Episode 248: Lorenzo Sciandra and Mirko Swillus on STF's "Fellowship for Maintainers" Program

Guest Lorenzo Sciandra | Mirko Swillus Panelist Richard Littauer |
Abby Mayes Show Notes In this episode of Sustain, host Richard
Littauer and co-host Abby Mayes are joined by Lorenzo Sciandra and
Mirko Swillus from the Sovereign Tech Fund (STF) to discuss the
launch of the "Fellowship for Maintainers" program. Funded by the
German government, STF is dedicated to supporting open-source
sustainability by funding maintainers, especially those who work on
multiple projects. Lorenzo and Mirko explain how the program aims
to bridge funding gaps for solo maintainers, provide mentorship,
and ensure global inclusion. The episode also highlights the
program's goals, the application process, and the broader impact on
global open source sustainability. Hit download now to hear more!
[00:01:28] Richard discusses the Sovereign Tech Fund. [00:02:52]
Lorenzo highlights the launch of the “Fellowship for Maintainers”
program. [00:04:16] Mirko explains that the program is a pilot,
starting small and adopting an iterative approach to learn with the
community and designed to fill gaps for solo maintainers who work
across multiple projects. [00:06:23] Richard asks why STF is
focusing on funding individuals rather than specific projects.
Mirko explains maintainers often perform important but unseen work,
such as security triaging, code reviews, and documentation.
[00:08:45] Abby asks about the results of the survey STF conducted
in preparation for the fellowship program. Mirko reveals results
and insights about the survey and gives a shout-out to their
communications manager, Pohen Shiah. [00:10:58] Lorenzo talks about
mentorship being a key part of the fellowship and the goal to help
fellows set goals and provide support beyond financial assistance.
[00:14:14] Lorenzo explains the flexible, personalized nature of
mentorship versus coaching and discuses common challenges and Mirko
talks about the balance between full-time jobs and maintaining open
source projects and explores the idea of part-time maintenance and
considers making room for small freelance maintainers. [00:18:59]
Richard asks why the program isn’t supporting more maintainers for
fewer house each week. Mirko explains how the pilot is designed to
experiment with different models. [00:20:29] Richard questions how
STF will ensure diversity in selecting fellows and Mirko explains
how STF is committed to global inclusion and how freelancers can
apply. [00:22:22] We learn how STF will measure success with a
discussion on how it be evaluated through various metrics and
external experts will also help STF define success metrics for the
fellowship. [00:26:39] Richard inquires if STF has reached out to
other countries to expand the program. Mirko explains that STF is
building global awareness of the program and the European Union and
other entitles have shown interests. [00:28:24] Find out where to
apply and the application process. Spotlight [00:30:23] Abby’s
spotlight is Yoga Mamas Toronto, the community. [00:31:06]
Richard’s spotlight is his friend, Jamie McQuilken. [00:31:53]
Lorenzo’s spotlight is Proton. [00:32:47] Mirko’s spotlight is
Signal app. Links SustainOSS (https://sustainoss.org/)
podcast@sustainoss.org (mailto:podcast@sustainoss.org)
richard@sustainoss.org (mailto:richard@sustainoss.org) SustainOSS
Discourse (https://discourse.sustainoss.org/) SustainOSS Mastodon
(https://mastodon.social/tags/sustainoss) Open
Collective-SustainOSS (Contribute)
(https://opencollective.com/sustainoss) Richard Littauer Socials
(https://www.burntfen.com/2023-05-30/socials) Abby Cabunoc Mayes X
(http://x.com/abbycabs?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor)
Lorenzo Sciandra LinkedIn
(https://www.linkedin.com/in/lorenzo-sciandra/) Lorenzo Sciandra
Website (https://kelset.dev/) Mirko Swillus LinkedIn
(https://www.linkedin.com/in/mirko-swillus-3a0714191/) Mirko
Swillus chaos social (https://chaos.social/@mechko) Sustain
Podcast-Episode 17: How Formidable Supports Open Source With
Lorenzo Sciandra (https://podcast.sustainoss.org/17) Powen Shiah
LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/powenshiah/) Sovereign Tech
Fund Mission (https://www.sovereigntechfund.de/mission) Sovereign
Tech Fund-Fellowship for Maintainers Introduction
(https://www.sovereigntechfund.de/news/introducing-the-fellowship-for-maintainers)
Sovereign Tech Fund Fellowship for Maintainers Application
(https://www.sovereigntechfund.de/news/apply-to-the-fellowship-for-maintainers)
Sovereign Tech Fund-Fellowship for Maintainers Program
(https://www.sovereigntechfund.de/programs/fellowship) Sovereign
Tech Fund-Fellowship for Maintainers FAQ
(https://www.sovereigntechfund.de/programs/fellowship/faq) Yoga
Mamas-Toronto (https://www.torontoyogamamas.com/) Proton
(https://github.com/ValveSoftware/Proton) Signal
(https://github.com/signalapp) Credits Produced by Richard Littauer
(https://www.burntfen.com/) Edited by Paul M. Bahr at Peachtree
Sound (https://www.peachtreesound.com/) Show notes by DeAnn Bahr
Peachtree Sound (https://www.peachtreesound.com/) Special Guests:
Lorenzo Sciandra and Mirko Swillus.