August 26, 2024

Investment to accelerate zero trust builds, SBOM, security tooling, and developer experience

Boulder, CO – August 26, 2024—The FreeBSD Foundation, dedicated to advancing the open source FreeBSD operating system and supporting the community, announced that Germany’s Sovereign Tech Fund (STF) has agreed to invest €686,400 in the FreeBSD project to drive improvements in infrastructure, security, regulatory compliance, and developer experience.

The work, organized and managed by the FreeBSD Foundation, will begin in August 2024 and continue through 2025. It will focus on five key projects:

  • Zero Trust Builds: Enhance tooling and processes
  • CI/CD Automation: Streamline software delivery and operations
  • Reduce Technical Debt: Implement tools and processes to keep technical debt low
  • Security Controls: Modernize and extend security artifacts, including the FreeBSD Ports and Package Collection, to assist with regulatory compliance
  • SBOM Improvements: Enhance and implement new tooling and processes for FreeBSD SBOM

Developers are the lifeblood of every open source project. The Sovereign Tech Fund’s investment in FreeBSD infrastructure will ensure a world-class developer experience while preserving and extending the security and digital sovereignty for which FreeBSD is renowned. 

The work commissioned by STF also aligns closely with the recent August 9, 2024 summary report released by the U.S. Office of the National Cyber Director (ONCD), consolidating feedback from the 2023 request for information on key priorities for securing the open source software ecosystem. By enhancing security controls and SBOM tooling, the FreeBSD Foundation is helping to keep FreeBSD at the forefront of improved vulnerability disclosure mechanisms and secure software foundations. 

“The Sovereign Tech Fund is pleased to support the FreeBSD project,” said Fiona Krakenbürger, co-founder of STF. “This investment in critical digital infrastructure will accelerate modernization of FreeBSD, enhance security hygiene, and improve developer experiences. The widespread prevalence of FreeBSD means that these improvements will have a far-reaching impact on the global public sector and the research sector, as well as commercial users. We are excited to contribute to its continued modernization in a way that best serves the public interest as well as the FreeBSD community.”

“We are deeply grateful for this significant investment from the Sovereign Tech Fund, which will further enhance security and infrastructure for FreeBSD developers and users,” said Deb Goodkin, Executive Director of the FreeBSD Foundation. “As it has for thirty years, the FreeBSD project is again positioning itself at the vanguard of open source security, resilience, and reliability. The world’s governments recognize the key role open source projects like FreeBSD play in our shared digital infrastructure. This STF-commissioned work will provide the necessary visibility, auditability, and trust for commercial FreeBSD users facing new regulations as well as public sector, academic, and individual users.” 

The Sovereign Tech Fund (https://www.sovereigntechfund.de) supports the development, improvement, and maintenance of open digital infrastructure in the public interest. Its goal is to strengthen the open source ecosystem sustainably, focusing on security, resilience, technological diversity, and the people behind the code. STF is funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK) and hosted at and supported by the German Federal Agency for Disruptive Innovation GmbH (SPRIND).


How to Get Involved: 

The FreeBSD Foundation is committed to transparent and collaborative communication. All announcements and updates will be made through established public channels. For questions or interest in participating in potential Advisory Committees to provide feedback and guidance on STF-funded work, please contact partnerships@freebsdfoundation.org.

About The FreeBSD Foundation

The FreeBSD Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization supporting the FreeBSD Project and community. Accepting donations from individuals and businesses, the Foundation uses funds to develop features, employ software engineers, improve build and test infrastructure, advocate for FreeBSD through in-person and online events, and provide training and educational material. Representing the FreeBSD Project in legal affairs, the Foundation is the recognized entity for contracts, licenses, and other legal arrangements and is entirely donation supported. Learn more at freebsdfoundation.org