---
url: 'https://dri.es/how-governments-can-help-sustain-open-source'
title: 'How governments can help sustain Open Source'
author:
  name: 'Dries Buytaert'
  url: 'https://dri.es/about'
date: '2020-09-18T07:34:34-04:00'
license: 'https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/'
type: blog
tags:
  - 'Open Source'
  - Drupal
published: true
id: 5076
---

# How governments can help sustain Open Source

Yesterday I wrote about why [software funded with tax dollars should be Open Source](https://dri.es/public-money-public-code). Based on the feedback in email and social media, lots of people seem to agree.

Today, I want to highlight how this could be a game changer for [Open Source sustainability](https://dri.es/balancing-makers-and-takers-to-scale-and-sustain-open-source).

Using [Drupal](https://www.drupal.org/) as an example, let's do some quick math. Imagine if:

- 1,000 government agencies around the world (federal, state, or local) spend an average of $300,000 a year on their Drupal sites.
- 5% of that investment results in Open Source contributions.

Even if these numbers are conservative, it would lead to $15 million in annual contributions to Drupal: 1,000 x $300,000 x 0.05 = $15,000,000. That could be 150 full-time contributors each year.

In other words, [requiring public code in government](https://dri.es/public-money-public-code) could be Open Source's best funding mechanism.
