What is the Support Inclusion in Tech initiative?
The Support Inclusion in Tech initiative pays the travel expenses of diverse talent accepted to speak at WordCamps worldwide. In 2025, support expanded to include small grants for contributors. This work is essential to achieving the Fifth Freedom: the freedom to experience a thriving community truly open to everyone through the equitable sharing of information at community events.
Are you affiliated with WordPress or WordCamps?
We are recognized by the WordPress Open Source Project as a third party inclusion initiative and listed in the WordCamp Organizer Handbook.
Support Inclusion in Tech’s founder is Winstina Hughes. She is a core contributor who bridges the gap between WordPress community contributions and ecosystem level work. She is the owner of the digital consultancy Planning Write.
Why don’t WordCamp speakers receive an honorarium or speaker fee?
WordCamp speakers are not compensated with an honorarium or speaker fee. WordCamps evolved from local community gatherings into sponsored global conferences, and the tradition of volunteer-driven speaking has remained central to our community culture.
Historically, most speakers had travel covered by their employers. This created financial barriers for diverse speakers without that corporate backing. SiNC addresses that gap by funding travel expenses and providing mentorship, ensuring every diverse speaker has the opportunity to contribute their voice and gain meaningful experience. Our goal is to realize the Fifth Freedom: a community truly open to everyone.
What is the purpose of Support Inclusion in Tech?
This initiative assists with promoting greater inclusion in the WordPress community by supporting speakers and contributors who want to participate in WordPress programming but have financial barriers.
Who is the audience for this initiative?
Support Inclusion in Tech serves a community of diverse talent, open-source contributors, and the allies and sponsors championing inclusion in open source.
What are the components of this initiative?
Support for speakers is funded through two pathways: direct company sponsorship and community donations via Open Collective.
Through direct company sponsorship, this initiative pairs speakers with participating companies that will pay for their transportation, hotel, or both through a scholarship, grant, or reimbursement of their expenses. Money is transferred from companies to speakers directly using an agreed upon payment method.
Through Open Collective, community donations are accepted and held on the platform. Open Collective serves as our public ledger for accountability; all disbursements are recorded on Open Collective.
What is the eligibility criteria for applicants?
Support is need-based. Speaker applicants must demonstrate financial need and be accepted to speak at a WordCamp. Visit our Steps for Support page for full details.
What is the application and selection process?
The application process has two steps. Step one is completion of the speaker application form. Step two is finalizing the accompanying anonymous directory listing. Visit our Steps for Support page to get started.
Can a speaker application be expedited?
No, a speaker application cannot be expedited.
An email inquiry requesting support or applying before receiving a speaker acceptance does not supersede the speaker applicant who applied using our application form here on this website.
What are the benefits for a speaker participating in Support Inclusion in Tech?
Benefits include reimbursement of travel and accommodation expenses up to a pre-determined amount, networking opportunities, mentorship and guidance, and resume-enhancing experiences.
What are the benefits for a company participating in Support Inclusion in Tech?
There is no administrative membership fee to join SiNC; contributions made through Open Collective are subject to standard payment-processing fees. Sponsors gain measurable impact and recognition through testimonials, annual reports, social media mentions, and logo usage. Critically, partners leverage SiNC’s expertise in managing inclusion programming, including speaker support and event organization, thereby avoiding the cost of a full-time in-house project manager.
How can I donate to Support Inclusion in Tech?
Thank you for believing in this work. You can donate to Support Inclusion in Tech on the Open Collective Platform, operated by OFiTech under OFiCo’s stewardship. Visit our organization page to donate directly.
SiNC believes in radical financial transparency and joined Open Collective to collect and disburse money transparently. The Open Collective platform supports 41 organizations and 10K+ collectives, has managed over $40M, paid 116K+ expenses, received 1M+ contributions, and recorded 6M+ transactions.
How much in fees does Support Inclusion in Tech pay to Open Collective?
Under Open Collective’s 2026 restructuring, Support Inclusion in Tech (SiNC) is on the Discover 1 plan and does not pay a recurring platform fee to its fiscal host. The Discover 1 plan allows for Crowdfunding pages and Expense management. All online donations received via the Open Collective platform are subject to processing fees through Stripe, starting at 2.9% plus 30 cents per successful transaction for domestic credit and debit cards. Disbursements to recipients may be processed through PayPal or Wise; both platforms charge fees for transfers, which vary by transaction type, currency, and country.
Is it costly to run Support Inclusion in Tech?
Support Inclusion in Tech is a registered initiative of digital consultancy Planning Write. SiNC maintains low overhead by leveraging Planning Write for operational management, which includes the services of a professional bookkeeping firm. A remote-first, asynchronous workflow removes the need for physical office space, while strategic partnerships provide essential in-kind services, such as hosting, plugins, and marketing, to further eliminate overhead.
What are the scholarship, grant, or reimbursement expectations and responsibilities for speakers and contributors?
Speakers and organizers who receive funding must use it towards travel expenses. If seeking reimbursements, recipients must provide receipts. Additionally, recipients must adhere to the WordPress Community Code of Conduct, create at least one anonymous testimonial, complete post-event survey(s), and participate in post-event activities (optional). Recipients who request privacy can be listed anonymously in our Anonymous Speaker Directory.
Contributors who receive grants can use the funding at their discretion. Contributor cohort members are not anonymous; their names, countries, and bios are published on Open Collective and featured across SiNC’s blog, newsletter, and social channels.
How do I apply for speaker support?
Our company wants to join Support Inclusion in Tech. How do we become a partner or sponsor?
Thank you for believing in this work! Register here: https://supportinclusionintech.com/companyregistrationform/
How many speakers receive support?
We support as many speaker applicants as funding allows. For historical data on speakers supported and funding disbursed, read our annual reviews: 2025 in Review, 2024 in Review, and 2023 in Review.