The FSF Announces Global Call for FSF’s LibreLocal 2026 Meetings – Free Software Foundation – Collaborating for Free Software

The FSF invite free software supporters to organize in-person community gatherings in their area during May 2026 to bring people together to exchange ideas, learn from each other and celebrate free software. People are encouraged to organize events that help spread the word free software philosophy and is grounded in freedom.

“Advocating for free software and building community are important parts of our mission,” said Zoë Kooyman, executive director of the FSF. “The excitement surrounding last year’s FSF LibreLocal events was so compelling that we knew we had to do it again. That success also speaks to the decades of dedicated advocacy by the global free software community in promoting software that respects user freedom,” she added. “People around the world increasingly understand that when they reject freedom-restricting software, and instead promote software that respects user rights, they help guarantee so many other basic rights. The passion we see in local communities around the world makes it clear to see that the movement that started just over four decades ago continues to strengthen and grow.”

Participants of the LibreLocal meeting in Kinshasa in February 2026.

After the inspiring success of the 2025 LibreLocal events (the first year of LibreLocal), the FSF is once again calling on free software supporters to fill the month of May with LibreLocal 2026 events. Those who want to arrange a meeting can list their events on a dedicated page, which also provides a range of resources to support local organizing and outreach.

The FSF will support these local events by publicizing them through the FSF’s communication channels, which reach a significant number of people around the world. FSF staff members will also join events virtually or in person where possible. The FSF has also committed to this financial assistance meetings (the size and amount of supporting grants are limited). The deadline to apply for funding is 15 March 2026.

The FSF has published a whole range of resources to help LibreLocal organizers, who are a meeting guide with meeting ideas, tips and tricks; a template for a safe space policy; and accounts of
successful events from last year in two parts.

Attendees of the community gathering in Toronto, Canada in 2025.

In response to last year’s call, local free software supporters exceeded all expectations by organizing twenty nine LibreLocal
meetings across five continents. The meetings were held in Brazil, Canada, the Canary Islands of Spain, China, Croatia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, France, Germany, Greece, India, Iran, Kenya, Poland, Romania, Russia, Switzerland, Tunisia, Turkey, Ukraine, the United Kingdom and the United States. Many of these countries have seen organizers holding meetings in several different cities, ranging from informal conversations over a coffee, tea or beer, to multi-day conferences.

The LibreLocal initiative has ignited a fire among event organizers worldwide, with events held continuously since May 2025. Two LibreLocal events were held in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo, in early January and early February 2026. They were organized by Narcisse Mbunzama, the national chapter leader of the Free Software Republic Club in the Congo.

Narcisse Mbunzama reported that “both meetings recorded strong participation and meaningful engagement from diverse stakeholders, including students, software developers, researchers and digital rights advocates. The activities contributed to strengthening the local free software community, promoting digital autonomy and promoting alignment with the global free software movement.” The FSF provided support for these meetings.

“At the FSF, we can’t wait to see all the meetups the free software community will put together for LibreLocal 2026. If last year was any indication, this May will be full of inspiring and meaningful connections,” said Heshan de Silva-Weeramuni, the FSF’s Program Manager. “Local free software supporters know that connecting with each other leads them to learn, experiment, and create great things together that protect our individual and shared rights. The extraordinary contributions that free software has made are born of the collaboration between like-minded people coming together to build a free society.”

To stay updated on LibreLocal 2026 as it unfolds, subscribe to the FSF’s newsletter or follow the FSF on Mastodon.

About the Free Software Foundation

Founded in 1985, the Free Software Foundation (FSF) is dedicated to advancing computer users’ right to use, study, copy, modify and redistribute computer programs. The FSF promotes the development and use of free (as in freedom) software – especially the GNU operating system and its GNU/Linux variants – and free documentation for free software. The FSF publishes the GNU General Public License (GNU GPL), the world’s most popular free software license, and the only license written with the express purpose of promoting and preserving software freedom. The FSF also helps spread awareness of the ethical and political issues of freedom in the use of software, and its websites, located at
https://www.fsf.org and https://www.gnu.orgis an important source of information about GNU/Linux. Donations to support the FSF’s work can be made at https://donate.fsf.org. The FSF is a remote organization, incorporated in Massachusetts, USA.

To learn more about the FSF, as well as to get more important information if you are a journalist or publisher, visit https://www.fsf.org/press.

MEDIA CONTACT

Heshan de Silva-Weeramuni
Program Manager
Free Software Foundation
+1 (617) 542 5942
campaigns@fsf.org

“Joy for free software in Kinshasa, DRC” © 2026 Narcisse Mbunzama of Free Software DRC. This photo is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
“Tech Pizza Monday meeting in honor of FSF40” © 2025 Ryan Futures of TechPizzaMondays. This photo is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.