Organization For Ethical Source

THE ORGANIZATION FOR ETHICAL SOURCE (OES) WAS FOUNDED TO HELP OPEN SOURCE COMMUNITIES ENSURE THAT THEIR WORK IS BEING USED FOR SOCIAL GOOD AND IN SERVICE OF HUMAN RIGHTS. WE DEVELOP TOOLS AND STANDARDS TO PROMOTE FAIR, ETHICAL, AND EQUITABLE OUTCOMES FOR EVERYONE WHO CONTRIBUTES TO, BENEFITS FROM, OR IS IMPACTED BY OPEN SOURCE TECHNOLOGIES.

FOR THE 2022-23 FUNDING PERIOD, OES COMMITTED TO FOUR PRIMARY GOALS: FIRST, INVESTING IN OUR GROWTH AND SUSTAINABILITY; SECOND, SUPPORTING THE DEVELOPMENT OF NEW ETHICAL LICENSES THROUGH OUR ETHICAL LICENSE INCUBATOR; THIRD, LAUNCHING THE CONTRIBUTOR COVENANT 3.0 WORKING GROUP; AND FINALLY, CREATING ONLINE LEARNING TOOLS AND RESOURCES THROUGH THE ETHICAL ED TECH PROJECT. OVER THE PAST YEAR, WE FOCUSED ON THE FIRST TWO OF THESE GOALS. AS PART OF OUR INVESTMENT IN GROWTH AND SUSTAINABILITY, IN NOVEMBER OF 2022 WE HELD OUR FIRST OPEN BOARD ELECTIONS. THREE ADDITIONAL BOARD MEMBERS WERE ELECTED, BRINGING EXTENSIVE OPEN SOURCE, HUMAN RIGHTS, AND CIVIC TECH EXPERIENCE TO THE OES LEADERSHIP TEAM. BOARD MEMBERS ARE EXPECTED TO TAKE ACTIVE ROLES IN LEADING OR SPONSORING OES PROJECTS, ACCORDING TO THEIR INTEREST AND EXPERTISE, SO GROWING OUR BOARD WILL ALSO INCREASE OUR CAPACITY TO WORK IN PARALLEL ON MULTIPLE INITIATIVES. WE ALSO LAUNCHED A REDESIGNED WEBSITE, WHICH WAS BUILT BY A VOLUNTEER WORKING GROUP OVER THE COURSE OF THE PAST YEAR. THROUGHOUT THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE NEW OES SITE, WE PROVIDED MENTORING AND LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES TO AN EARLY-CAREER WEB DEVELOPER WHO HAD VOLUNTEERED FOR THE PROJECT. WE APPLIED FOR OUR501(C)(3) STATUS IN 2022, AND OUR APPLICATION WAS APPROVED BY THE IRS IN JANUARY 2023, WITH AN EFFECTIVE DATE OF NOVEMBER 2021. THIS MEANS THAT WE WILL NO LONGER NEED A FISCAL SPONSOR AND WILL BE ABLE TO MORE EASILY ACCEPT DIRECT DONATIONS AND FUNDING. THROUGH THE ETHICAL LICENSE INCUBATOR, OES HAS PROVIDED LEGAL RESOURCES AND OTHER SUPPORT FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE AT THE ROOT ANTI-RACIST LICENSE. CREATED BY DAWN WAGES, THE ATR LICENSE BUILDS ON THE LEGAL AND HUMAN RIGHTS FRAMEWORK OF THE HIPPOCRATIC LICENSE, BUT INCLUDES SPECIFIC CONTEXT, LANGUAGE, AND CONDITIONS DESIGNED TO COMBAT SYSTEMIC RACISM IN HOW TECH IS CREATED AND USED. DAWN AND HER TEAM ANNOUNCED THE RELEASE OF AT THE ROOT VERSION 0.6 ON JUNETEENTH 2022, THE VERSION NUMBER REFERENCING THE 3/5THS COMPROMISE.