On December 24, the Free Software Foundation (Free Software Foundation (hereinafter referred to as "FSF") located in Boston, Massachusetts, USA) announced that it had recently received two major private donations totaling approximately US$900,000.
Both donations, transferred in the form of the cryptocurrency Monero, are listed as among the largest private donations in the organization's history. The donors requested to remain anonymous.
FSF Executive Director Zoë Kooyman said that during these challenging times for many organizations, including FSF, such generous gifts are particularly valuable. She pointed out that this move shows that "software freedom" is increasingly regarded as a key contemporary issue and is closely connected with social movements such as privacy rights, digital ownership and "right to repair".
FSF is currently conducting its annual winter fundraising campaign with a goal of raising $400,000 by January 1, 2026, and has currently completed approximately three-quarters of its goal. Driven by these two large donations, FSF plans to shift its focus more to member recruitment based on existing fundraising activities, and continue to rely on individual small donations and long-term support from associate member groups.
Kooyman emphasized that FSF's funding sources have long been diverse and dispersed, coming from supporters who are broadly concerned about digital rights. "Whether it is US$5 or US$500,000, every donation is equally important." In her view, although large donations can significantly promote project progress in the short term, what truly maintains the independence of the organization is the continued participation of a large number of supporters year after year, and this anonymous large donation highlights the donors' recognition of this.
FSF said the funds will be used to strengthen its technical team and infrastructure capabilities, while further enriching its work in areas such as public outreach, educational outreach, license compliance and advocacy activities, and providing support for future projects and opportunities. The organization will continue to accept external donations before the end of the year, and then the focus will shift to obtaining at least 100 new associate members to coordinate with the annual fundraising process that will end on January 16, 2026.
As a non-profit organization founded in 1985, FSF is committed to safeguarding the rights of computer users to use, study, copy, modify and redistribute computer programs, and to promote the development and application of "free software" ("freedom" in the sense of freedom rather than price), especially the GNU operating system and its GNU/Linux variants. The organization has also long been concerned about ethical and political issues in the use of software. Its websites fsf.org and gnu.org are important channels for obtaining GNU/Linux-related information.
FSF currently adopts a fully remote working model and is registered as a charity in Massachusetts, USA. It continues to provide advocacy, resources and coordination support to the global free software ecosystem. Individuals and organizations interested in donating or becoming associate members can support through the channels announced on the FSF official website.