Case Study: Launching Arctos Alliance, an OSS nonprofit ensuring the long-term sustainability of Apache Arrow and Apache Parquet
Challenge
Apache Arrow lost its main corporate sponsor in 2024, jeopardizing the employment of the Arrow community's core contributors. This was disastrous for Arrow and Parquet, technologies that underpin a huge proportion of data-related projects today, and the companies that depend on them.
Solution
- Formed a nonprofit entity to house development of these core foundational projects
- Hired some of the affected community members, including Wes McKinney (co-creator of Apache Arrow) and Darren Haas (co-founder of Voltron Data)
- Fundraised with leading-edge technology companies who are deeply invested in these ecosystems
- Set up a governance structure to manage the finances and the direction of the software
- Recruited key figures in the Arrow and Parquet communities to lead the technocal steering committee
Results
- Hired a core team of technologists to address the sudden shortfall in contributions
- Successfully reversed the negative trend of contributions to the projects (see charts below)
- Re-established a sustainable ecosystem for the health of these vital core components
- Secured funding for the projects through a series of initial corporate sponsorships
Through Arctos Alliance, sponsors can now directly fund the work of committers, maintainers, and fellows. Arctos' Governing Board represents financial sponsors, the Steering Committee sets technical direction, while the Engineering Team ensures that Arrow and Parquet continue to thrive at the center of the modern data ecosystem.
Want to show your support for Apache Arrow and Parquet?
Visit Arctos' Open Source Collective profile to learn more about sponsorship opportunities
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