Page 1 of 2

Master's and PhD Scholarship Program - Application Form

This application may take some time to complete. Please ensure you have all the required information and supporting materials available before you begin. You will be able to submit your application once all sections are completed.

Personal information

Academic details

University and department

Degree program and expected graduation or completion date

Have you received prior research funding or scholarships? If so, describe.

Include funding source, amount if shareable, purpose, and outcomes. If no prior funding, state that clearly.

Academic Background

Provide a brief academic biography (150 to 250 words).

Describe your educational background, the focus of your current research, and any academic achievements relevant to this application.

What is your cumulative GPA, university GPA or equivalent academic standing?

If your institution does not use GPA, provide the equivalent measure and any context needed to interpret it.

Open Source Contribution

This section is the most important part of your application. Reviewers will assess the depth, consistency, and relevance of your open source engagement. Generic or unverifiable claims will score poorly.

Describe your prior contributions to open source projects.

Be specific. For each contribution, provide: the project name, description and a link to the repository or contribution.

What open source communities or ecosystems are you most engaged with, and in what capacity?

Describe your role such as contributor, maintainer, or community member, and how long you have been involved.

Provide a link to your primary public profile where your open source work is visible.

For example, GitHub, GitLab, or equivalent. If your contributions are distributed across multiple platforms, list up to three links.

If you do not have a record of engagement with open source communities, please describe how your research or studies are intended to contribute to open source or public goods.

Note: This section only applies if you were unable to provide information in the previous questions. If you have already contributed to open source communities, please disregard this section.

Research Proposal

Project title and Project abstract (100 to 150 words)

Describe the problem you are addressing, your proposed approach, and the expected outcome. This abstract may be published if your application is successful.

Research objectives

What specific outcomes are you trying to achieve? How will you measure success?

Expected outputs

What will you produce? Specify the type of output such as a research paper, software artifact, dataset, or technical report, and confirm it will be released under an open-access license.

Methodology

Describe your technical approach, data sources, tools, or experimental design as applicable.

Related work

What existing research or projects are most relevant to your proposal? What specific gap does your work address?

Statement of Purpose

Why are you applying for this scholarship? (300 to 400 words)

Explain how this award supports your research goals and why your work fits the Public Goods Foundation's mission. Focus on the specific connection between your research and open source or public goods technology. Avoid generic statements.

What do you plan to do after completing your degree?

Briefly describe how this research fits your longer-term goals and how you expect to remain engaged with open source or public goods work.

References

Provide the names and contact information of two references.

References will only be contacted for shortlisted applicants. For each reference, provide: full name, title and institution, email address, and one sentence describing your relationship and how long they have known you.

Reference 1

Reference 2

Declaration

By submitting this application, you confirm the following:

Declaration

All information in this application is accurate and complete to the best of my knowledge.

I am currently enrolled in a Master's or PhD program at an accredited university and am in good academic standing.

I am not currently serving as a paid employee or contractor of Public Goods Foundation.

I understand that this scholarship is not tied to any work or services to be performed for Public Goods Foundation.

I agree that all research outputs produced under this scholarship will be released under an open-access license.

I consent to Public Goods Foundation contacting my supervisor and references as part of the review process.

I understand that Public Goods Foundation may publish my name, institution, and project title if I am selected.