The FreeBSD Foundation provides Travel Grants for those who need assistance to attend conferences related to FreeBSD development and advocacy. FreeBSD developers and other community members (committers, kernel hackers, ports maintainers, documentation authors, bugbusters, system administrators, etc.) are eligible to apply.

Grant applications typically become available on our web site about 3–4 months before the conference, with an application deadline set at approximately 6–7 weeks before the event. Applications will not be available after the deadline passes. All applications will be reviewed at the close of the application period. Grantees will be notified within two weeks of the application deadline.

Upcoming Travel Grant Deadlines:

  • EuroBSDcon 2024: Application Deadline: August 5, 2024.

Want to attend a conference not listed here? Please fill out the general application. Do not use this form for events listed above. Applications must be received 7 weeks before the event.

Please carefully read the following information before completing your application:

  • The justification is the most important part of your application. Please answer the following questions when filling in your justification. Note: Applications containing only a one sentence justification will be rejected.
    1. What is your role within the FreeBSD Project?
    2. If you are a student, please list your class level and how your field of study relates to FreeBSD.
    3. How would attending this conference be beneficial to both you and the FreeBSD community? Please state any specific contributions to the Project that are expected to arise after you’ve attended the conference.
    4. What are your goals for attending the conference?
    5. What are your planned contributions to the FreeBSD Project over the next 12 months?
  • You must estimate your travel expenses. Follow these tips for determining these expenses.
    • Travel expenses typically include Transportation and Lodging
    • Please note: The Foundation will only cover the cost of hotel nights for the night before the conference through the event dates.
    • Specify estimated travel and lodging separately.
    • Air travel estimates should be based on a 14-day advance purchase or Saturday night stayover.
    • Students! Please check to see if the airline offers a student rate.
    • Please base your accommodation expenses on sharing a room at the conference hotel. (Note: This means we would cover half the costs of the room.)
    • The Foundation will not cover meal or alcohol expenses, or any social events.

Additional Requirements

Due to limited funds we ask that you look to your employer first for sponsorship or cost-splitting. In most cases, if you are a speaker at the conference, we expect that the conference will cover your travel costs. If that is not the case, please include that information in your application.

If your application is approved, your Travel Reimbursement will consist of either a check or wire transfer (non-US grant recipients only), for the actual expenses incurred during travel, based on the amount approved via your Travel Grant Application. The FreeBSD Foundation may, at its discretion, reimburse costs above that amount. This does not include expenses you paid for another person.

All approved Travel Grant recipients are required to submit a short trip report no later than 3 weeks following the event. The trip report can be written as an email, Word Document, or PDF file. The report should include the following:

  • What you accomplished by attending the conference
  • Summary of what you learned during the event
  • Contacts you made over the course of conference
  • Links to recorded sessions, blogs, white papers, or reports that can be helpful for the Foundation
  • Any other information that you discovered that might be of interest to the Foundation.

In order to receive your reimbursement, all grantees must submit the short trip report, Travel Expense Form, and original receipts. The Travel Expense Form can be accessed here. If your trip extends beyond 7 days, use another Travel Expense Form. These documents must be received within three weeks of travel. Materials may be submitted via the following methods:
Email: accounting@freebsdfoundation.org
or
postal mail:

The FreeBSD Foundation
3980 Broadway St. STE #103-107 
Boulder, CO 80304 
USA

By submitting this application, you give permission to The FreeBSD Foundation to reproduce or reference your trip report and related materials in an unlimited manner for the Foundation’s use.

See the following trip reports for reference: https://freebsdfoundation.org/blog/2016-meetbsd-trip-report-jt-pennington/

https://freebsdfoundation.org/blog/meetbsd-2016-trip-report-domagoj-stolfa/

Questions? Email: info@freebsdfoundation.org