# Flickr Foundation launches with aim of preserving Flickr for future generations

- Link: https://fundraising.co.uk/2022/12/23/flickr-foundation-launches-with-aim-of-preserving-flickr-for-future-generations/
- Published: 2022-12-23T09:50:00+00:00
- Author: Melanie May

**Flickr.org has launched – a new foundation that will run alongside the company
with the mission of growing, stewarding, and preserving the [Flickr Commons](https://www.flickr.com/commons)–
its archive of historic and culturally significant photographs to ensure this remains
safe and in the public domain for another 100 years.**

The Commons were established in 2008, led by Flickr’s first designer George Oates.
Since then it has grown into a collection of over 7 million images with no known
copyright restrictions, and a growing list of CC0 (no copyright reserved) and public
domain works.

Flickr was bought by SmugMug in 2018 at which time CEO Don MacAskill and COO Ben
MacAskill committed to protecting the Commons and the openly-licensed and public
domain content, and making it sustainable.

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![Flickr.org screengrab](https://wfay6x.infiniteuploads.cloud/2022/12/Screenshot-
2022-12-21-at-20.32.02.png)

Image: Flickr Foundation

Prior to [announcing the foundation](https://www.flickr.org/announcing-the-flickr-foundation/),
a group had been working together to establish it for around a year. So far there
are two people on the Board of Directors: Ryan Merkley, long-time open advocate 
and former CEO at Creative Commons and Chief of Staff at the Wikimedia Foundation,
now Managing Director at Aspen Digital; and Stephanie McVey, SmugMug + Flickr’s 
Chief Financial Officer. The first Executive Director of the foundation is George
Oates, who was asked back to the organisation in December 2020 to work out how to
revitalise the Flickr Commons programme.

Funded so far by SmugMug and Flickr, Flickr.org will develop a longer-term outlook
for the collection, and investigate preservation strategies. With a major project
to be that of developing a 100-year plan, several research workshops have already
been held to begin shaping what such a plan should look like.

The organisation also [plans further to build its programmes](https://www.flickr.org/announcing-the-flickr-foundation/),
establish a community Advisory Board, and expand and diversify the Board of Directors.
More on this [here](https://www.flickr.org/announcing-the-flickr-foundation/).

 * **Explore [UK Fundraising’s content on Flickr](https://flickr.com/photos/howardlake/albums)–
   over 7,600 photos about fundraising**
 * **[10 years of fundraising photos on Flickr](https://fundraising.co.uk/2015/02/02/10-years-fundraising-photos-flickr/)(
   2 February 2015)**
 * **[UK Fundraising launches monthly photo competitions on Flickr](https://fundraising.co.uk/2009/02/06/uk-fundraising-launches-monthly-photo-competitions-flickr/)(
   6 February 2009)**