The developers of the Gentoo distribution have announced the transition of the project under the stewardship of the non-profit organization SPI (Software in the Public Interest), which has been delegated to resolve non-technology-related administrative tasks, allowing for the elimination of the need to maintain their own legal entity, reduce administrative burdens, and increase appeal for commercial companies making donations, as such donations will allow for tax deductions in the USA.
Among other things, SPI will oversee the receipt of donations, resolve legal matters, manage assets and trademarks, ensure the safekeeping of project funds, cover expenses, enter into contracts, conduct audits, and maintain accounting records. Currently, there are 44 open projects under SPI's stewardship, including Debian, Arch Linux, LibreOffice, X.Org, systemd, 0.A.D, PostgreSQL, FFmpeg, freedesktop.org, OpenWrt, OpenZFS, Jenkins, and OpenEmbedded.
The previously existing Gentoo Foundation was recognized as a non-profit organization only in the state of New Mexico but was considered a commercial entity at the federal level in the USA. Transitioning to a federally recognized non-profit organization ("501(c)(3)") required significant efforts and expenses. It was decided that Gentoo would be better off following the example of other open projects and delegate non-technical matters to SPI.
The old organization Gentoo Foundation will be dissolved, and its assets will be transferred to SPI. The organization European Gentoo e.V. will continue its operations as an independent legal entity registered in Germany, capable of advocating for the project in the European Union and allowing for tax deductions for donors from the EU.
Source: opennet.ru
