membership-based free-software foundation

GNOME Foundation

A membership-based free-software foundation supporting GNOME, contributor infrastructure, and privacy-respecting personal computing. GNOME Foundation scores well because ownership is comparatively aligned and the model leaves more value with stakeholders, and no current penalty outweighs that structure.

Why this matters: Contributor membership and elected governance are strong structural constraints for public-good software.

Letter grade A Good Medium confidence (AI) Rubric gcd-rubric-v1 Last reviewed May 6, 2026

Final Score 63* A - Good

AGOOD63 pts

* Tentative scaffolding score. Not human-checked or final.

Base Material56

Bonus+7

Cap66No structure cap

After Cap63

Penalties0

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Evaluation Overview

A - Good

The score turns mainly on Ownership; no penalty currently dominates the evaluation.

Strengths

Ownership9/10
Extraction9/10
Governance8/10

Penalties

No penalties applied in this version.

Evidence state

ConfidenceMedium confidence (AI)
ThoroughnessPartial (AI)
Linked claims5
Direct axis claims5
Coverage5/12

Scoring Axes

Axis	Score	Why this score
Ownership ? Control rights: shareholder-dominated at 0, worker cooperative control at 10.	9 / 10	GNOME Foundation describes its mission as building a sustainable free-software personal-computing ecosystem people can trust. GNOME Foundation describes its mission as building a sustainable free-software personal-computing ecosystem people can trust. That places GNOME Foundation high on Ownership: decisive control is held by workers, users, members, or another stakeholder class rather than outside capital. A still-higher or maximum value requires stronger proof that this structure is durable, broad, and not merely discretionary. Calibration notes Comparative anchor: Column-spectrum position: 201 scored entries below, 5 tied, 20 above on Ownership. Linked evidence context GNOME Foundation describes its mission as building a sustainable free-software personal-computing ecosystem people can trust. [1] context GNOME Foundation governance materials describe a membership-based nonprofit whose board is elected by Foundation members. [2]
Governance ? Binding decision authority: centralized control at 0, democratic stakeholder control at 10.	8 / 10	GNOME Foundation governance materials describe a membership-based nonprofit whose board is elected by Foundation members. Calibration notes Comparative anchor: Column-spectrum position: 192 scored entries below, 14 tied, 20 above on Governance. Linked evidence GNOME Foundation governance materials describe a membership-based nonprofit whose board is elected by Foundation members. [2]
Extraction ? Surplus allocation, wage share, CEO pay ratio, margins, and structured extraction judgment.	9 / 10	GNOME Foundation describes its mission as building a sustainable free-software personal-computing ecosystem people can trust. GNOME Foundation describes its mission as building a sustainable free-software personal-computing ecosystem people can trust. That places GNOME Foundation high on Extraction: surplus is structurally routed toward workers, producers, users, or public benefit instead of being primarily captured upward. A still-higher or maximum value requires stronger proof that this structure is durable, broad, and not merely discretionary. Calibration notes Comparative anchor: Column-spectrum position: 208 scored entries below, 18 tied, 0 above on Extraction. Linked evidence context GNOME Foundation describes its mission as building a sustainable free-software personal-computing ecosystem people can trust. [1] context GNOME Foundation governance materials describe a membership-based nonprofit whose board is elected by Foundation members. [2]
Labor Sovereignty ? Worker power: coercive conditions at 0, co-determination or ownership at 7. Employee dissatisfaction matters only when source-backed evidence shows concrete limits on worker agency, such as coercive scheduling, retaliation, wage theft, harassment, unsafe conditions, suppression of worker voice, or extreme turnover.	5 / 7	GNOME Foundation describes its mission as building a sustainable free-software personal-computing ecosystem people can trust. GNOME Foundation describes its mission as building a sustainable free-software personal-computing ecosystem people can trust. That places GNOME Foundation in the middle of Labor Sovereignty: workers or participants have some protection or agency, but not enough binding power to control the relationship. The value stays below the top tier because the linked record does not show full democratic control, non-extractive lock-in, or complete stakeholder protection on this axis. Calibration notes Comparative anchor: Column-spectrum position: 152 scored entries below, 40 tied, 34 above on Labor Sovereignty. Linked evidence context GNOME Foundation describes its mission as building a sustainable free-software personal-computing ecosystem people can trust. [1] context GNOME Foundation governance materials describe a membership-based nonprofit whose board is elected by Foundation members. [2]
Solidarity with the Unemployed ? Treatment of exits and nonworkers, including severance, redeployment, and non-competes.	5 / 7	GNOME Foundation describes its mission as building a sustainable free-software personal-computing ecosystem people can trust. GNOME Foundation describes its mission as building a sustainable free-software personal-computing ecosystem people can trust. That places GNOME Foundation in the middle of Solidarity with the Unemployed: some access, severance, retraining, openness, or mutual-aid value is present, but it is not central or durable. The value stays below the top tier because the linked record does not show full democratic control, non-extractive lock-in, or complete stakeholder protection on this axis. Calibration notes Comparative anchor: Column-spectrum position: 158 scored entries below, 38 tied, 30 above on Solidarity with the Unemployed. Linked evidence context GNOME Foundation describes its mission as building a sustainable free-software personal-computing ecosystem people can trust. [1] context GNOME Foundation governance materials describe a membership-based nonprofit whose board is elected by Foundation members. [2]
Loss-Bearing Fidelity ? Willingness to absorb costs to preserve values, workers, users, and public obligations.	6 / 7	GNOME Foundation describes its mission as building a sustainable free-software personal-computing ecosystem people can trust. GNOME Foundation describes its mission as building a sustainable free-software personal-computing ecosystem people can trust. That places GNOME Foundation high on Loss-Bearing Fidelity: the institution is structured to absorb real costs rather than shifting losses onto weaker parties. A still-higher or maximum value requires stronger proof that this structure is durable, broad, and not merely discretionary. Calibration notes Comparative anchor: Column-spectrum position: 163 scored entries below, 54 tied, 9 above on Loss-Bearing Fidelity. Linked evidence context GNOME Foundation describes its mission as building a sustainable free-software personal-computing ecosystem people can trust. [1] context GNOME Foundation governance materials describe a membership-based nonprofit whose board is elected by Foundation members. [2]
Market Conduct ? Pricing fairness, switching costs, lock-in, and rent extraction.	5 / 5	GNOME Foundation describes its mission as building a sustainable free-software personal-computing ecosystem people can trust. GNOME Foundation describes its mission as building a sustainable free-software personal-computing ecosystem people can trust. That places GNOME Foundation high on Market Conduct: pricing, access, switching, and bargaining practices show restraint compared with ordinary rent-seeking competitors. A still-higher or maximum value requires stronger proof that this structure is durable, broad, and not merely discretionary. Calibration notes Comparative anchor: Column-spectrum position: 180 scored entries below, 46 tied, 0 above on Market Conduct. Linked evidence context GNOME Foundation describes its mission as building a sustainable free-software personal-computing ecosystem people can trust. [1] context GNOME Foundation governance materials describe a membership-based nonprofit whose board is elected by Foundation members. [2]
Product Integrity ? Preservation of quality rather than degradation for monetization.	5 / 5	GNOME Foundation describes its mission as building a sustainable free-software personal-computing ecosystem people can trust. GNOME Foundation describes its mission as building a sustainable free-software personal-computing ecosystem people can trust. That places GNOME Foundation high on Product Integrity: the core offering is genuinely useful and comparatively less dependent on traps, degradation, or harmful dependencies. A still-higher or maximum value requires stronger proof that this structure is durable, broad, and not merely discretionary. Calibration notes Comparative anchor: Column-spectrum position: 134 scored entries below, 92 tied, 0 above on Product Integrity. Linked evidence GNOME Foundation describes its mission as building a sustainable free-software personal-computing ecosystem people can trust. [1]
Scale Integrity ? Whether growth improves or degrades fairness and accountability.	4 / 5	GNOME Foundation describes its mission as building a sustainable free-software personal-computing ecosystem people can trust. Calibration notes Comparative anchor: Column-spectrum position: 109 scored entries below, 81 tied, 36 above on Scale Integrity. Linked evidence context GNOME Foundation describes its mission as building a sustainable free-software personal-computing ecosystem people can trust. [1] context GNOME Foundation governance materials describe a membership-based nonprofit whose board is elected by Foundation members. [2]

Penalties

No penalties applied in this version.

Bonus Credits

Bonus	Credit	Why this credit
Openness to Dissent ? Credit for tolerating internal, user, customer, worker, and public dissent without retaliation, capture, or viewpoint laundering.	2 / 3	GNOME Foundation governance materials describe member participation and an elected board, supporting public community voice and internal accountability for project decisions. GNOME Foundation governance materials describe member participation and an elected board, supporting public community voice and internal accountability for project decisions. That supports partial Openness to Dissent credit because people can criticize, dissent, or challenge the institution without being managed into silence. The value remains partial because the linked record does not show the practice as comprehensive, durable, or central enough for full credit. Calibration notes Comparative anchor: Column-spectrum position: 200 scored entries below, 15 tied, 11 above on Openness to Dissent. Linked evidence GNOME Foundation governance materials describe member participation and an elected board, supporting public community voice and internal accountability for project decisions. [3]
Constitutional Spirit ? Credit for respecting constitutional rights and civil-liberties norms even where private law does not strictly require it.	2 / 3	GNOME Foundation frames its mission around trusted free-software personal computing, supporting user autonomy and civil-liberties-aligned software rights. GNOME Foundation frames its mission around trusted free-software personal computing, supporting user autonomy and civil-liberties-aligned software rights. That supports partial Constitutional Spirit credit because the institution respects speech, privacy, due process, conscience, or civil-liberties norms beyond bare legal compulsion. The value remains partial because the linked record does not show the practice as comprehensive, durable, or central enough for full credit. Calibration notes Comparative anchor: Column-spectrum position: 188 scored entries below, 23 tied, 15 above on Constitutional Spirit. Linked evidence GNOME Foundation frames its mission around trusted free-software personal computing, supporting user autonomy and civil-liberties-aligned software rights. [4]
Good Deal ? Credit for unusually fair value: durable quality, fair pricing, low lock-in, and clear customer surplus.	3 / 3	GNOME supports a free-software desktop ecosystem available to users without proprietary licensing fees, creating high public user value. Calibration notes Comparative anchor: Column-spectrum position: 200 scored entries below, 26 tied, 0 above on Good Deal. Linked evidence GNOME supports a free-software desktop ecosystem available to users without proprietary licensing fees, creating high public user value. [5]

Confidence Basis

Confidence is computed from the evidence trail and review state, not typed into the profile by hand.

Medium 67/100

5 verified linked claims 5 direct axis claims 0 disputed claims 5/12 components covered

This confidence label measures the source-backed evidence trail. AI-scaffolded scores remain tentative until human review.

Claim confidence 17/20

5 verified linked claims

Source quality 10/18

Best source per verified claim, weighted by institutional reliability

Direct axis-specific claims 6/18

5 direct claims across 12 active components

Dispute load 12/12

0 disputed claims on this entity

Recency 10/10

Newest accepted timestamp: May 13, 2026

Reviewer status 7/12

Human-reviewed components score higher than AI scaffolding

Component coverage 4/10

5/12 evidence-bearing components have direct support

Evidence State

Profile stateAI draft / human-pending

VerificationUnverified

ConfidenceMedium confidence (AI)

ThoroughnessPartial (AI)

Correction routeUse “Challenge this rating” for factual errors, missing counterevidence, source problems, or calculation mistakes.

Company responseCompany representatives can submit source-backed corrections; payment never changes scores or reviewer authority.

Claims and Sources

Claims are the evidence record. Each claim needs a source link, axis category, status, confidence level, and timestamp before it can support a score.

* Tentative scaffolding score. Not human-checked or final.

1GNOME Foundation describes its mission as building a sustainable free-software personal-computing ecosystem people can trust.

Product Integrity Verified High confidence AI-generated / human-pending May 6, 2026

AI scaffold

GNOME FoundationGeneral web source · 58%

2GNOME Foundation governance materials describe a membership-based nonprofit whose board is elected by Foundation members.

Governance Verified High confidence AI-generated / human-pending May 6, 2026

AI scaffold

GNOME governanceGeneral web source · 58%
GNOME project handbookGeneral web source · 58%

3GNOME Foundation governance materials describe member participation and an elected board, supporting public community voice and internal accountability for project decisions.

Openness To Dissent Verified Medium confidence Human-reviewed May 7, 2026

GNOME governanceGeneral web source · 58%
GNOME project handbookGeneral web source · 58%

4GNOME Foundation frames its mission around trusted free-software personal computing, supporting user autonomy and civil-liberties-aligned software rights.

Constitutional Spirit Verified Medium confidence Human-reviewed May 7, 2026

GNOME FoundationGeneral web source · 58%

5GNOME supports a free-software desktop ecosystem available to users without proprietary licensing fees, creating high public user value.

Good Deal Verified High confidence Human-reviewed May 7, 2026

GNOME FoundationGeneral web source · 58%

Alternatives

Competitors

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How This Page Is Maintained

Evidence comes in through contributors, is checked by verifiers, and is synthesized by reviewers. Founder authority remains narrow and visible; scores recalculate when verified claims or the rubric change.

Civic Note

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Audit Log

Recent public changes for this company or group. The full audit log is part of the Transparency record.

May 6, 2026 at 12:00 AM UTC ai-scaffolding

Added source-backed tentative evaluation during the A-grade/public-interest and nonobvious extraction expansion pass.

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