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FOSS United Clubs

1. General

A. What is FOSS United?

FOSS United is a non-profit foundation growing the Free and Open Source Software movement across India. It exists to support open source culture at the grassroots level. We started because we saw that while India has tons of talented developers and students, but lacks structured community support.

B. What is a FOSS Club?

FOSS Clubs are campus communities that we support. When you start a FOSS Club, you're joining our network of student-led groups across the country. We provide funding (subject to club activity), mentorship, connections, and a platform to manage everything. You bring the energy and passion for open source at your campus.

2. Getting Started

i. How to apply as a club?

The application process is timely available on the FOSS United website at the beginning of each academic year. Applications require: - Information about the college and team - Explanation of motivation for starting a FOSS club - Initial team members (typically 3-5 students) - A coordinator who will support the club and catalyse communication between the FOSS United Team and the club. - Preliminary plans for club activities

Applications are evaluated based on genuine interest and thoughtful planning rather than elaborate proposals.

Application link: https://fossunited.org/clubs/start-a-club/new

ii. Who should apply and why?

Applications are encouraged from students who: Have a genuine interest in open source and want to build a campus community around it. Want to create collaborative learning environments where knowledge is shared openly. Are willing to commit consistent effort to organizing and maintaining the club. Seek access to funding, mentorship, speaker connections, and a network of similar clubs. Teams with diverse backgrounds strengthen clubs.

iii. Who this is not for?

FOSS Clubs may not be suitable for: - Students who are primarily seeking leadership titles for resumes rather than building genuine communities - Cases where existing clubs at the college already serve similar purposes - collaboration with existing groups is preferable - Students without an actual interest in FOSS culture and philosophy

iv. New/Active status

Clubs are tracked based on activity level: New clubs are in their first semester or year, establishing their team, experimenting with event formats, and building initial momentum. New clubs receive additional flexibility during this establishment period after they have performed certain activities or are active with events and other ongoing sessions.

Active clubs have consistent event schedules, typically hosting several quality events per semester, maintaining regular community engagement, and participating in the broader network.

Clubs without activity for certain periods(one academic year) may be marked inactive. Reactivation is possible by demonstrating renewed engagement and activity. If these clubs are inactive for extended periods, they are marked as defunct.

v. What type of events can we host?

  • Workshops and hands-on sessions - Teaching version control, introducing first-time contributions, exploring specific technologies and tools.
  • Talks and meetups - Sessions with industry professionals, open-source maintainers, and experienced developers sharing their experiences and insights through First Commit.
  • Hackathons and build days - Collaborative coding sessions ranging from weekend projects to larger, organized hackathons like FOSS Hack.
  • Contribution drives - Dedicated sessions for contributing to real open-source projects, helping students make genuine contributions.
  • Study groups - Regular meetups for learning programming languages, frameworks, or technical concepts together.
  • Design and UX sessions - Workshops on contributing design work, creating assets for FOSS projects, and improving user experience. Open-source projects benefit significantly from design contributions.
  • Documentation sprints - Sessions focused on improving documentation for open-source projects. Clear documentation is essential and often overlooked.
  • Policy and licensing discussions - Exploring open-source licenses, software freedom, digital rights, and data privacy. These topics are relevant for students interested in law, policy, and governance.
  • Community building and governance workshops - Examining how open-source communities make decisions, handle conflicts, and maintain healthy ecosystems.
  • Accessibility initiatives - Working on making open-source software accessible to everyone, including people with disabilities, through design, development, testing, and advocacy.
  • Localisation drives - Translating open-source software into regional Indian languages.
  • Research discussions - Academic exploration of open-source economics, social impact, and sustainability models.
  • Art and creative sessions - Creating artwork, illustrations, and icons for open-source projects.
  • Events should be related to FOSS tools, contributing to FOSS projects, spreading open-source philosophy, or building the ecosystem.

a. What is FOSS Hack?

FOSS Hack is the flagship hackathon program under FOSS United. Unlike typical hackathons focused on building new products, we also emphasize contributing to existing open source projects. The format exposes students to real world open source development, working with established codebases, interacting with maintainers, and making contributions that persist. Events typically run for 2 days over the weekend, often bringing together multiple colleges with mentors from actual FOSS projects as the Partner Projects. FOSS United provides additional support for FOSS Hack events, including higher budgets and logistical assistance.

  • Who gets to organize FOSS Hack?

The most active FOSS Clubs will get the opportunity to host FOSS Hack. FOSS United will decide this based on the number of events organized and your club's activity on the FOSS Club group and the FOSS United community. Selected organizers will receive up to ₹50,000 to conduct the hackathon.

  • What should we do after organizing an event?

After organizing an event, core members are expected to:

  1. Share a brief report on the forum and FOSS United community on Telegram
  2. Upload event pictures
  3. Document outcomes and notes

This helps future club members and assists FOSS United in providing better support.

vi. Brand guidelines

FOSS United maintains brand guidelines for consistency across all clubs: - Use the provided official FOSS Club logos - Follow specified color schemes and design templates - Maintain logo integrity without unauthorised modifications - Acknowledge FOSS United support in events and communications

Design assets are provided here: FOSS Club Design Assets/Guide.

3. Funding and Reimbursements

What funding support is available for FOSS Clubs?

A. New Clubs:

  • Educational materials and resources to facilitate learning

B. Active Clubs:

  • Financial support of up to ₹50,000 per year
  • Expert speakers for lectures and workshops
  • Educational resources and learning materials
  • Mentorship for projects and activities
  • Top-performing clubs may receive an additional ₹50,000 to host FOSS Hack

How do active clubs receive their annual ₹50,000 support?

For each event organized by your FOSS Club, FOSS United will provide support of up to ₹5,000 for refreshments per event. Additionally, FOSS United will cover travel expenses for invited speakers and mentors. For detailed information, visit: FOSS Event Standards

Who is eligible for reimbursement?

Active FOSS Clubs organizing events can apply for reimbursements when:

  • The club is registered with FOSS United
  • Expenses relate to approved or registered events
  • Budget requests are communicated beforehand when possible

Club members can submit reimbursements on behalf of the club with proper documentation.

What expenses can be reimbursed?

Typically Reimbursable Expenses (case-by-case basis):

  • Venue costs when college spaces aren't available
  • Food for event participants
  • Event materials (stickers, T-shirts in reasonable quantities)
  • Equipment rental for events
  • Printing and event supplies
  • Speaker and mentor travel expenses

Generally Not Reimbursable:

  • Personal expenses unrelated to club events
  • Excessive or unreasonable spending
  • Expenses exceeding a certain amount without prior communication
  • Expenses from events not registered on the platform

Checking with FOSS United before significant expenses helps avoid reimbursement issues. This form can be used to apply for reimbursements after the event with supported bills.

For FOSS Hack, are there special budget considerations?

FOSS Hack events receive higher budgets due to their larger, often multi-college scale. When organizing a FOSS Hack:

  • Submit budget applications early with detailed breakdowns
  • Provide clear justification for expenses
  • Track all spending carefully
  • Maintain organized receipt records

How do I apply for reimbursement?

Reimbursement Process:

  • Log in or sign up to the FOSS United platform at accounts.fossunited.org
  • Complete the reimbursement form with all details
  • Upload clear photos or PDFs of receipts (Max file size is 25 MB)
  • Submit the application

Receipt Requirements: Clearly show date, items purchased, amount, and vendor name. For bank transfers, provide transaction screenshots with complete details

Processing Timeline:

Application review: 1-2 weeks

Payment processing after approval: 1-2 weeks (may vary based on request volume)

Reimbursement Form: https://account.fossunited.org/expense-reimbursement/new

Common rejection reasons - Reimbursements are rejected, or when: Documentation is inadequate, unclear, receipts, missing receipts, or incomplete information. Numbers don't match stated event details (e.g., attendee count compared to purchase quantities). Significant expenses were made without advance communication. Insufficient proof that the event occurred (photos, attendee lists). Spending significantly exceeds necessary amounts or appears unrelated to the event.

4 Help, Resources, and Contacts

i. Code of Conduct

All FOSS Clubs follow the FOSS United Code of Conduct with these principles: https://fossunited.org/code-of-conduct Zero tolerance for harassment, discrimination, or hate speech. All participants should feel welcome regardless of background, experience level, or identity. Questions at any level should be met with patience and support rather than condescension. Credit should be shared, and cooperative work encouraged, reflecting FOSS values. Knowledge should be shared freely, with a focus on helping others learn rather than just providing answers. Code of Conduct violations are taken seriously with clear reporting and handling processes to maintain safe, inclusive communities. The Club that violates the CoC will face strict consequences, including a permanent ban. Such clubs will no longer be considered part of the program and will not be allowed to reapply in the future

ii. Best Practices

  1. Ask questions directly rather than asking permission to ask. See https://dontasktoask.com/ for a detailed explanation. This saves time for everyone involved.
  2. The FOSS Club is active on Telegram, and the group is open to every member. Clubs are encouraged to learn from each other, collaborate on events, and share resources.
  3. Support is available through the proper way- forum posts for general questions, messages on the right channel of the Telegram group for quick clarifications.
  4. Event reports or documentation, photos, and notes on outcomes help future club members and assist FOSS United in providing better support.

Use the right platform for the right question:

Telegram FOSS Clubs — Quick questions, informal discussions, and inter-club connections. Best for simple, time-sensitive matters

Forum — Extended discussions, advice, and experience sharing. Suitable for thoughtful questions and content that may help future members

FOSS United Platform — Official event management, reimbursements, and formal processes

Who should I contact for different issues?

For Generic Issues:

Praneel, Nilabrata, Ganesh — For general questions not answered in FAQs

For Technical Issues:

Dilip — Technical support and troubleshooting

For Permissions and Foundation Help:

Ruchika, and Hari — Questions requiring permissions or help from the Foundation team

General Contact: [email protected]

What is the expected timeline for common requests?

  • Event Approval — A few days with clear proposals
  • Speaker Connections — 1-3 weeks, depending on availability
  • Reimbursement Processing — 2-4 weeks typically
  • Platform Issues — A few days for most fixes

If responses take longer than expected, polite follow-ups are appropriate after allowing reasonable initial processing time.

Resources

How to contribute to FOSS United

Check Getting involved and/or Development and Documentation.

Program Committee

The FOSS Club Program Committee members are:

  • Hari Prasanth S
  • Praneel Sindhole
  • Nilabrata Sanyal
  • Ganesh Adimalupu
  • Sai Rahul Poruri
  • Ruchika Bagde
  • Siddhartha Shivkumar