NumFOCUS funding

[waynelapierre]

pandas has been funded by NumFOCUS since 2015. data.table is superior to pandas in terms of syntax and speed and has been a vital part of R's data science ecosystem. Is it possible to get NumFOCUS funding for data.table?
https://numfocus.org/project/pandas

[jangorecki]

Agree, personally syntax is what discourage me the most from using pandas. Great idea about the funding. Question if numfocus funds R projects as well. Brief look at their website shows only python.

[kadyb]

Question if numfocus funds R projects as well.

Rather yes. The website states this information:

We support projects in various languages, including Python, Julia, R, C++, and JavaScript.

[waynelapierre]

rOpenSci has been funded by NumFOCUS since 2014.
https://numfocus.org/project/ropensci

[tdhock]

https://numfocus.org/projects-overview explains that creating a formal governance document is required before data.table could apply for fiscal sponsorship from NumFOCUS.

Additional Requirements for Fiscal Sponsorship:

    A transparent, publicly visible governance model
    A roadmap outlining high priority work areas

That page also says "NumFOCUS projects are required to have a Code of Conduct (CoC): a user-facing, public statement on inclusivity and project culture. The CoC should include an explanation of what types of behavior are prohibited (and, ideally, what behavior is encouraged), as well as a procedure for reporting CoC complaints, an explanation of who is responsible for resolving CoC complaints (i.e. – a committee, names of project leaders, or similar), and the process by which CoC complaints will be addressed."

[tdhock]

Now that we have a code of conduct, we can apply for NumFOCUS funding. The next deadline is April 15. Can someone please volunteer to draft the application, and share it with our community here on this issue, before submitting it to NumFOCUS for review before that deadline?

[TysonStanley]

@tdhock thanks for re-upping this. I could draft an application but would like to hear others' opinion on what the up to $10k could be used on (possibly some developer time for specific feature requests, travel, etc.), including the vision for where the project could go with the funding.

[waynelapierre]

As a side note, there are also funding opportunities at https://summerofcode.withgoogle.com/. The deadline is probably too close.

[tdhock]

Thanks Wayne! I actually created a web page for GSOC, https://github.com/rstats-gsoc/gsoc2024/wiki/data.table and it is definitely not too late. We need to find an interested/motivated student though!

[Anirban166]

I second that, and @tdhock thanks for bringing this up in our meeting yesterday - I made it a point to mention trying GSoC or the summer of code programs in general for the students I'm interviewing that have interest in contributing, since they've been using data.table already or have used in the past. (For e.g., this morning I talked to @damirpolat who is looking for opportunities as he'll graduate soon and he sounded willing to go for it, and I linked that page during my Zoom meeting with him)

It'd be interesting to see what projects we could come up with for multiple months' worth of work. Great potential for making progress towards major bug fixes and features!