Open Source Programs That Pay You

Status date: 31 August 2026. Every date below comes from the official program page. Re-verify on the official link before planning around it.

Two kinds of money exist in open source:

Mentorship programs pay individuals to work on an existing project for a fixed term.
Grant funds pay maintainers or organisations to work on their own project.

Part 1: Programs and funds

Quick comparison

Program	Who it pays	Money	Duration	Next window (as of Aug 2026)
Google Summer of Code (GSoC)	Individual contributors, 18+	$750 to $6,600 (PPP-based)	90 / 175 / 350 hours	Orgs announced approx Feb 2027; applications approx late Mar 2027
LFX Mentorship (Linux Foundation, CNCF)	Individual mentees, 18+	$1,000 to $6,600 (PPP-based)	12 weeks; 3 terms/year	Term 1 2027 applications approx late Jan 2027
Outreachy	People facing under-representation or systemic bias	$7,000 flat	3 months	May 2027 cohort; applications approx early Feb 2027
MLH Fellowship	Individuals, 18+	Need-based educational stipend	12 weeks; 3 batches/year	Winter/Spring 2027 batch; applications approx Nov 2026
C4GT Dedicated Mentoring Program (India)	Students + working professionals in India	INR 1,00,000	3 months	Announced approx Apr–May each year
Open Source Promotion Plan (OSPP)	University students worldwide	Up to CNY 12,000	Jul–Sep coding	Student applications approx May–Jun 2027
Summer of Bitcoin	Students	Stipend + optional relocation	12 weeks	Applications approx Jan 2027
EleutherAI SOAR	Aspiring AI researchers	Sponsor-supported (compute + mentorship)	5 weeks	Next cohort approx May 2027
Anthropic Fellows	AI safety researchers	Weekly stipend + compute	~6 months	Cohort-based (watch careers page)
NLnet / NGI Zero	Project teams + maintainers	EUR 5,000–50,000	Project-scoped	Rolling calls (check open funds)
FLOSS/fund (Zerodha)	FOSS projects globally	Up to $1M allocated/year	Project-scoped	Always open via `funding.json` manifest
Sovereign Tech Agency	Critical open source infrastructure	Contract-based investment	Project-scoped	Rolling
GitHub Sponsors / Open Collective / thanks.dev	Individual maintainers	Recurring, variable	Ongoing	Always open

1) Google Summer of Code (GSoC)

Google pays you to write code for an accepted open source organisation for one summer.
Stipends use Purchasing Power Parity (PPP).
- Small: $750–$1,650 (base $1,500)
- Medium: $1,500–$3,300 (base $3,000)
- Large: $3,000–$6,600 (base $6,000)
India sits at the base rate: $1,500 / $3,000 / $6,000 for small/medium/large.
Payment splits into two instalments after evaluations: 45% midterm, 55% final.
Open to anyone 18+ who is new to open source (university enrolment not required).
The 2026 cycle is finished (185 organisations accepted in 2026). Use the 2026 org list to start contributing early for 2027.

Links: Apply · 2026 org list · Contributor guide · Stipend rules

Part 1: Programs and funds

Quick comparison

1) Google Summer of Code (GSoC)

2) LFX Mentorship (Linux Foundation, CNCF, LF AI, LF Decentralized Trust)