Open source contribution refers to the act of participating in the development and improvement of open source projects. Open source projects are software, resources, or tools whose source code is publicly accessible, allowing anyone to view, use, modify, and distribute the code. Contributing to open source projects is a valuable way to learn, grow, and give back to the community while gaining experience and building a strong portfolio.
contributing to open source projects can be a rewarding and fulfilling experience as it not only helps improve the projects but also helps you develop your skills, expand your network, enhance your portfolio and get a Job.
Here are 16 paid open source programs you can apply to :
1) Google Summer of codes
💵 Paid — $1500 for short-term projects, $3000 for long-term projects and a maximum of $3300 for short-term projects and $6600 for long-term Projects
🕰 12 weeks
Application Period — March to April
Project Period — May to August
Google Summer of Code is a global, online program focused on bringing new contributors into open source software development. GSoC Contributors work with an open source organisation on a 12+ week programming project under the guidance of mentors.
2) Summer of Bitcoin
💵 Paid — Earn bitcoin as Stipend
🕰 12 weeks
Application Period — January to April
Project Period — May to August
A global, online summer internship program focused on introducing university students to bitcoin open-source development and design
- Learn how bitcoin works
- Contribute to bitcoin projects
- Earn bitcoin as Stipend
- Build a career in bitcoin
Get a return offer for next summer, receive a full-time open-source grant or get placed in the most reputed bitcoin companies.
3) Outreachy
💵 Paid — $7,000 USD total internship stipend
🌍 Remote — both interns and mentors work remotely
🕰 3 months
Application Period — In jan to feb and august
Project Period — internships run May to August, or December to March
Outreachy provides internships in open source and open science. Outreachy provides internships to people subject to systemic bias and impacted by underrepresentation (Women/ LGBTQ / people of color/ historically disadvantaged caste or tribe) in the technical industry where they are living.
4) MLH Fellowship
💵 Paid — The program makes payments depending on your needs.
🕰 12 weeks
Application Period — July to August
Project Period — Starts in September
The MLH Fellowship runs year-round with batches starting every few months.This is a program powered by GitHub. It comprises software engineering, open source, and data management tracks. It is a 12-week program where qualified participants engage in a real-life software engineering experience while networking with their fellow members.
5) Linux Foundation Mentorship Program (LFX)
💵 Paid —Minimum $3000 USD (For India) and maximum $6600 USD stipend amount depending on the country of mentee.
🕰
Mentorships available on LFX Mentorship: mid-January
Common for Spring/Summer/Fall:
- Mentee applications open on LFX: approximately 4 weeks
- Mentee application review and acceptance: approximately during the 2 weeks before the term begins.
Note: Dates may vary based on project guidelines.
Varies for each term:
- (Spring) Mentorships available on LFX Mentorship: mid-January
- (Summer) Mentorships available on LFX Mentorship: mid-April
- (Fall) Mentorships available on LFX Mentorship: mid-July
The Linux Foundation Mentorship Program is designed to help developers — many of whom are first-time open source contributors — with necessary skills and resources to learn, experiment, and contribute effectively to open source communities. By participating in a mentorship program, mentees have the opportunity to learn from experienced open source contributors as a segue to get internship and job opportunities upon graduation.
6) Hyperledger Mentorship Program
💵 Paid — Minimum $3000 USD (For India) and maximum $6600 USD stipend amount depending on the country of mentee.
🌍 Remote — both interns and mentors work remotely
🕰 6 months
Application Period — In Feb to March
Project Period — June to November
The Hyperledger Mentorship Program is aimed at creating a structured hands-on learning opportunity for new contributors who may otherwise lack the opportunity to gain exposure to or entry into the Hyperledger open source development community. It also provides a more defined path for Hyperledger to connect with the next generation of developers and researchers to inject more talent into its community. Each mentee will apply and be matched with a mentor or mentors who are active contributors in the Hyperledger community. Each mentee will work remotely from their location of choice. Regular evaluation and feedback will be provided. Mentees will have the opportunity to showcase their learnings and contributions through blogging, speaking at meetups or regional events, or travel to a global Hyperledger event to present their work in person and network with others in the broader community.
7) Google Season of Docs
💵 Paid — Minimum of $3000
🕰 6 months
Application Period — In Feb to March
Project Period — June to November
Google Season of Docs provides support for open source projects to improve their documentation and gives professional technical writers an opportunity to gain experience in open source. Together they raise awareness of open source, of docs, and of technical writing.
8) Reinforcement Learning Open Source Fest by Microsoft
💵 Paid — $10,000 USD
🕰 4 Months
Application Period — In Feb to April
Project Period — May to August
RL Open-Source Fest is a global online program focused on introducing students to open-source reinforcement learning programs and software development while working alongside researchers, data scientists, and engineers on the Real World Reinforcement Learning team at Microsoft Research NYC
9) LFN Mentorship Program
💵 Paid — Minimum $3000 USD (For India) and maximum $6600 USD stipend amount depending on the country of mentee.
🕰 12 weeks
Application Period — In Jan to Feb
Project Period — June to August
The LF Networking (LFN) intern/mentorship program is aimed at creating a structured hands-on learning opportunity for new developers who may otherwise lack the opportunity to gain exposure to open source software development and entry to the LFN projects’ technical communities.
Potential Benefits for Student Mentees :
- Mentees gain exposure to real-world software development by working closely with active developers in the community
- Mentees get introduced to open source development infrastructure, tooling, and culture
- Mentees have the hands-on opportunity to do work related to their academic and professional interests and to further the pursuit of those interests
- Mentees develop close working relationships with open source professionals and industry business leaders to expand their professional network
10) Linux Kernel Mentorship Program
💵 Paid — Minimum $3000 USD (For India) and maximum $6600 USD stipend amount depending on the country of mentee.
🌍 Remote — This is a remote opportunity and there is no need to relocate or move to participate.
🕰 12 weeks
The Linux Kernel Mentorship Program offers a structured remote learning opportunity to aspiring Linux Kernel developers. Experienced Linux Kernel developers and maintainers mentor volunteer mentees and help them become contributors to the Linux Kernel.
Benefits for Mentees :
- Learn from experienced Linux Kernel developers/maintainers
- Learn to collaborate, communicate, and work with the Linux Kernel community
- Become a Linux Kernel contributor
- Opportunity to network with other open source communities and prospective employers
- Learn to speak and share experiences at Linux conferences (travel funding included)
- Receive a stipend for learning
- Opportunity to interview with employers
11) Summer of Nix
💵 Paid — EUR 3000
🕰 13 weeks
Application Period — April to June
Project Period — July — Oct
Summer of Nix is a rare opportunity for Nix users of varying skills and interests, to practice Nix remotely, in mob programming format, while contributing to open source and receiving some payment for it.
12) The X.Org Endless Vacation Of Code (EVoC)
💵 Paid — Initial payment of $500 and two further payments of $2250 upon completion of project milestones ($5000 overall)
🕰 3–4 months
The basic terms and conditions of this program are quite similar to Google’s GSoC. It welcome international students and GSoC alumni. The key differences are that:
- an EVoC mentorship can be initiated at any time during the calendar year,
- the Board can fund as many of these mentorships as it sees fit.
13) 24 Pull Requests
💵 — Some gifts
🕰 1 Month
Contribution Period — Whole December
24 Pull Requests’ goal is to encourage contribution to open source projects during December. The site suggests open projects, highlights tickets that are good for new contributors, provides guides for contributing and promotes good contributions submitted each day.
The idea is simple: ‘Send 24 pull requests between December 1st and December 24th’, encouraging contributors to give back to open source projects with little gifts of code throughout December.
14) Github Octernship Program
GitHub Octernships program connects students with industry partners in paid professional experiences and mentorship on open source and software development projects.
15) FOSSASIA Internship Program
Also Checkout the form for Internship Program :
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScp8h5SIPVK5G2SAm5vtrv7KLKeOeYTxlZBkDRE6I7Toybt0A/viewform
💵 — Monthly remuneration depending on scope of internship, qualification and project
🕰 2–6 Month
16) Quansight Internship
Quansight is a data, science, and engineering firm that specializes in solving complex, data-related problems by leveraging the open source software at the foundation of innovation in AI and ML.
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