position?
Yes, within Germany. If you’re located in Berlin or planning to move there, there will be the invitation to work from our nice office in Berlin-Mitte.
How will you ensure or evaluate maintainer performance?
We'll conduct monthly one-on-one meetings to ensure maintainers in the fellowship have the resources needed for maximum impact. Contracts will outline specific activities tailored to each project, including:
- Technical review of proposed changes
- Community communication and moderation
- Release creation and publication
- Security vulnerability triage and fixes
- Documentation work
For freelance contractors, we'll review and approve every monthly invoice for work performed in accordance with the outlined activities.