Python's development growth persists despite a decline in financial support from the Foundation
In the ever-evolving world of technology, Python continues to hold a significant place, with nearly half of its users employing the programming language for both web development and data analysis. According to the latest survey, Python is used almost as much for web development (46 percent) as for data analysis (48 percent).
Despite this growth, the Python Software Foundation (PSF) is currently grappling with financial issues. The 2024 annual report shows a negative net income of $1,462,000 for the PSF, a stark contrast to the negative net income of $225,000 in 2023.
To address these financial challenges, the PSF has proposed several key measures. One such measure is the temporary pause of its grants program, which was initiated on August 1, 2025. This decision was made due to reaching the 2025 grants budget cap earlier than expected and the increasing financial strain from losses incurred at PyCon US events.
The PSF has also called for more support from companies that use Python commercially. Sustained and increased corporate sponsorship is crucial to cover rising costs, as shown in the 2024 annual report, where expenses outpaced income, leading to a net loss of approximately $1.46 million.
In addition, the PSF is focusing on enhancing its fundraising capabilities. New board nominees and community leaders are emphasising the human impact of the PSF’s work and aiming to replicate successful fundraising strategies by utilising storytelling combined with data to motivate donor generosity.
Marie Nordin, community communications manager for the PSF, has stated that the foundation needs more support and resources from corporations built on and making revenue from Python.
Meanwhile, the popularity of Python continues to rise. The latest Stack Overflow survey shows a seven percent increase in Python's usage. The survey, which took place in late 2024, contained approximately 29,000 responses, with 39 percent of respondents starting to use Python within the last two years.
Interestingly, Microsoft's Visual Studio Code has increased its lead over PyCharm, with a rise from 41% to 48% in popularity. Additionally, the Rust-based tool uv, positioned as a replacement for the pip package manager, has gained popularity, with 11% usage. If all developers were to upgrade to the latest version, it could potentially save millions of dollars in cloud usage bills and improve efficiency.
Lastly, the PSF, in collaboration with JetBrains, published the eighth Python Developer Survey, which had more than 30,000 contributors. The most widely used Python version is 3.12 (35 percent), followed by 3.11 (21 percent). However, Michael Kennedy, a PSF Fellow, observed that only 15 percent of developers use the latest generally available version, 3.13.
As the Python community continues to grow and evolve, it remains to be seen how the PSF will navigate these financial challenges and continue to support the Python ecosystem.
[1] PSF Annual Report 2024 [2] PSF's Financial Solutions for 2024 [3] New Board Nominees Focus on Enhancing Fundraising [4] Python Usage Statistics 2024 [5] PSF's Sponsorship Structure
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