Update 20250708:

The fediverse added a delay of over a month for this to propagate. I had posted the toot on 20250602 in preparation of a talk¹ on this topic at the #ngiforum25 in Brussels two weeks later, and only got a handful of answers. Now, more than a month later, answers are rushing in!
Thanks everyone!!

¹) If you are interested in my talk "Digital Freedom meets Digital Payments", here it is: https://webcast.ec.europa.eu/ngi-forum-1a-2025-06-20

To all developers of #FOSS:

I'm interested in your experiences and opinions of funding #FOSS. How to maintain freedom and secure financial stability.

Which strategies work, which don't? Like: grants from public institutions, donations from companies, donations from users, subscription models, ad revenue, sponsors, etc. etc.
What are your experiences with those strategies?

And: Do you think an anonymous payment system like #GNUTaler, along with its anonymous subscription service capabilities, could be helpful and to what degree?

What other ideas do you have?

I'm looking forward to answers, comments and shares!