Free Software Foundation
The Free Software Foundation (FSF) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization founded by Richard Stallman on October 4, 1985, to support the free software movement, with the organization's preference for software being distributed under copyleft ("share alike") terms, such as with its own GNU General Public License. The FSF was incorporated in Boston, Massachusetts, United States, where it is also based.
Free Software Foundation logo | |
| Abbreviation | FSF |
|---|---|
| Formation | October 4, 1985 |
| Founder | Richard Stallman |
| Type | 501(c)(3) non-profit organization |
| Legal status | 501(c)(3) |
| Purpose | Educational |
| Headquarters | Boston, Massachusetts, US |
Region served | Worldwide |
Membership | Individuals |
President | Geoffrey Knauth |
Executive director | Zoë Kooyman |
Revenue (2020) | $1,149,602 |
| Expenses (2020) | $1,809,358 |
Staff | 13 |
| Website | www |
From its founding until the mid-1990s, FSF's funds were mostly used to employ software developers to write free software for the GNU Project and its employees and volunteers have mostly worked on legal and structural issues for the free software movement and the free software community.
Consistent with its goals, the FSF aims to use only free software on its own computers.