The Oregon State University Open Source Lab (OSL), a cornerstone in the global open-source ecosystem for over two decades, now faces an uncertain future due to a critical funding shortfall.
In a heartfelt appeal named “Future of OSL in Jeopardy,” shared by director Lance Albertson, the lab disclosed that it must raise $250,000 in committed funds by mid-May or risk shutting down later this year.
For many in the tech community, the OSL is far more than a university lab. Since founding 22 years ago, the lab has supported over 500 free and open-source projects worldwide.
Over the years, OSL has provided vital infrastructure and hosting to projects like Mozilla Firefox—hosting its 1.0 release—as well as major organizations such as the Apache Software Foundation, the Linux Foundation, and Kernel.org.
Today, it continues to offer services like CI and mirroring infrastructure to high-profile projects, including Drupal, Fedora, Debian, Gentoo Linux, OpenID, Inkscape, and many more. It’s no surprise that some of them have already posted calls for support on their official websites—here’s Debian’s appeal, and here’s Gentoo’s.
However, despite its wide-reaching impact, the lab has been quietly operating under financial strain. Over recent years, a steady decline in corporate donations has pushed OSL into deficit territory.
While the Oregon State College of Engineering has been bridging the gap, recent shifts in university funding priorities have made the current support model unsustainable.
Breaking down the lab’s financial needs, Albertson explained that $150,000 of the $250,000 target would go toward staff pay, with $65,000 allocated to student workers and $35,000 covering essential expenses like hardware, travel, and services that keep the lab running day to day.
He also noted that while negotiations with their largest corporate sponsor are ongoing, it may not be enough to close the gap.
In what may be one of the lab’s most consequential weeks, Albertson must report back to university leadership with any new funding commitments by Wednesday, May 14, 2025. Time is of the essence.
Community members, companies, and individuals who wish to contribute can do so through the OSL donation page. The OSU Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, processes donations, providing tax advantages for many donors.
For direct inquiries or connections to potential sponsors, Albertson encourages outreach via donations@osuosl.org.
Whether the OSL will weather this financial storm remains to be seen, but one thing is clear: the next chapter depends on the open-source community it has so diligently supported.
