Applying for a Bursary to DebConf

There are a few different types of bursary available for DebConf, funded from different budgets:

• Debian funded bursaries are available to active Debian contributors.
• Debian diversity bursaries are available to newcomers to Debian/DebConf. Especially from under-represented communities.

NOTE: Please only apply to either of the above.

Debian funded Bursaries

Any member of the Debian community is welcome to request a bursary (sponsorship) to attend DebConf. As in previous years, we will do our best to offer sponsored food and accommodation to Debian contributors, but this assistance is subject to demand and available funding.

In these instructions “tell us” refers to filling in the “details of my bursary request” box on the registration form.

If you are applying for a bursary for accommodation or food

If you request a bursary for accommodation, you will stay at the IMT Atlantique’s Students dormitory or in the Camping du Goulet. See the accommodation page for more details.

If you request a bursary for meals, you will have breakfast, lunch and dinner at the venue, either at the Restaurant associatif de Kernevent (RAK), or in the venue main building.

We will look at contributors.debian.org to get a rough idea of your activity in the last year or two. If you’re happy with the picture that gives, then you don’t have to tell us anything more. If you want, you can tell us more about your recent activity in Debian, or your plans for the near future.

If you are applying for a bursary for accommodation or food for DebCamp, make sure you tell us (in the “Details of my bursary request” box) your plans for DebCamp. DebCamp is intended for focused work on Debian; please emphasize in what way (e.g. opportunities for collaboration and/or solitude) being at DebCamp will help you get things done you wouldn’t otherwise do.

If you are applying for a travel bursary

We need to decide how to spend a limited amount of money in a way that maximizes the benefit to the Debian project. This shouldn’t discourage you from applying, but please give us the information we need to make good decisions.

• Tell us what you think your most important or interesting contributions to Debian in the past year or two are. We’ll look at contributors.debian.org, but it doesn’t always tell the whole story.
• Tell us what your plans are for next year, and how attending DebConf will help.
• Honestly assess your level of financial need. This is not easy, but it plays an important role in our ranking process.
• Give us an estimate of your travel expenses. This is also the maximum amount of funding you are requesting. In general this amount should reflect the most economical form of transport to the venue. If it’s higher for some reason, tell us about that. If it’s lower because you (or someone else) will pay part, tell us about that too.
• If there is someone who knows your contributions to Debian well, and would put in a good word for you, tell us their name and ask them to write to us directly, at bursaries@debconf.org.
• If your main contribution to Debian is helping with DebConf, please ask someone from the appropriate team to let us know how much they need you at this year’s DebConf.

Everyone who is granted travel bursaries will also be granted funding for accommodation and/or food if they ask for it. Note that if you told us you “Absolutely cannot attend” DebConf without a travel bursary, we’ll assume you need accommodation and/or food only if the travel bursary is granted.

Diversity Bursaries

The goal of Diversity Sponsorships is to bring new people to DebConf — people just getting started in free software or with Debian, contributors who are making non-coding contributions, and contributors who are trying to make it to their first DebConf. If you’re interested in being considered for a diversity sponsorship, please tell us a bit about yourself and why you want to come to DebConf:

• Is this your chance to make your first contribution?
• Do you run Debian and want to learn more about the project and how to get involved?
• Are you passionate about free software, and excited to be a part of the Debian community?

NOTE: Those who got Diversity Bursary in the past aren’t eligible to apply again. They’re instead encouraged to apply to the Debian Funded Bursary track.

We would especially like to hear from:

• Women (cis, trans, queer), non-binary and genderqueer individuals, and transmen
• Residents from African countries, countries outside of Australia, North America, and Western Europe, and people from racial/ethnic minorities in their country of residence
• Individuals over the age of 35

Diversity Bursaries are only open to new DebConf attendees, not previous recipients of a Diversity Bursary.

Travel Bursary Reimbursement

We will cover the cost of getting you to and back from Brest, from your home town. Included in this is:

1. Long distance transportation (airplane / boat / bus / train) by the cheapest reasonable route.
2. Travel visas, and reasonable travel to receive a visa (as above).
3. Overnight accommodation on-route (factored into the cheapest reasonable route decision).

Not included:

1. Food during travel.

Travel bursaries are reimbursed after DebConf. The process is:

1. Buy your travel tickets, using your own money
2. Keep the receipt (or at least a PDF scan) for any ticket that you will be asking to be reimbursed for.
3. After attending DebConf, you’ll receive an email with instructions on submitting your reimbursement request, using Debian Reimbursements, to reclaim your travel expenses.

Reimbursement for DebConf-related expenses will be handled by Software in the Public Interest for most requesters. Other Debian Trusted Organizations will handle some local requests.

If you have any questions about the reimbursement process, or what is eligible, please contact bursaries@debconf.org as soon as possible.

Partial contribution

Due to constraints in the conference budget and in Debian’s budget overall, we have had to reduce the number of available bursaries this year. Our initial conference budget can accommodate 100 food and accommodation bursaries for both DebCamp and DebConf, and will be adjusted if sponsor income increases in the future. To try to offset some of these budgetary constraints, we are introducing partial food and accommodation bursaries: bursary recipients now have the option to make a monetary contribution, covering some of their food and accommodation costs.

We encourage those who have the means to do so, to state how much they’d be able to cover, during registration. Having partial bursary recipients will help us to provide support to more attendees overall. Whether you have proposed to make a contribution or not will only have a marginal impact on the ranking of your bursary application.