Two organizations, one project
This page is for journalists who must explain who does what. Exponential has two organizations behind it, and the most common error in coverage is to merge them into one.
Contents
- Side by side
- How the sources describe the relationship
- Sentences that are right
- Common mix-ups
- Who to ask about what
Side by side
| 7x | The Exponential Foundation | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | A company | A 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation |
| Since | 2001 as Brookins Consulting; its Exponential project launched December 2023 | 19 March 2026 |
| Role | Leads development, support, hosting and services | Operates the project; funds and directs it |
| Earns money by | Selling services (development, support, hosting, training) | Donations and sponsorships |
| Website | https://se7enx.com/ | https://foundation.exponential.earth/, https://exponential.earth/ |
| Sponsor page | https://github.com/sponsors/se7enxweb | https://github.com/sponsors/exponentialcms |
| Copyright | "Exponential Foundation and 7x", together | (same notice) |
Source: The Foundation and 7x.
How the sources describe the relationship
- "This project is operated by the Exponential Foundation" (https://exponential.earth/about/project).
- "The Exponential Open Source Project is funded by donations of time and resources by 7x (and Exponential Sponsors)" (same page).
- The Foundation names 7x "the current leader in contributions both financial, code, extension development, new features, infrastructure, maintenance and much much more back to the project" (https://foundation.exponential.earth/).
- "The Exponential Foundation supports direct change within the Exponential Project, Sub Projects, New Features, Documentation through the work of 7x" (same page, Supporters section).
- Sponsoring 7x funds "the company that keeps the lights on"; sponsoring the Foundation funds "the open-source project itself" (se7enxweb GitHub profile).
Sentences that are right
"Exponential is led by the company 7x and operated by the Exponential Foundation, a nonprofit."
"7x is the main contributor to the project that the Exponential Foundation operates."
"The software's copyright is held jointly by the Exponential Foundation and 7x; the license is the GNU GPL."Common mix-ups
| Wrong | Right |
|---|---|
| "the 7x Foundation" | the Exponential Foundation |
| "7x, the nonprofit behind Exponential" | 7x is a company; the Foundation is the nonprofit |
| "The Foundation offers hosting." | 7x offers hosting; the Foundation does not sell services |
| "Exponential is owned by 7x." | The copyright is shared and the code is under the GPL |
| "The Foundation was set up in 2023." | 19 March 2026 |
Who to ask about what
| Question | Ask |
|---|---|
| Releases, the code, services, hosting | 7x |
| Mission, funding of the open source project, goals | The Foundation |
| How the two work together, or governance | Both, and attribute each answer |
Contacts: Press contacts.
Related pages
- 7x for reporters
- The Exponential Foundation for reporters
- Two organizations, two sponsor pages
- Free documentation: this page is free to copy, translate and improve under the GNU FDL 1.3.
Become an Exponential Partner
Partners share their information, provide funding, contribute back and develop the products with us, and that is how Exponential grows. A partner website and dashboard are planned for mid-2027: please become a partner today to speed up our growth rate and land new features faster.