Umbrella organisation
Open Source Europe (OSE) provides a shared legal and financial framework for open source projects, developer networks, and software communities.
Collective Infrastructure
OSE is an umbrella organisation and the fiscal host for open source initiatives. Each project runs independently on the Open Collective platform, with its own public page and transparent budget. It also benefits from the legal standing of a professional Belgian non-profit (ASBL/vzw).
This structure allows communities to manage funds, pay service providers on compliant invoices, and receive grants without the work of running their own legal entity.
Key Benefits
- Simplified legal framework: Skip the complexity of non-profit incorporation, bank account openings, and statutory bookkeeping.
- Grant eligibility: Access funding from foundations, corporations, and public authorities that require a registered non-profit intermediary.
- Professional back-office: We handle the administrative work, including expense processing, bookkeeping, and annual financial reporting.
- Transparency: Every transaction is logged in real time, which builds trust with your backers and contributors.
- Ecosystem access: Join a network of like-minded maintainers and projects in the European open source community.
Responsibilities and Alignment
To keep the umbrella sound, hosted projects must follow three core principles:
- Mission alignment: Projects must actively support the development or sustainability of open source software.
- Non-profit compliance: OSE is an ASBL/vzw, so projects must operate within the limits of Belgian law, focusing on community benefit rather than purely commercial for-profit activities.
- Operational transparency: All financial activities must be conducted through the Open Collective platform to ensure public accountability.
Use Cases We Support
- Open source libraries: A legal home for critical libraries to receive corporate and individual donations.
- Project ecosystems: One structure for a set of related tools that a distributed community manages.
- Tech communities: Regional developer groups or meetups managing funds for events, travel stipends, and venues.