We’ve all seen and used the famous Django framework, but there’s a lot more to a successful project than commits. The Django Software Foundation is a hallmark achievement in the Python community, but who’s behind it?

Introduction

• Hosted by Paul Everitt, Python Developer Advocate at JetBrains.
• Guest: Chaim Kirby, President of the Django Software Foundation (DSF).
• Focus: DSF's role, history, governance, and future directions.

Foundation's History

• The DSF serves as the steward for Django's code and community.
• Django was first released in July 2005.
• The DSF was founded shortly after in 2008 to manage the community and codebase.
• The foundation has had five presidents; current structure includes a seven-member board.

Roles and Responsibilities

• Protects the Django trademark and ensures compliance.
• Financially supports Django's development through fundraising.
• Manages two fellows, Mariusz and Natalia, who handle daily tasks like ticket triage and community outreach.
• Catherine manages day-to-day operations such as communication and sponsorships.

Election and Governance

• Elections are held once a year. The DSF board has recently changed to staggered two-year terms.
• Nominees for the board don't need to be individual members of the DSF.
• The board internally elects positions such as president and vice president.

Financial Health

• Currently stable but always welcomes more sponsorship and donations.
• Financial stability allows DSF to fund fellowships, operational costs, and community grants.
• Future financial strategies were discussed, including having a clearer, more transparent financial reporting.

Community Engagement

• Encouraging more contributions from the community.
• Open to new contributors via Django's GitHub, issue tracker, forums, and Discord.
• Emphasis on making contributions more accessible and recognizing new contributors publicly.

Promotional Efforts

• DSF is looking to improve on promoting Django and attracting new members.
• Various community-driven efforts like Django Girls and Django spaces mentorship are highlighted.
• Important for the community to engage in organizing events and meetups.

Roadmap and Future Direction

• Ongoing work on features like async and channels.
• Efforts to ensure Django stays a relevant and thriving framework.
• New Heroes: Encouraging the next generation to get involved.

Governance and Community Involvement

• Separate governance for the DSF and Django's development, led by a steering committee.
• Steering committee handles the technical roadmap and major decisions for the codebase.
• DSF focuses on legal, financial, and administrative responsibilities.

Takeaway Message

• Need for new blood and continuous community engagement to keep Django vibrant.
• Encouragement to anyone who wants to get involved in the DSF or Django community.