Introduction
The Rust project has a strong tradition of supporting open-source mentorship initiatives. After three successful years in Google Summer of Code (GSoC) and previous participation in OSPP, the Rust team is now broadening its horizons. Starting with the May 2026 cohort, Rust will also take part in Outreachy, a program designed to provide paid internships to people from underrepresented groups in tech. This move reflects Rust's commitment to fostering diversity and inclusion within its community.
What Is Outreachy and How Does It Differ from GSoC?
While both Outreachy and GSoC aim to bring new contributors into open source, they have distinct structures and eligibility criteria. Understanding these differences is key for applicants.
Application Process
In GSoC, contributors apply directly to individual projects. Outreachy, however, requires applicants to first be accepted into the program itself before they can apply to specific communities. Additionally, Outreachy mandates a dedicated contribution period where applicants must demonstrate their skills by contributing to the project they want to join. This is not optional—it is a central part of the selection process. In contrast, GSoC often encourages contributions but does not make them mandatory.
Stipend Source
Another key difference lies in funding. For GSoC, Google covers all contributor stipends and program overhead. In Outreachy, the responsibility falls on the participating communities. This means that Rust—and other open-source projects—must raise funds or allocate budget to support their interns. The Rust Project's decision to mentor four interns reflects its ability to provide this funding and mentoring capacity.
Rust's 2026 Outreachy Cohort: Four Projects
For the May 2026 cohort, the Rust Project has selected four interns (three are announced below; the fourth will be detailed later). Each project addresses a critical area of compiler development, tooling, or language modeling. Below we highlight the three confirmed projects.
1. Calling Overloaded C++ Functions from Rust
Intern: Ajay Singh
Mentors: teor, Taylor Cramer, Ethan Smith
This experimental feature will allow Rust code to call overloaded C++ functions directly. Overloading is a common C++ practice where multiple functions share the same name but differ in parameters. The project aims to design and implement a mechanism to resolve such overloads automatically when interfacing with C++ libraries. Initial testing will focus on a few representative use cases to validate the approach.
2. Code Coverage of the Rust Compiler at Scale
Intern: Akintewe Oluwasola
Mentor: Jack Huey
Ensuring the Rust compiler itself is well-tested is vital for stability. This project will develop workflows to run and analyze code coverage across the entire compiler test suite and on ecosystem crates tracked by crater. The goal is to identify areas where the compiler lacks adequate testing—both internally and in the ecosystem. The intern will also build tools for continuous coverage analysis, helping the Rust team detect regressions early.
3. Fuzzing the a-mir-formality Type System Implementation
Intern: Tunde-Ajayi Olamiposi
Mentors: Niko Matsakis, Rémy Rakic, tiif
The a-mir-formality project is an ongoing model for Rust's type and trait systems. This internship will focus on implementing fuzzing for that model. By generating random, valid (or invalid) type constructs, fuzzing can uncover corner cases and subtle bugs that manual testing might miss. The results will strengthen the theoretical foundation of Rust's type system and improve its implementation in the compiler.
How to Apply and Future Cohorts
Outreachy runs two internship cycles per year: May to August and December to March. For the current cycle (May 2026), applications have already closed. However, if you are interested in participating in a future cohort, watch the Outreachy website for updates. The Rust Project encourages contributors from all backgrounds—especially those who face systemic bias in tech—to apply. Check Rust's official blog and community channels for announcements about upcoming mentorship opportunities.
Conclusion
Rust's participation in Outreachy marks an important step toward a more inclusive and diverse open-source ecosystem. By combining the strengths of GSoC and Outreachy, the project now offers multiple pathways for newcomers to contribute meaningfully. The three projects announced here—and the fourth soon to follow—demonstrate Rust's commitment to pushing the boundaries of systems programming while nurturing the next generation of contributors.