The foundation was formed in February 2006 to provide financial, organizational and legal support to the broader Libre/Free and open-source geospatial community.

The OSGeo Foundation is community driven and has an organizational structure consisting of elected members and nine directors, including the president.

It is the main meeting place and educational outreach opportunity for OSGeo members, supporters and newcomers - to share and learn from one another in presentations, hands-on workshops and a conference exhibition.

The FOSS4G ribbon, part of every FOSS4G event logo, symbolizes the flow of ideas, innovation, and sharing within the Open Source geospatial community.

Recipients of the award have contributed significantly through their activities to advance open source ideals in the geospatial realm.