Donation Acceptance Policy

Purpose

This policy establishes guidelines for the Rust Foundation’s solicitation, acceptance, acknowledgement and management of charitable contributions.

The Rust Foundation is a 501(c)(6) organisation, that is, a not-for-profit trade association established to promote the common business interests of an industry, profession, or line of business. The Foundation serves the Rust-using industry as a whole. Any company that meets our membership criteria is eligible to join, otherwise the Foundation could risk its 501c6 not-for-profit status. This policy addresses contributions over and above the payment of standard membership dues.

The purpose of this policy is to ensure that all contributions accepted by the Foundation support its mission as a 501(c)(6) organization, protect its integrity and reputation, avoid undue influence or conflicts of interests, and are compliant with all applicable laws and regulations.

Principles

The Foundation may accept donations, grants, sponsorships and in-kind contributions, provided that such contributions:

  • further or support its exempt purposes;
  • do not compromise its independence, integrity or reputation;
  • do not create actual or perceived conflicts of interests;
  • comply with applicable federal, state, and local laws; and
  • do not impose conditions inconsistent with its governing documents, policies, mission or operating practices.

The Foundation reserves the right to decline any contribution that, in the view of the Board of Directors or its authorized representatives, is not in the best interests of the Foundation.

Types of Contributions

The Foundation may accept the following types of contributions:

  • Donations
  • Grants
  • Corporate sponsorships
  • Event sponsorships
  • In-kind donations

The Foundation may accept restricted contributions for specific programmes, projects or purposes consistent with its mission and operational objectives. Corporate sponsorships and similar support arrangements must preserve the Foundation’s independence, and shall not grant donors any authority over the Foundation’s governance or operational decisions.

All contributions are to be reviewed in conjunction with the Foundation’s Conflict of Interest Policy.

The Foundation will not accept contributions that are unlawful or derived from unlawful activities. It will also generally not accept:

  • Contributions that could reasonably damage the Foundation’s reputation or independence, or subject it to material liability or regulatory obligations.
  • Contributions that would result in excessive administrative burden or cost.
  • Contributions conditioned on the Foundation taking positions contrary to its policies, mission or exempt purposes.

In considering reputational impact, the Board recognises that any significant contribution may be viewed differently by different members of the Rust community. Balancing reputational impact with the ability for the Foundation to do more good with a contribution (e.g. supporting one more maintainer) is inherently tricky, and a decision that all non-profits find themselves having to make. The Foundation will not reject contributions solely because they may be controversial or because some community members disagree with the donor’s business or activities. Instead, the Board will exercise a balancing test, considering the benefits of accepting the contribution in order to fund the Foundation’s work against any material risk to the Foundation’s mission, independence of thought, effectiveness, or the confidence that the Rust community and other stakeholders place in it.

Review and Approval

The Executive Director or another officer designated by the Board may accept routine contributions on behalf of the Foundation. “Routine” is defined as any financial contribution within the limitations set out by the Board below, and/or any non-cash contribution of hardware, software, credits, tokens, etc that falls in line with the Foundation’s day-to-day business operations.

The following contributions require review and approval by the Board:

  • Contributions exceeding $300,000, either in a single payment or in aggregate in the course of a single financial year.
  • Other non-cash assets, e.g. cryptocurrency, property, securities, intellectual property.
  • Restricted contributions with significant conditions or obligations.
  • Any contribution that may give rise to reputational, legal or ethical concerns.

The Foundation reserves the right to seek legal, tax, accounting or other professional advice before accepting contributions, and reserves the right to liquidate non-cash assets immediately on receipt.

Donor Recognition

The Foundation will publicly acknowledge donors and donation amounts (consistent with applicable IRS rules) unless anonymity is requested by the donor or confidentiality is otherwise required. Anonymity is to be the exception, not the rule, and subject to board agreement.

Donor information shall be maintained in accordance with applicable privacy laws, and shall not be sold or shared except as required by law or to meet compliance obligations around accounting for and reporting charitable contributions.