Travel Policy
We sponsor travel to further the development of GNOME and to spread the word about GNOME.
Currently the Travel Committee reimburses only for travel costs (plane ticket, train ticket) and lodging costs (hotel, hostel) for GNOME Foundation members needing travel assistance to GNOME related events. Food, taxes, extra charges for credit cards, visas, etc. are not reimbursed.
Please be responsible and always choose the most economical option whenever possible. The GNOME Foundation spends a large portion of its budget on sponsoring travel for its members and still has to turn down applicants. The Travel Committee might look for more economical options and use it as a reference when deciding on a sponsorship.
Remember, the money you save is the money that can help someone else travel and participate. It also means we might be able to help you again in the future.
Duties of people who receive sponsorships
Write a report about the conference, its importance for GNOME and your participation. You can include talks you attended, activities you participated in, new people you met, how this event changes or encourages your involvement in GNOME, and so on. Your report can be written as one or several blog posts or as a summary in an email. You must write about the event and your attendance and let us know because:
- Your report will help us to justify our investment in you.
- Your report also help us show potential sponsors the impact of sponsoring travel which helps us raise money for future travel.
- Your report will help spread the word of GNOME and accomplish the GNOME mission of providing a free and accessible desktop.
Blog about being sponsored. Please use one of the badges in your blog post (badge with shadow, simple badge).
- Be available to have a coffee or meet with one of the advisory board members or sponsoring company employees who is not yet part of the community. Help them feel welcome in the community. With their help we are sponsoring contributors like you. Your feedback is also good for them.
- Be available to educate or mentor other people who want to get involved with GNOME.
- If you can not attend to the event, you must inform to the Travel Committee promptly. Otherwise, your future requests might not be considered.
Exceptions
The GNOME Foundation may occasionally sponsor people that are not GNOME Foundation members. It is expected that those people will become a GNOME Foundation member within the next year. (Remember that representing GNOME at events counts as a contribution to GNOME and can be included in your application for membership.)
Examples of exceptions:
- Google Summer of Code students who have a good track record in their projects and have the support of GNOME GSoC administrators may be partially sponsored to attend to a GNOME event.
- Contributors who are on their way to become a GNOME Foundation member or who are working actively on a relevant project for GNOME (and so expected to become a contributor and GNOME Foundation member).
The GNOME Foundation may sponsor extra costs (such as visa, vaccinations and meals) when the board explicitly requests that a representative attends an event on behalf of GNOME Foundation. In the case of visa and/or vaccination, the costs must be discussed with the Travel Committee beforehand. In the case of meals, they can not exceed US$40 per day and they will be limited by the number of days requested to be a representative.