The Rust Project is thrilled to announce its participation in the Outreachy program starting with the May 2026 cohort. Building on a strong tradition of open-source mentorship—including three years with Google Summer of Code—Rust is committing to a more inclusive ecosystem by mentoring underrepresented groups. Below, we answer key questions about Outreachy, how it differs from other programs, and the exciting projects our interns will tackle.
What is Outreachy and who is it for?
Outreachy provides paid internships in open source to people from any background who face underrepresentation, systemic bias, or discrimination in the technical industry in their home country. Interns first apply to the program overall, then apply to specific communities after a required contribution period. The program runs two sessions per year: May–August and December–March. Stipends and overhead are covered by the participating communities, not by a central sponsor. Learn more on the Outreachy website.
How is Outreachy different from Google Summer of Code?
While both programs offer open-source internships, they differ in key ways. In GSoC, contributors apply directly to projects and contributions are optional before applying. In Outreachy, applicants first pass through a centralized phase, then complete required contributions during a dedicated period before submitting a final application. Communities then select interns based on both applications and contributions. Another major difference: GSoC stipends come from Google, whereas Outreachy communities fund their own interns. Both programs run twice yearly, but their application flows and funding models are distinct. Learn more about Outreachy.
Why is the Rust Project joining Outreachy?
Rust has a history of participating in mentorship programs like GSoC and OSPP. By joining Outreachy, we extend our commitment to fostering diversity and reducing barriers in open source. The program aligns with Rust’s values of inclusivity and community-driven development. We believe that bringing in voices from underrepresented backgrounds strengthens both the project and the wider technical landscape.
How many interns will Rust mentor for the May 2026 cohort?
Due to limited funding and mentoring capacity, the Rust Project has selected four interns for the May 2026 Outreachy cohort. Each intern will work closely with experienced mentors on targeted projects that advance the Rust ecosystem. Here’s a look at the first three projects; the fourth will be announced soon.
Project: Calling overloaded C++ functions from Rust
Intern: Ajay Singh
Mentors: teor, Taylor Cramer, and Ethan Smith
This project aims to implement an experimental feature for calling overloaded C++ functions directly from Rust. The work includes early testing in representative use cases. Success here could pave the way for smoother interop between Rust and C++ codebases, especially when C++ functions share names but differ in parameters. See all intern projects.
Project: Code coverage of the Rust compiler at scale
Intern: Akintewe Oluwasola
Mentor: Jack Huey
This project develops workflows to run and analyze code coverage for the entire compiler test suite and across ecosystem crates detected by Crater. The goal is to detect when the compiler is inadequately tested—both internally and in the broader Rust ecosystem—and to build tools for continuous analysis. This helps maintain high-quality releases.
Project: Fuzzing the a-mir-formality type system implementation
Intern: Tunde-Ajayi Olamiposi
Mentors: Niko Matsakis, Rémy Rakic, and tiif
This project implements fuzzing for a-mir-formality, an in-progress formal model of Rust’s type and trait system. By automatically generating and testing edge cases, the work aims to uncover bugs and inconsistencies early, strengthening the foundation for future Rust language evolution.