Project Jupyter and the Linux Foundation are forming the Jupyter Foundation to ensure the continued growth and sustainability of Jupyter’s open source software and standards ecosystem. Over the last decade, Jupyter has defined what it means to explore data interactively, becoming the most widely used open source product of its kind and the basis for many industry-focused tools and products. From its origins as a community-driven research and educational project partially funded by grant-making organizations, today Jupyter also has many teams from industry playing leading roles in the project. As the project grows in the era of AI and pervasive, collaborative cloud infrastructure, the Jupyter Foundation will be a place to engage industry partners. Together, we will develop a continuous funding model that supports a stable backbone for the project, on which a thriving ecosystem of interoperable tools, products and services can continue to be built. Grant support will also continue to be important to Jupyter, and we will accept grants under LF Charities, a 501(c)(3) to complement industrial resources.
By establishing a dedicated Jupyter Foundation under the Linux Foundation 501(c)(6), Project Jupyter can expand its support for the diverse community of developers, users, and contributors who rely on these tools for data science, education, and research. With these resources, we will be able to better support critical areas including security, accessibility, release management, documentation, and fostering an inclusive environment that encourages broad participation and collaboration across academia, government, and industry. We will also be able to provide dedicated resources for two types of work that are critical to healthy long-term projects, but difficult to support through volunteer or project-focused development: (a) ongoing maintenance addressing regular bug triage and fixing, and (b) deep technical and architectural advances that may require long and dedicated focus and collaboration.
The Jupyter Foundation will be overseen by a governing board which includes member representatives as well as the Project Jupyter’s Executive Council. While joining the foundation does not grant direct influence over technical projects, it allows companies to actively participate in the support for the broader Project Jupyter ecosystem. Membership offers opportunities for networking, collaboration, and early access to strategic initiatives, providing companies with a valuable platform to contribute to and benefit from the continued evolution of Jupyter’s tools and community.