PSF has withdrawn $1.5M proposal to US Government grant program
Python Software Foundation (PSF) withdrew its $1.5 million grant application to the US National Science Foundation (NSF) after the agency demanded a commitment to abandon diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives. The proposed funding aimed to enhance security for Python's package repository PyPI by developing automated tools to proactively detect malicious code in packages, a significant improvement over current reactive methods. The NSF's condition required the PSF to affirm it would not "advance or promote DEI," a restriction applying to all PSF activities, not just the funded project. Violation would trigger the NSF to reclaim previously awarded funds, creating substantial financial risk.
This demand directly conflicted with the PSF's core mission, explicitly stating its commitment to supporting "a diverse and international community." Despite the grant's potential to significantly boost the PSF's annual $5 million budget and develop security tools with broader open-source ecosystem benefits (like NPM and Crates.io), the organization refused to compromise its values. The PSF Board unanimously decided withdrawal was necessary to retain the freedom to support its entire community. The loss of this funding, coupled with economic pressures, increases the PSF's need for direct community financial support.