Diversity Scholarship Report

[Ruchika]

Building on the success of last year’s IndiaFOSS 3.0, we continued the Diversity Scholarship initiative for IndiaFOSS 2024. The scholarship aimed to support participants from across India, including Bangalore, Chennai, Trivandrum, Ranchi, Mysore, Delhi, Pune, Raipur, Udaipur, Siliguri, Shivamogga, Chidambaram, Chittoor, Viluppuram, Angamaly, Dharamshala, Jashpur, Amravati, Kochi, and Gujarat. It provided opportunities for students, professionals, underrepresented groups, gender minorities, and women by covering travel, accommodation, and conference tickets.

We successfully raised ₹2,10,000, plus some funds carried over from IndiaFOSS 3.0. These resources enabled us to support 57 scholars out of which 47 were students, 9 professionals, and 1 speaker, giving them the opportunity to attend and engage with the event.

Diversity Scholarship - IndiaFOSS 2024
Diversity Scholarships Report

Outreach and Application Process:
Our outreach efforts included campaigns on social media, forums, and direct communications with organizations supporting underrepresented groups, gender minorities, and students. The Diversity Workgroup worked diligently to connect with organizations like NavGurukul, VGLUG, Aikyam Fellows, FAT Organisation, and JTD Foundation to ensure broader participation.

Applications required minimal information, focusing primarily on why applicants wanted to attend the conference. We received applications from individuals across India, as well as from participants affiliated with various organizations.

Feedback from Scholarship Recipients:

• “We attended a FOSS event where we explored various inspiring open-source projects, which left us motivated to start our own initiative!
  During the event, we met many amazing people and had great conversations. I also came across an incredible open-source project called RTE (Right to Education), which really captured my interest. They are helping schoolgirls learn programming languages.
  A big thanks for inviting us to such an insightful event!”

• “I wanted to share a quick update regarding the recent FOSS meeting. It was a great experience, and we had the opportunity to meet Bowrna, one of the open-source contributors. She has kindly agreed to provide guidance for the open-source project
  I reached out to her, and she responded yesterday, mentioning that she will schedule a call with us this upcoming Saturday or Sunday. We are grateful to FOSS for inviting us to the meeting.”

• “I’d like to thank you for this wonderful opportunity.
  This was my first national level conference and it was just mind blowing. I learnt a lot from the talks, the discussions and did network with many people.
  The exposure I’ve gained has been invaluable. I look forward to staying connected with the FOSS United community.
  Thank you so much.”

• “what was also surreal to me is to connect and talk with CTO, Co-founder, industry experts of start ups. Interestingly I was able to grab spectmatic swags after participating in their challenge. Looking forward to connecting with the FOSS team and joining more events like this. I can’t thank you all enough for making this happen.”

• “I recently attended the FOSS United conference and had an incredibly enriching experience. Vishnu Mohandas inspired me with his insights on the essentials of starting new ventures: investment, trust, patience, and the willingness to face challenges.
  I also connected with Bowna, who encouraged me to contribute to open source projects and offered invaluable guidance on how to get started. This experience emphasized that open source is not just about technology but also about understanding business dynamics and the challenges that come with it.
  I learned the importance of collaboration it’s crucial not just to build, but to share ideas and seek support from others. Additionally, I was impressed by innovative projects like NREGA AI and Drone AI, which showcased the intersection of technology, law, cybersecurity, and hardware.
  Overall, I left the conference feeling inspired and equipped with new knowledge. Thank you for such a valuable experience!”

• “Attending FOSS United Bengaluru was a surreal experience for me. I never imagined I’d have the opportunity to attend such an incredible event. From participating in insightful talks and connecting with co-founders, CTOs, and industry experts from various startups, to networking with like-minded people and collecting cool stickers and swag it was an unforgettable event, and most excitingly, win the Specmatic challenge! I’m really grateful to the FOSS United organizers for making it all possible.”

• “Diversity Scholarship is a great initiative to promote inclusivity and diversity. Opportunities for learning and networking with experts in the field. Overall, I felt that the conference was a valuable experience that offered a lot of learning and growth opportunities.”

• “I wanted to take a moment to express my gratitude for organizing the recent FOSS Meetup. It was a fantastic experience, and I appreciate the effort put into making it happen.
  The sessions were informative and engaging. It was a pleasure to meet like-minded individuals and exchange ideas. The networking session was well-structured, which facilitated meaningful conversations.
  I found the FOSS Meetup to be a rewarding experience, and I look forward to participating in future events. Thank you again for your hard work in organizing such a valuable gathering.”

Challenges

One of the main challenges we faced was funding limitations. While we aimed to support all participants with travel and accommodation, we were only able to provide these for the majority of scholars. However, all scholars did receive conference tickets, and we tried our best to provide accommodation to as many participants as possible.

Key Learnings for Future Programs

• Securing additional funding to offer more comprehensive support to a greater number of participants.
• Expanding outreach to more regions and communities can further increase diversity.

[Ruchika]

Building on the foundation laid over the past few years, the Diversity Scholarship for IndiaFOSS 2025 continued to support individuals from diverse backgrounds to attend, learn, and participate in the FOSS ecosystem.

This year’s conference took place from 20-21 September 2025 at NIMHANS Convention Centre, Bengaluru. We supported 67 scholars, of whom 59 were students and 8 professionals. The group included 33 women, 34 men, 2 participants from the LGBTQIA++ community, and 1 person with disability. Moreover, regional diversity, from Gorakhpur, Kolkata, Kishanganj, Bangalore, Pune, Jabalpur, Guntur, Kalamassery, Bhopal, Chennai, Delhi, Kottayam, Tirur, Mysore, Hyderabad, Nagpur, Kochi, Kilarkarai, Kassaragod, Ahmedabad, Patna, Aluva, Shrinagar, Bhimpur, Kuddalore, and many more to the list…

In total, ₹4,00,000 was raised for the Diversity Scholarship programme, ₹1,50,087 through the Foundation’s diversity fundraising drive, and ₹2,50,000 from an anonymous institutional sponsor. Out of this, around ₹3,00,000 was utilised for travel, accommodation, and tickets.

How we ran the programme

The application process remained the same as in previous years, with co-chairs of IndiaFOSS and volunteers helping with reviews and coordination.
Outreach was primarily through social media, newsletters, word of mouth, and past scholars, ensuring we reached both new and a few returning participants.

We also continued our engagement with NavGurukul, although communication this year fell through a bit, resulting in fewer participants from their side.

Early applicants were given complete support (travel, stay, and tickets). Later applicants were offered partial support, often in the form of tickets, depending on the remaining budget and their requirements. 67 scholars confirmed their participation after reimbursement arrangements. 13 early applicants received full scholarships. Applications came from across India, representing a growing mix of backgrounds, regions, and experiences.
Several first-time conference goers and students travelled long distances to attend IndiaFOSS 2025, some even attending their first-ever tech event.

While we didn’t collect formal written feedback this time, we observed how many of the scholars naturally blended into the community, joining discussions, volunteering at booths, and contributing ideas during the event.

What we learnt

Despite the success of the programme, this year also came with its share of lessons.

1. Timing and Coordination:
   The diversity sponsorship programme started a bit later than ideal in the last week of May, which compressed timelines for application review and fund allocation.
   We also extended the scholarship deadline to 10 August, and conducted simultaneous calls with around 40 potential applicants just three weeks before the event.
   This led to a few rejections due to last-minute unavailability and difficulty booking travel within the budget.

2. Accessibility and Childcare:
   Accessibility and childcare forms were shared months before the conference. Although we received only a handful of requests, we did manage to support a visually impaired participant from Bengaluru who reached out just a day before the event.
   The experience made it clear that such requests should ideally open well before a month of the event for smoother handling.

3. Facilities at the Venue:
   The quiet room on the first floor at NIMHANS was meant for relaxation, but due to a malfunctioning door and an extension box setup for nearby booths, it became slightly noisy. One participant who requested a quiet space found it difficult to use effectively.

4. Awareness and Transparency:
   Some applicants misunderstood the reimbursement process or submitted unrealistic travel costs. A Diversity Scholarship Handbook with clear selection criteria, cost limits, and documentation steps would make the process fairer and easier for everyone.

Looking ahead

This year, IndiaFOSS also underwent CHAOSS D&I Badging, which began three weeks before the conference. While the certification was completed successfully a day after the event, we plan to start this process earlier next time and promote it publicly. It’s an important step in making IndiaFOSS more transparent and inclusive.

We’re also exploring inclusion for people with speech and hearing impairments for future editions. Rahul initiated discussions on this, and Keerthana will be helping to develop a roadmap for implementation with the help of trained interpreters familiar with tech and FOSS terms.

Finally, one key learning was to confirm diversity scholars at least a month before the conference. This will help them plan their travel comfortably within budget and reduce the logistical pressure on the organising team.

In closing

The Diversity Scholarship continues to be one of the most meaningful parts of IndiaFOSS, a reminder that community events thrive when people from all walks of life are part of them.

We got a little late this year, made a few last-minute adjustments, but we also learnt a lot. The goal remains the same: to make IndiaFOSS a space that welcomes, supports, and reflects the diversity of the FOSS world.

[Shree_Kumar]

Thank you for the report @Ruchika !

@Ruchika

A Diversity Scholarship Handbook with clear selection criteria, cost limits, and documentation steps would make the process fairer and easier for everyone.

Yes, and now is the best time to write it ! Please do it while the learning are fresh. Some things must be clearly mentioned (e.g. do we reimburse flight tickets ?)

The SOP for next year should clearly define the date of intimation of successful applicants. Ideally - 61 days before the conference for best train booking experience) . And perhaps open the applications at the same time the CFP goes out ? Rolling reviews perhaps make sense for diversity - also ensures that volunteers are not scrambling at the end (I was surprised to learn that you folks had individual calls with lots of scholars - which is a lot of effort. Also some of them “rejected” the offer due to no travel support - which could have been avoided with early processing).

How about taking some feedback from the successful/unsuccessful applicants about how we can make this more effective ? Maybe send a survey… we really need feedback loops here to figure out what’s the “right” learning and what may be assumptions.

@Ruchika

Accessibility and childcare forms were shared months before the conference. Although we received only a handful of requests

What exactly is “handful”… And how many people actually used the childcare, were they local or from outside Bengaluru ?

Just for perspective - we spent 40 thousand rupees on childcare. Which is probably disproportionate compared to what we are spending on diversity scholarships? We may need some kind of rationalization of such expenses.

@Ruchika

The quiet room on the first floor at NIMHANS was meant for relaxation, but due to a malfunctioning door and an extension box setup for nearby booths, it became slightly noisy.

In hindsight - this was a tough one. The quiet room ended up doubling up as a storage room too… The only way to have an actual “quiet” room in such a venue is to have it much far away (like a tent or so). I think this is worth it if this is of generic value. Otherwise we should look at some creative alternatives.

@Ruchika

We’re also exploring inclusion for people with speech and hearing impairments for future editions. Rahul initiated discussions on this, and Keerthana will be helping to develop a roadmap for implementation with the help of trained interpreters familiar with tech and FOSS terms.

This is actually quite interesting - but it’s important to understand the tech angle behind these too for the longer term. Braille displays is just one of those things, and there are folks among us with interesting ideas !

[Ruchika]

Thanks for going through everything so thoroughly, @Shree_Kumar

Yes, and now is the best time to write it ! Please do it while the learning are fresh. Some things must be clearly mentioned (e.g. do we reimburse flight tickets ?)
The SOP for next year should clearly define the date of intimation of successful applicants. Ideally - 61 days before the conference for best train booking experience) . And perhaps open the applications at the same time the CFP goes out ? Rolling reviews perhaps make sense for diversity - also ensures that volunteers are not scrambling at the end (I was surprised to learn that you folks had individual calls with lots of scholars - which is a lot of effort. Also some of them “rejected” the offer due to no travel support - which could have been avoided with early processing).

Yeah, absolutely, I’ll start drafting soon and make sure it covers everything clearly. Honestly, those calls were draining, and we could’ve avoided so many last-minute rejections if we’d just moved faster, quite a lesson for the next edition.

Good call on the survey, I will definitely look into this one.

On childcare: total was 8 kids across both days. A few people wanted to join on 2nd day but couldn’t because they wrapped up very early, a few were from Bangalore, although I am not aware of all of them. Btw, we only got 1 request through the childcare form. I see what you mean, though, and it’s worth rethinking our approach.
For the quiet room, let’s brainstorm something for next IndiaFOSS?

This is actually quite interesting - but it’s important to understand the tech angle behind these too for the longer term. Braille displays is just one of those things, and there are folks among us with interesting ideas !

Love the accessibility tech idea, let’s definitely dig into that.

[grittypuffy]

I am sharing my updates on planning for IndiaFOSS 2026 for diversity and inclusion that I have been researching for 2 months.

Please check out the document and leave your comments here: IndiaFOSS 2026 - Diversity and Inclusion Strategy - Google Docs

It has my thoughts for:

1. Website accessibility (IMHO, forget Braille displays for now, since it’s useless if the digital content is inaccessible. Making FU’s website screen reader friendly will be the first step that I will recommend and I am working on it)
2. Mentorship for hard of hearing and speech population with a small cohort
3. In-event experience and inclusion
4. Diversity scholarship
5. Inclusive speaker guidelines and accessibility in conference talks