Debian is the name of the project, and Debian GNU/Linux is how the distribution we create is called. In order to handle money donations, we set up a non-profit corporation, Software in the Public Interest.
Although created by a volunteers throughout the world, Debian has expenses that were, for a long time, paid for out of the pockets of a few of the developers. These expenses include registering the debian.org domain, cutting CD's for testing new releases, unreimbursed travel and lodging expenses while appearing at conferences, etc.
Many of the donations to date have been from appreciative users. While all donations are welcome, it is especially hoped that any businesses that make money through Debian (CD manufacturers, support companies, or even businesses that rely on Debian for day to day operations) will contribute a percentage of their profit to help make Debian GNU/Linux the best OS it can be.
If you would like to make a monetary donation to Debian, see the SPI donation page. Make sure to specify that the money is intended for Debian. Since SPI is a non-profit organization we can issue receipts for tax purposes.
Given the small budget Debian runs on it is not possible, at this time, for Debian to purchase and maintain it's own computers and network connections. We therefore rely on the donation of equipment and services from companies and universities to keep Debian connected to the world.
If your company has any idle machines or spare equipment (hard drives, SCSI controllers, network cards, etc) lying around, please consider donating them to Debian. Please contact our hardware donations delegate for details.
Debian maintains a list of hardware that is wanted for various
services and groups within the project.
The following are lists of organizations that have made donations of
equipment or services to Debian: