Plone Foundation Budget 2026

This section contains the budget of the Plone Foundation for the fiscal year 2026. Beginning in 2026, quarterly financial statements will be published, with commentary to explain only large and unexpected variances.

The complete fiscal year financial statements has comprehensive commentary. Quarterly reports of budgeted versus actual results will be published below the annual budget.

Introduction

The budget for 2026 is based on the previous two years of financial activity. The primary sources of income for 2026 are expected to come from Foundation Sponsorships, donations through the GitHub Sponsors program, Google Summer of Code stipends, and interest from bank deposits. The primary categories of expenses for 2026 are sprints, travel and lodging stipends, server hosting, software licenses, and marketing and communications.

Only the Marketing Team submitted a budget for 2026. The Finance Committee for the whole budget forecast income and expense based on the submitted Marketing Team budget and the two previous years of financial transactions, as well as other factors and initiatives.

Income

• Donations through GitHub Sponsors is expected to reach almost $7,000 in 2026.
• The Foundation Sponsorship program is in a period of transition, where all sponsorships will now renew on January 1 of every year, and new and existing sponsorships will be prorated for the remaining months of the calendar year at the new rates. Invoices will go out December 1 prior to renewal. The Finance Committee set an extremely conservative estimate of $8,450 for this budget line item, based on the actual receipts at the start of the year. The high end of the range is $31,250, assuming that all current sponsors renew at the same level or slightly lower.
• Assuming that Plone will be accepted into the Google Summer of Code program and successfully complete it, the Finance Committee expects to receive $1,500.
• A PyCon Finland 2025 sponsorship is expected to be paid in 2026 for $1,100.
• Interest earned from bank deposits is expected to increase substantially due shifting funds from accounts that don't pay interest and closing them to accounts that yield between 0.8-3.6%. The interest paid is expected to be $4,000.
• The total for income is budgeted as $18,034, plus $4,000 in interest, for a total of $22,034.

Expenses

• Expenses from bank fees and currency exchange fees are expected to plummet, due to the cessation of using services that would impose usurious charges. Often these charges were hidden in the financial transaction, in some cases stating that "sending money is free" to the sender, yet the recipient would pay between 3-8% of the amount.
• Hosting services from cloud providers for hosting sites, Jenkins, plone.org, documentation, training, and other services is budgeted at $8,000.
• Every ten years, the Plone Foundation must renew its registered trademark with the United States, the Great Britain, and the European Union. The latter two entities were handled in 2025, but the US needs to be done in 2026, estimated at $650.
• Legal and professional fees includes paying for accounting services. Additionally, the hiring of a bookkeeper has been budgeted for the second half of 2026 to make the role of Treasurer more attractive to a member who enjoys financial planning and strategy. The budgeted amount is $2,000.
• Marketing and business development covers a wide array of items that promote Plone and its community. This includes Plone Conference goodie bags, professional photography, participating in other conferences and events, graphic design, membership in trade organizations, and promotional materials. The budgeted amount is $11,200.
• Plone Conference expenses accrued from 2024 and 2025, and will be paid in 2026. This expense hosts the annual Board dinner during Plone Conference for current and past Board members. The budgeted amount is $3,100.
• Software licenses expenses are split across the Marketing Team, the Board, and Office. There will be a substantial reduction from the previous year, due to identifying unused and underutilized services, and either canceling or adjusting plans accordingly, and taking advantage of non-profit or yearly discounts. The budgeted amount is just under $3,400.
• The Board has approved funding for a record number of seven strategic sprints in 2026. Sprints are events where Plone Community members gather to collaborate on the development of Plone, whether it's for a strategic purpose, positioning and marketing Plone as an open source software product, or writing code and documentation. Sprints are by far the most cost-effective way to get a diverse group of programmers, designers, marketers, and other community members working together to improve Plone. It increases the skill set of our teams. We believe increasing the number of contributors and improving the talent pool will provide companies with hiring opportunities. Additionally, in accordance with the Board's initiative to reduce its carbon footprint, an extra amount for ecological travel will be used to reimburse attendees of the Beethoven Sprint who travel by train, public transit, bicycle, and any other non-fossil fuel powered transportation. The budgeted amount is $22,000.
• Travel and lodging stipends are used to reimburse the costs of leaders within the Plone community to participate at Plone events in person. Each of these leaders volunteers hundreds of hours of their time to the Plone Foundation every year. They include two release managers, the Marketing Lead, the Community Manager, the Admin Team Lead, and the Interim Treasurer. The budgeted amount is $21,500.
• Although it's also a travel and lodging stipend, there is a separate line item for Google Summer of Code participants who have successfully completed the program to travel to that same year's Plone Conference to present their work and experience with Plone and its community. The budgeted amount is $3,000.
• There are a few small expenses for a VOIP phone number, a virtual post office box, postage and shipping, and other office expenses.
• The total for expenses is budgeted as $75,748.

Summary

Net revenue (loss) is budgeted as (-$53,714).

If donations and sponsorships do not increase, the year will end with a financial loss. This will not endanger the Plone Foundation, as there is a surplus of funds from previous years, but it's not sustainable.

Together, with the Board's plans to raise more money, you can help. Sponsors and donors provide the vast majority of the Foundation's funding. The Sponsorship program has been revitalized with dedicated Foundation members coordinating this effort. The Interim Treasurer has applied for two grants for funds, is working on a third, and is open to look into additional grants. You can help by donating to or sponsoring the Plone Foundation, suggesting sources of grant funding, or contacting the Board with ideas.

Although projected financial loss is a more than one-quarter of the funds held by the Plone Foundation, budgets are typically conservative in nature, reflecting the worst possible, yet highly unlikely, financial scenario. In reality, the expense for each line item seldom reaches its budgeted amount, and income typically exceeds its forecast.

Since July 2025, the Interim Treasurer worked with the Board to structure income and expense categories in the financial statements to align with the annual budget. This will make it possible to produce quarterly reports on the Foundation's financial activity. The Board will use these reports to monitor and adjust its activities to ensure it aligns with its annual budget and keeps the Foundation financially secure.

Respectfully Submitted,

Steve Piercy, Interim Treasurer

Contact the Board at board@plone.org with comments or questions.

First quarter budget versus actuals

Income

• Foundation Donations through GitHub are on track with the budgeted amount.
• Foundation Sponsorship Income of $12,401 in the first quarter has already exceeded the extremely conservative budgeted amount for the entire fiscal year of $8,450. This is due primarily to shifting sponsorship renewal dates to January 1.
• We won't receive a stipend from Google Summer of Code this year.
• Gross profit for FY26 Q1 was $15,287, plus $1,066 from interest on deposits, for total income of $16,353. The total income budget for FY26 is $22,034. This is inline with expectations.

Expenses

• Currency exchange fees plummeted farther than expected to only $4 in FY26 Q1 from $100 for the entire year's budget.
• Legal & Professional Fees at $128 are far lower than budgeted, but expenses for tax preparation, legal, trademark, and possibly a bookkeeper will be incurred in Q2 or Q3.
• Marketing/Business Development has used only about 5% of its budget for the year, but upcoming events in the next two quarters will consume a large percentage of the budget.
• Software Licenses for both the Board and Marketing increased substantially due to paying annually for many services, instead of monthly, to receive a discount. Most of these payments will now take place during the first quarter. The greatest increase was for Office software, where a temporary upgrade to a more expensive plan was necessary to receive a nonprofit discounted rate, which will end up saving $730 per year. The amount paid for the upgraded plan plus a prorated refund of the original plan was refunded a week into the second quarter. In the next quarterly report, the amount of $2,136 for Office software will reflect that refund and become -$206.
• Both Sprints and Travel & Lodging Expenses, the two largest budget items, are on track with the budget.
• Plone Conference Expenses for both 2024 and 2025 will appear in Q2 as expected.
• The total for for Expenditures in FY26 Q1 was $13,615, and was budgeted for $75,748 for the entire fiscal year for 2026. This is inline with expectations.

Summary

Net Revenue for FY26 Q1 was $2,739, and a loss is budgeted for the fiscal year 2026 as (-$53,714).

Foundation Sponsorship is the primary source of income for the Plone Foundation. As previously mentioned, the Board set an extremely conservative budget for income from Foundation Sponsorships for FY26 of $8,450, with an estimated a high end of the range at $31,250. Even though the revenue from Foundation Sponsorship in Q1 is higher than expected, it's estimated to cover less than two-fifths of the total expenses that are expected to be incurred in 2026.

Although there were no big surprises for the first fiscal quarter of 2026, a large increase from Foundation Sponsorships is needed to maintain the programs and activities of the Plone Foundation.