Could you put like-minded people in touch who submit similar projects?

This is a great idea. Maybe I'll create a slack for everyone who applies.

Very cool initiative! The more support that comes to recognizing the open source projects and research that go into so many useful tools -- the better.

Is there any reason you haven't set a date to complete the project (an MVP)? I think it is a good idea to set a date so you reduce the scope of the project to something feasible and applicants don't spend a lot of time pursuing a project that doesn't get enough traction. I think 6-8 months would be ok for an AI project.

Good question! I thought about doing that, and maybe I should, but I'm not sure what the right timeframe is, and I didn't want to pre-filter interesting projects that might not fit my preconceptions.

For example, I could imagine funding a project that a student might do in 8 weeks over the summer working full-time, or a project that someone might pursue part-time over the course of a year. My guess is that the first type will dominate the applications (and therefore the grantees), but I don't know yet.

This sounds great! Any particular reason only the MIT license is supported and not Apache 2.0? I am aware there are some differences with regard to patent rights, just genuinely curious, because there might be ambitious projects with the goal to incubate with Apache.

I don't have a strong opinion about this, so I changed it to be either MIT or Apache 2.0. Thanks for the feedback!

How about GPL/AGPL? (for staying free longer-term... :)

I have an existing project which could use this help, but is related more to taking human knowledge management to a new level globally, removing some of our current limitations. Is that close enough to AI to apply? ( http://onemodel.org has details)

Is it possible to also accept EPL?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eclipse_Public_License

Great, thanks!

Say an applicant pursues something more along the lines of research that might not immediately lead to an implementation - what do you expect of an 'open source' project of this variety?

I'm open-minded about this. If the project has a believable path to a useful open source contribution in the future, then I think it's fundable. This could even include high variance experiments that might end up totally failing.

How many winners do you intend to select?

Five. If there are a lot more deserving applications, I'll try to find more funding.

Are you open to outside contributors to your project (uncredited)?

Very much so. Email me: [email protected]

Mail sent.