All application deadlines for listed projects have passed. At this time, we are no longer accepting applications for internships, and you have not submitted an application. We encourage you to sign up for the announcements mailing list to get an email when the next round opens.
Twice a year, Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) communities work with Outreachy organizers to offer internships to people from groups underrepresented in tech. Interns work remotely with mentors from Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) communities on projects ranging from programming, user experience, documentation, illustration and graphical design, to data science.
Outreachy interns come from a wide range of backgrounds. Outreachy is open to applicants from underrepresented groups over 18 who fit our intern eligibility rules. Interns could be university students, code school graduates, people switching careers, or people coming back to tech after starting a family or other long absence. Most Outreachy interns already have some exposure to using FOSS and technical knowledge, but many of them have not contributed to FOSS communities before. During our six-week application period, potential interns make contributions to the participating FOSS communities, which allows mentors to accurately evaluate their skills.
The current Outreachy internship round is now closed to new participating communities, and is closed to new intern project listings. Coordinators and mentors who missed the deadline are welcome to sign up for the Outreachy announcement list to receive a notification for next round.
If you have any questions about Outreachy, you can contact Outreachy organizers or the mentors mailing list.
A FOSS community can be a small set of contributors that work together on one piece of software or one free culture project. A community can also be comprised of many different teams that each work on separate subsystems, modules, applications, libraries, tools, documentation, user experience, graphical design, and more.
Each team can submit one or more intern project proposals that their FOSS community will fund. Outreachy cannot accept intern project proposals that don't have an associated community.
There are several different Outreachy roles:
Please avoid using gender-specific language in your community or project proposals.
Funding Requirements
FOSS communities need to have secured funding for at least one intern ($6,500). That covers the $5,500 internship stipend, the $500 intern travel stipend, and a $500 accounting fee. The accounting fee covers Outreachy's fiscal non-profit parent organization, Software Freedom Conservancy, handle sponsor invoicing, intern payments, W-9 collection, visa request letters, employment verification letters, student internship credit letters, and tax questions.
Licensing Requirements
Outreachy internship projects must be released under either an OSI-approved open source license that is also identified by the FSF as a free software license, OR a Creative Commons license approved for free cultural works.
Outreachy internship projects must forward the interests of free and open source software, not proprietary software. Outreachy internship projects will need to meet additional Outreachy intern project requirements.
Community Requirements
Free and open source communities that participate in Outreachy must forward free and open source software in public interest.
While we encourage companies to provide internship opportunities to people from underrepresented groups, the program cannot be used for internal company internships. Participating free software communities can't be too tightly tied to any one company. Experienced community contributors should be employed by multiple organizations or be volunteers. The community resources should not advertise services of only just one company related to the software the community produces.
Non-profit 501(c)(3) charities and 501(c)(6) trade organizations of any size offering free software projects are welcome to participate as a mentoring community.
All free software communities that participate in Outreachy need to be well-established, with core team members (either paid or volunteer) who regularly contribute to the community. Outreachy interns benefit from working with a variety of community members who can help review their work and answer questions.
All work done by Outreachy interns should be public and done out in the open on public channels connected with the community.
Outreachy intern projects will need to meet additional Outreachy intern project requirements.
| Jan. 15, 2018 | Outreachy call for participating communities opens. Mentor and volunteer sign up opens. |
| Feb. 12, 2018 | Outreachy application period opens for applicants and most FOSS communities are listed |
| March 2, 2018 | Last date for FOSS communities to sign up to participate |
| March 8, 2018 | Last date to add new Outreachy internship projects |
| March 22, 2018 | Outreachy application period ends for most communities |
| March 29, 2018 | Outreachy application period ends for communities with an extended deadline |
| April 4, 2018 | Deadline for mentors to select interns |
| April 20, 2018 | FOSS communities receive confirmation from Outreachy organizers of final approved interns |
| April 23, 2018 | Interns are publicly announced at 4pm UTC on the alums page |
The current Outreachy internship round is now closed to new intern project listings. Mentors who missed the deadline are welcome to sign up for the Outreachy announcement list to receive a notification for next round. Mentors can still sign up to co-mentor a listed project.
The community coordinator has indicated these communities will participate in this Outreachy internship round, and the communities have been approved by the Outreachy organizers to participate.
The community coordinator had indicated interest in participating in this Outreachy internship round, however, the project listing deadline passed before they could list any mentored projects.
Unfortunately, either the community coordinator(s) or the Outreachy organizers have determined that the following communities will not participate in this round of Outreachy internships.
In order for a community to participate in an Outreachy internship round, the community must have at least one coordinator. If you would like to volunteer to be a coordinator, you should understand the coordinator duties and what information they will need to update about the community.
Mentors and volunteers may visit the community page and sign up to receive an email notification when a coordinator signs the community up for this Outreachy round.
First, double check that the community isn't listed in the above participating communities or past communities list. If the community is listed as a past Outreachy community, you can sign up to coordinate for that community. Coordinators will need to review the coordinator duties and community requirements for participating in internships. Then submit a new community for review.