Mozilla Foundation facts for kids
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| Formation | July 15, 2003 |
|---|---|
| Founder | Mozilla Organization |
| Type | 501(c)(3) |
| Registration no. | C2543436 |
| Origins | Mountain View, California |
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Region
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United States |
| Products |
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| Mark Surman | |
| Subsidiaries |
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Revenue (2020)
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$441 million |
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Staff (2019)
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80 |
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Volunteers (2019)
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1000+ |
The Mozilla Foundation (also known as moz://a) is a special kind of organization in the United States. It's a non-profit group, which means it doesn't try to make money for its owners. Instead, it works to support and guide the open source Mozilla project.
This foundation was started in July 2003. Its main jobs are to set the rules for how Mozilla software is made, manage important computer systems, and protect Mozilla's brand names and copyrights. The foundation owns two companies that help it do its work. One is the Mozilla Corporation, which has many software developers. They create and release popular programs like the Mozilla Firefox web browser. The other company is MZLA Technologies Corporation, which focuses on the Mozilla Thunderbird email client.
The Mozilla Foundation was first created by the Mozilla Organization, which was connected to Netscape. Today, the foundation is located in Mountain View, California, in a famous area called Silicon Valley. The Mozilla Foundation believes in an open and innovative internet. They follow the Mozilla Manifesto, which is a list of 10 important ideas. These ideas explain how Mozilla thinks the internet should help everyone, not just businesses.
Contents
Mozilla's History
Back in 1998, a company called Netscape started the Mozilla Organization. Their goal was to help create the Mozilla Application Suite, a set of internet programs. Later, Netscape's parent company, AOL, decided to reduce its involvement with Mozilla. To make sure Mozilla could keep going, the Mozilla Foundation was officially launched on July 15, 2003.
AOL helped a lot when the foundation was first set up. They gave computers and other important things to the new organization. AOL also paid a small team for three months to help with the change. Plus, they donated $2 million to the foundation over two years.
In 2019, the Mozilla Foundation teamed up with Creative Commons and Coil. They announced a big project called Grant for the Web. This project was a $100 million fund to support new technologies and ideas using something called the Interledger Protocol. In 2021, another group, the Interledger Foundation, took over managing this fund.
Mozilla's Companies
The Mozilla Foundation has a few companies that work under it. These companies help develop and spread Mozilla's software.
Mozilla Corporation
On August 3, 2005, the Mozilla Foundation created the Mozilla Corporation. This company is a taxable subsidiary. This means it pays taxes, which gives it more freedom to earn money and do business. The Corporation's main job is to develop, market, and distribute Mozilla products like Firefox. It also handles business partnerships that bring in money.
For many years, from 2004 to 2014, most of Mozilla's money came from a deal with Google. Google was the main search engine used in the Firefox web browser. In 2014, Mozilla signed a new deal with Yahoo. This made Yahoo! Search the main search engine for Firefox users in the U.S. Other search engines like Yandex Search in Russia and Baidu in China were also set as defaults.
In 2017, Mozilla ended its agreement with Yahoo earlier than planned. This decision was made for several reasons, including what Mozilla felt was best for its brand and users.
Mozilla China
Beijing Mozilla Online Ltd, also known as Mozilla China, is another company owned by the Mozilla Corporation. This company is based in Beijing, China.
MZLA Technologies Corporation
On January 28, 2020, the Mozilla Foundation announced a new company called MZLA Technologies Corporation. This company was created to manage the Thunderbird project. The idea was for this new company to explore new products and services and to earn money through partnerships and donations that are not for charity.
How Mozilla Gets Money
The Mozilla Foundation gets its money in a few ways. It receives donations and also gets 2% of the yearly net income from the Mozilla Corporation. In 2016, this amounted to over $8.3 million.
When the foundation first started in 2003, it received $2 million from AOL. It also got $300,000 from a person named Mitch Kapor. The foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit, which means it doesn't pay certain taxes in the U.S. However, its company, the Mozilla Corporation, does pay taxes.
In 2006, the Mozilla Foundation earned $66.8 million. A large part of this, $61.5 million, came from "search royalties" from Google.
For ten years, from 2004 to 2014, the foundation had a deal with Google. Google Search was the main search engine in the Firefox browser. This deal brought in a lot of money for Mozilla. In 2011, the contract was renewed for at least three more years. This new deal was worth nearly $300 million each year. About 90% of Mozilla's income in 2014 came from this contract.
In 2014, Mozilla signed a five-year deal with Yahoo!. This made Yahoo! Search the main search engine for Firefox in North America. This partnership was worth $375 million per year. Mozilla also had the right to end the deal early if it didn't want to work with a company that bought Yahoo. Even if they ended it early, the other company would still have to pay Mozilla until 2019.
However, in 2017, Mozilla announced they were switching back to Google as the main search engine. This meant they ended their partnership with Yahoo early.
Who Leads Mozilla
As of September 2023, the Mozilla Foundation has a board of directors with six members. These people help guide the foundation's work and make important decisions.
The current board members are:
- Mitchell Baker (Chair)
- Brian Behlendorf
- Amy Keating
- Mark Surman (who is also the foundation's president)
- Helen Turvey
- Nicole Wong
Mozilla's Donations and Projects
Mozilla also uses some of its funds to support other important projects and causes.
In 2006, a developer named Theo de Raadt from OpenBSD asked companies that use OpenSSH software to help fund its development. OpenSSH is a very important tool for secure internet connections. The Mozilla Foundation donated $10,000 to OpenBSD for OpenSSH development. Mozilla understood that without OpenSSH, many developers would have to use less safe methods. They gave the money as a thank you for the important work.
At the end of 2010, the Mozilla Foundation worked with Knoxville Zoo. They wanted to help people learn about endangered red pandas. Two baby red pandas born at the zoo became part of the Mozilla community. People online voted to name the cubs Spark and Ember. Mozilla even showed a 24-hour live video stream of the cubs for several months! This project helped raise awareness for these animals, which are sometimes called "Firefoxes."
See also
In Spanish: Fundación Mozilla para niños
- CZilla, a group that helps translate and share Mozilla products in the Czech Republic.
- List of Mozilla products
