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Announce the RFMF #1852

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46 changes: 46 additions & 0 deletions content/rust-foundation-maintainer-fund-announcement.md
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path = "9999/12/31/rust-foundation-maintainer-fund-announcement"
title = "Rust Foundation Maintainer Fund Announcement"
authors = ["leadership-council", "rfmf-design-committee"]
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We've established the *Rust Foundation Maintainer Fund* (RFMF)!
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@Kobzol Kobzol May 6, 2026 •
edited by rustbot
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This will need some rewording to make it clearer how it is related to the earlier RF announcement, and who is "we" :)

Something like:

Last year, the Rust Foundation has [announced](https://rustfoundation.org/media/announcing-the-rust-foundation-maintainers-fund) a plan to create the Rust Foundation Maintainer Fund (RFMF), designed to support maintainers who develop Rust. Since then, the Rust Project has worked closely with the Rust Foundation to figure out the workings of this fund, and the result is an [RFC](https://github.com/rust-lang/rfcs/pull/3931) that has been recently accepted and merged.

We designed a unified system for taking in funds from both individual sponsors and companies and directing those funds *exclusively* to Rust maintainers.

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Concretely this means we've come up with a single system for taking in funds from large sponsors as well as individual sponsors, and directing those funds *exclusively* to maintainers.

We're funding maintainers via the following three means:
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@Kobzol Kobzol May 6, 2026 •
edited by rustbot
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I would focus exclusively on MiR in this post, the Project Grants program is still in flux, and it's confusing enough already what's the relation between RFMF/MiR/PPB/Grants/...

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* the existing program management program,
* the proposed [Project Grants program], which provides modest stipends to recognize and support existing contributors, and
* the new (established just for the RFMF) Maintainer in Residence program.

The Maintainer in Residence program is dedicated to hiring existing long-term maintainers and funding their maintenance work in full. Maintainers' in Residence time is split between priorities guided by the teams they are supporting and priorities of their own choosing within the project.

Selecting Maintainers in Residence is a collaboration between the Foundation and a "Funding team" appointed by the Leadership Council. This Funding team will weigh the set of applications against the project's needs and priorities.

The Funding team is additionally charged with ensuring the program's overall success. When sponsors contribute undirected funding, they are investing in the Rust project as a whole — and the project should meet them in good faith. Project teams receiving support from the program are expected to help the Funding team manage sponsor relations, e.g., by meeting with sponsors or providing other reasonable sponsor benefits.

Thanks to Josh Triplett, Jakub Beránek, lcnr, Lori Lorusso, Niko Matsakis and Tyler Mandry for driving the discussion, soliciting ideas and feedback, and writing the [RFC]

## How to contribute funds

RFMF sponsors typically contribute to a general fund and don't direct where the money goes or who gets hired.
Every contribution helps fund the sustained maintenance that keeps Rust healthy.
All sponsors receive public recognition and visibility into how funds are being used through regular public reports.
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@Kobzol Kobzol May 6, 2026 •
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How do we ensure public recognition? Having their GH profile picture in the sponsors list on GitHub?

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See [the RFC section on sponsor benefits](sponsor benefits) for details.

To contribute funds, go to [https://rustfoundation.org/project-support/](https://rustfoundation.org/project-support/) or [contact the Rust Foundation] directly



## How to apply

When funding is available, the Funding team and Foundation put out an open call for applications.
Where appropriate, the Funding team may also proactively reach out to potential applicants to encourage them to apply, if they may be a good fit for areas the project needs.
The Funding team and Foundation staff review applications, consider the project's needs, and then the Foundation makes offers to the strongest candidates.

[RFC]: https://github.com/rust-lang/rfcs/pull/3931
[Project Grants program]: https://github.com/rust-lang/rfcs/pull/3919
[sponsor benefits]: https://github.com/rust-lang/rfcs/blob/master/text/3931-rfmf-rust-foundation-maintainer-fund.md#sponsor-benefits
[contact the Rust Foundation]: https://rustfoundation.org/contact/
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