The Linux Foundation has published its financial report for 2024, revealing a substantial increase in the funds received compared to the previous year. In total, the Foundation received $292.2 million during the reporting period, up from $263.6 million in 2023. Donations and contributions from organization members were the largest source of revenue, accounting for 43% ($125.1 million) of the total funds, a slight increase from last year’s $118.2 million.
Funding Breakdown
A significant portion of the income was earmarked for targeted project support and event-related activities. Specifically, 25.1% ($73.6 million) was allocated for project support, compared to $67 million in 2023. Meanwhile, 18.6% ($54.5 million) went toward supporting events, including conference registration fees, showing an increase from the previous year’s $49.5 million. The remaining 12.3% ($36.1 million) came from payments for training courses and certifications, up from $27.2 million last year.
In terms of expenditure, the share spent on core development decreased to 2.3% in 2024, down from 2.9% in 2023. In 2022, this figure was 3.2%, and in 2021 it was 3.4%. A total of $6.8 million was spent on Linux kernel development this year, which is $1 million less than last year and $1.4 million less than the year before.
Expenditure Breakdown and Project Growth
The total expenditure for 2024 was $299.7 million, a notable increase from $269 million in 2023. Of this amount, $193.7 million (64.6% of total expenses) was allocated to non-kernel projects, marking a substantial rise from last year’s $171.8 million. Other areas of spending included infrastructure, training and certification programs, corporate operations, events, community support, and international operations. Infrastructure expenses amounted to $22.69 million (7.6%, up from $22.58 million last year), while expenses for training and certification programs were $23.1 million (7.7%, up from $18.57 million in 2023). Corporate operations accounted for $18.9 million (6.3%, up from $17.1 million), event-related expenses were $15.2 million (5.0%, up from $14.61 million), and community support totaled $13.7 million (4.5%, up from $13.5 million). International operations saw an increase from $2.96 million to $5.6 million (1.8%).
The number of projects overseen by the Linux Foundation has also grown, with nearly 1,300 projects currently under its management, up from around 1,100 last year, adds NIX Solutions. These projects are primarily focused on cloud technologies, containers, virtualization (23%), network technologies (15%), AI (11%), web development (11%), cross-technology initiatives (9%), security (5%), the Internet of Things (4%), and blockchain (4%).
The Linux Foundation’s financial report for 2024 demonstrates continued growth in both revenue and project development. We’ll keep you updated as more integrations become available and further developments occur.