Before sending requests for money, please take a moment to understand how funding for the Foundation works. A good place to start would be to read the Foundation funds overview at http://foundation.gentoo.org/funds.xml. Also, please take a look at previous quarterly reports, along with any posted budgets to get an idea of whether or not there may be money available for your request.

Keep in mind that not all requests will be accepted, and just because a request is not accepted does not necessarily mean that it is a bad request or that the need is not there. Also know that just because the Foundation may have money available, it does not all have to be spent. Some money needs to be held on to for a rainy day (ie: hardware failures, legal fees, etc).

Any Foundation money spent needs to be approved by a majority vote from the Board of Trustees. They will discuss how the request fits in to the financial needs of Gentoo and whether or not the request is appropriate to fulfill at the time. Also, the foundation must be accountible to the users, members, and donators by reporting all money received and spent.

Requests for funds need to be sent to the Foundation in the form of a proposal. This proposal is to inform all trustees of the need (not all of them will be aware of the need or the background of the situation). The proposal process will also help to maintain a trusting relationship between the Foundation and it's donators. Donators know and expect that without exception money will only be spent after a proposal and vote by the Board of Trustees. Additionally, the proposals will be archived to provide accountability for money spent.

Your request will need to be as detailed as possible. Keep in mind that the more detailed your request is, the fewer questions will need to be asked after the proposal is submitted, and therefore the quicker the process will be. Fill out the request form, file a new bug and attach this form to the bug. Ensure all requesters on the form are CC'd on the bug. You may wish to look at other successful requests; search for resolved/closed bugs in the Gentoo Foundation product.

The trustees will decide how the funds will be distributed to fulfill the proposal. If at all possible, this will be done through the Foundation itself. In the case that funds will be distributed for any purpose (outside purchases, budget, etc), receipts will need to be turned in within 2 weeks of the purchase. The address to send the receipts to can be obtained by mailing the Board of Trustees. This MUST be done for tax purposes. Failure to do so will jeopardize the acceptance of future proposals from you or your team.

If this is an open budget for a period of time, excess funds will need to be returned along with the receipts from items purchased.

If you have any questions please contact the Board of Trustees by e-mailing trustees at gentoo.