DOVER, DELAWARE, Tuesday May 7, 2024 – The Rust Foundation, an independent, nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing the performance, safety, and sustainability of the Rust programming language, is pleased to announce that funds from an unrestricted donation of $1M from Microsoft in December 2023 will be allocated to support a variety of critical Rust language and Project priorities.
This $1M donation from Microsoft, a Rust Foundation Platinum Member, will be invested over a two year period and applied to the following high-priority areas of need in the Rust ecosystem:
- Hiring an additional Rust Foundation infrastructure engineer
- Funding the Rust Foundation’s capstone “Fellowship” program
- Developing new systems and programs to support the work of Rust Project maintainers and reduce workload strain.
In January 2024, the Rust Foundation’s Board of Directors approved a motion to put $350K of this funding towards employing a new Infrastructure Engineer for two years, and to ringfence $650K for the Rust Project to directly fund priorities of their choosing over a period of two years.
The Rust Foundation spent the first quarter of 2024 in close collaboration with the Rust Foundation Project Directors and the Rust Project Leadership Council to identify the most pressing areas of need within the Rust Project. The Leadership Council is currently considering a plan that would involve using a large portion of the first $325K reserved for the Rust Project to make key process improvements, including the development of new collaboration mechanisms to help support maintainer workflow efficiency.
On the donation’s impact, Rust Foundation’s Executive Director & CEO, Dr. Rebecca Rumbul said the following:
“By making this unrestricted $1M contribution to the Rust Foundation, Microsoft has demonstrated its ongoing commitment to the Rust programming language, the Rust Foundation’s stewardship, and the Leadership Council’s status as an advocate for the wider Rust Project. The Rust Foundation looks forward to supporting emerging priorities within the Project, in addition to hiring a second Infrastructure Engineer and continuing our direct support of Rust maintainers through the Fellowship program.”
Nell Shamrell-Harrington, Rust Foundation Member Director for Microsoft and Board Vice-Chair said the following about the organization’s donation:
“This contribution demonstrates Microsoft’s commitment to the Rust programming language, and its continued success through the Rust Foundation. Microsoft is pleased to see its $1M investment being used to hire Rust Foundation infrastructure engineers, support the Rust Foundation Community Grants Program, and directly support critical areas of need identified by leaders within the Rust Project.”
The Rust Foundation is currently wrapping up the hiring process for its second Infrastructure Engineer who will help its Technology Team support and maintain the Rust Project’s critical infrastructure. To review the recently-closed job listing for this position, click here.
Updates on the 2024 Fellowship cohort will be released in Q3. Learn more about the Community Grants Program here.
To learn more about the Rust Project Leadership Council, visit this page on the official Rust Project website.
Rust Foundation Membership & Donations #
The Rust Foundation’s stewardship of the Rust programming language ecosystem is made possible by its corporate members. To learn more about becoming a Rust Foundation member and how it can benefit your organization, visit the membership hub on the Rust Foundation website.
If you are interested in making a one-time donation to the Rust Foundation as a non-member organization, please email us at contact@rustfoundation.org.
About the Rust Foundation #
The Rust Foundation is an independent nonprofit dedicated to the safety, security, sustainability, and health of the Rust Programming language and the people who use it. Through close partnerships with organizations passionate about Rust and the growing Rust Project and community, the Rust Foundation is helping forge a better open source future with Rust.
Visit the Rust Foundation website to learn more. Follow the Rust Foundation on X (formerly known as Twitter) and on LinkedIn.