Cycle 5: Aperio core and coordinated packages maintenance work

[astrofrog]

This is a draft funding request for maintenance work by myself and @Cadair on core and coordinated packages.

Some of this is adapted from the Cycle 4 proposal since it was originally a 3-year funding proposal.

[kelle]

It would be useful for this funding request to have a budget range for the new work.

[astrofrog]

@kelle - done

[eteq]

Please react to this comment to vote on this proposal ( 👍, 👎 or no reaction for +0)

[eteq]

The Cycle 5 funding request process has been hugely successful! On the downside, that means our funds are severely oversubscribed. Even after the Finance Committee and SPOC have taken into consideration community feedback/voting and alignment with the roadmap, there are still more funding requests than we can afford in 2026.

We would like to stretch the budget as far as possible, and to fund as many activities as possible, while making sure the Project remains volunteer-driven. Hence, we would like to know if this project will still meet its deliverables if minimum your budget is reduced by 25%, 50%, or 100%. Or if there’s some other minimum, feel free to specify that instead.

As a reminder, there will be more funding for 2027 and we expect the Cycle 6 call for 2027 funding requests to begin in the Fall of 2026.

Thank you for your engagement and understanding as we continue to optimize our funding and budgeting processes and the balance of volunteer vs funded work! (@astrofrog)

[astrofrog]

The minimum budget for new funding provided in the proposal (4h/week) is already quite low as split between two people - it is an actual minimum in that it is the level at which we will be able to 'keep the lights on' but not do significant new development. Below this, we would need to drop some of our responsibilities, at least during 2026. As for the budget for already allocated hours, more than 70% has already been carried out (in part to cover unpaid invoices from the previous cycle), so it is difficult to reduce this number.

If the value for new funding does need to be reduced beyond the minimum stated, we could look into what parts of the proposed work could be dropped (but for now I was answering the question of how much we can reduce the budget and still meet deliverables)