What Interactive Fiction Technology Foundation does

The Interactive Fiction Technology Foundation (IFTF) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2016 to provide long-term stewardship of interactive fiction (IF) technology infrastructure. IFTF operates as an umbrella organization managing a portfolio of community assets that serve three primary user segments: IF creators (who use Twine and similar authoring tools), IF players (who consume IFComp entries and cataloged works in IFDB), and IF historians and researchers (who rely on the IF Archive dating to 1992 and IFWiki). The foundation is entirely volunteer-run with no paid staff, governed by a Board of Directors and supported by 14 functional committees covering tools, archives, competitions, accessibility, education, grants, and community communications.

IFTF's core technology footprint includes stewardship of Twine (an open-source narrative design tool whose trademark is registered to IFTF as of October 2019), the IFComp competition platform, IFDB (the canonical IF metadata database), the IF Archive (preservation archive dating to 1992, adopted by IFTF in 2017), IFWiki (adopted 2022), the IntFiction Forum, IntroComp, and NarraScope conference infrastructure. The foundation's Twine 2.12.0 release in April 2026 added native Japanese language support, expanded Ukrainian localization, and Electron 41 framework updates. IFTF has grown its asset base through a deliberate "adoption" strategy, absorbing orphaned IF community software into foundation custody to provide legal protection, hosting stability, and continuity.

IFTF operates on a donation-based nonprofit revenue model. Contributions are accepted as tax-deductible donations via PayPal, credit cards, and check, with additional revenue from a Patreon recurring-donation channel launched June 2025, a Humble Bundle charity affiliate partnership, and grants from arts and technology foundations. The foundation disburses microgrants (typically $150–$1,000 per project) to community-driven IF tools, workshops, and research, with the 2026 grant cycle funded at $3,000. All programs are offered free of charge to users, with no commercial pricing or paid tiers; the foundation's economic engine is donor goodwill rather than transactional revenue.

Name

Interactive Fiction Technology Foundation

Legal name

Interactive Fiction Technology Foundation

Website

https://iftechfoundation.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Interactive Fiction Technology Foundation (IFTF) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit stewarding interactive fiction tools and archives, including Twine, IFComp, IFDB, and the IF Archive. It serves IF authors, players, and historians through volunteer-run programs and a donation-based revenue model.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Long Island City

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Infrastructure, Operations, Others, Technology or R&D, Personnel

Revenue model

1. Donations: IFTF accepts tax-deductible donations from individuals via PayPal, credit cards, and check. Monthly supporters can donate $5+ for recognition on the sponsors page. Registered as 501(c)(3) in the US with EIN 81-1920375.
2. Patreon: IFTF launched a Patreon in June 2025 for recurring monthly support from the community.
3. Humble Bundle: Percentage of Humble Bundle purchases designated to IFTF when users select the charity.
4. Grants: IFTF seeks and applies for grants from arts and technology foundations to support infrastructure projects. Also provides microgrants to community projects.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

IFTF is a nonprofit foundation that stewards and maintains a portfolio of open-source interactive fiction tools and community platforms, including Twine (a narrative design tool), IFComp (annual competition), IFDB (database), IF Archive (preservation archive), IFWiki, and the NarraScope conference. It operates a microgrant program funding community-serving IF projects and provides legal, financial, and operational infrastructure to ensure the long-term preservation of the interactive fiction medium.

Product overview

IFTF is a nonprofit foundation that serves as an umbrella organization managing a portfolio of interconnected programs supporting the interactive fiction ecosystem. The core offerings include: IFComp (annual competition), IFDB (game database), IF Archive (preservation archive), Twine (authoring tool), IFWiki (encyclopedia), IntFiction Forum (community platform), IntroComp (beginner competition), NarraScope (annual conference), and a Grants Program funding community projects. The Adoptable Technology Archive on GitHub helps connect orphaned IF software with new maintainers. Together, these programs provide infrastructure, competition, community, education, and funding to sustain interactive fiction creation and preservation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Twine: Open-source tool for creating interactive fiction and nonlinear storytelling, managed by IFTF's Twine Committee.
• IFComp
• IFDB
• IF Archive
• NarraScope
• IntroComp

Products and services

• Twine Open-source narrative design tool for creating interactive fiction and branching narrative games, stewarded by IFTF's Twine Committee. Held by IFTF as a registered trademark since October 2019.
• IFComp (Interactive Fiction Competition) The longest continuously-running game design competition on the Internet, accepting entries from IF authors worldwide and providing judging by community members. Web application is now hosted on IFTF-owned servers.
• IFDB (Interactive Fiction Database) The definitive database of interactive fiction, cataloging games, reviews, and author information. Adopted and relocated by IFTF in 2021.
• IF Archive Long-standing digital archive preserving IF games, tools, and documents since 1992, now hosted under IFTF stewardship following its adoption in 2017. Collection fills nearly nine gigabytes of disk space.
• IFWiki Community wiki providing documentation and information about interactive fiction, authors, games, and history. Adopted by IFTF in 2022.
• IntFiction Forum Community discussion forum for interactive fiction players, authors, and enthusiasts. Serves as the primary community discussion platform managed by IFTF.
• IntroComp Competition for beginning interactive fiction authors, providing an entry point for new creators.
• NarraScope Annual conference dedicated to narrative games and interactive fiction, fostering community and education.
• IFTF Grants Program Microgrant program disbursing funds (typically $150-$1,000 per project) to projects serving the interactive fiction community. The 2026 funding round budget was $3,000 USD, supporting four projects.
• IFTF Adoptable Technology Archive Public archive on GitHub connecting abandoned or seeking-maintainer IF software projects with potential new maintainers.

Quantifiable outcome

• 2024 grant program funded 4 projects: Dannii Willis (iOS accessibility), Felicity Banks (Indonesian workshop), Ryan Veeder (Inform audiobook), Brian Rushton (IF history)
• +1 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• GDC (Game Developers Conference)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 4 April 2026IFTF participates annually at GDC in San Francisco to educate game developers about interactive fiction and showcase Twine. Participated with booth in GDC Commons alongside other nonprofits.
• Philomela (Colin Marc)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 6 May 2017IFTF established backup systems for Philomela (philome.la), which hosts over 10,000 Twine works. Colin Marc, one of Philomela's managers, helped set up the IFTF archive backup.
• Humble BundleminorGTM or Marketing PartnerHumble Bundle charity program allows users to designate IFTF as their charity of choice, with a percentage of purchases going to the foundation.
• Give LivelyminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorNonprofit fundraising platform through which IFTF accepts donations.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Apache Software Foundation: A nonprofit corporation that provides legal and operational home for open-source projects. Comparable to IFTF as a foundation stewarding volunteer-built open-source software and providing governance infrastructure.
• Software Freedom Conservancy: A 501(c)(3) nonprofit that provides fiscal and legal home for open-source projects, much like IFTF does for Twine, IF Archive, and other IF tools. Directly comparable model of nonprofit stewardship of community software assets.

Broad incumbents

• Wikimedia Foundation: A 501(c)(3) nonprofit that operates Wikipedia and supports community-driven knowledge infrastructure. Comparable to IFTF as a nonprofit sustaining community-edited content and reference resources like IFWiki and IFDB.
• Mozilla Foundation: A 501(c)(3) nonprofit supporting open-source web technology and digital literacy. Comparable to IFTF as a donor-funded nonprofit stewarding open creative/technology tools and community ecosystems.
• Internet Archive: A 501(c)(3) nonprofit digital library that preserves websites, software, games, and cultural artifacts. Comparable to IFTF as a preservation-focused nonprofit stewarding community-built digital content, though far larger in scope and resources.
• Linux Foundation: A nonprofit consortium providing home and governance for open-source projects. Comparable to IFTF's role stewarding open-source community projects like Twine and supporting infrastructure for collaborative development.

Others

• Open Source Initiative: A 501(c)(3) nonprofit advocating for open-source software. Adjacent peer as a similarly structured small nonprofit supporting open-source communities and software preservation.
• Creative Commons: A 501(c)(3) nonprofit enabling legal infrastructure for sharing creative works. Comparable to IFTF as a nonprofit stewarding open cultural and creative infrastructure, though focused on licensing rather than tools.
• Electronic Frontier Foundation: A 501(c)(3) nonprofit advocating for digital rights and supporting open technology communities. Adjacent peer as a similarly structured donor-funded nonprofit serving technology/creative communities.

Emerging players

• Open Collective: A fiscal sponsorship platform for open-source projects and communities. Comparable to IFTF as infrastructure enabling transparent fundraising and grant disbursement for community-driven creative and technology projects.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/iftfoundation
• GitHubgithub.com/iftechfoundation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/interactive-fiction-technology-foundation

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Interactive Fiction Technology Foundation