In short, if someone wants to pick a fight with an open source dev over e.g. copyright, it's much easier (and more of a deterrent) if it's an entity like the .N

In short, if someone wants to pick a fight with an open source dev over e.g. copyright, it's much easier (and more of a deterrent) if it's an entity like the .NET foundation defending the project, instead of the dev having to foot all the bills (and time) themselves. Beyond that, the .NET foundation would, in theory, also be able to provide resources for project maintenance (think CI hours) and events (funding for conferences/meetups etc.). (Disclaimer: I am entirely uninvolved, this is what I recall from reading the discussions.)