> Instead of stopping maintenance looking for a sponsor, wouldn't be better to hand it off to other contributors that have already established some trust? Some people may have more time available to be active maintainers. I see activity from other contributors in the git history of the project.

Is responded to with:

> Such contributors almost certainly don't exist. "Activity" from other contibutors != someone who has the time, energy, and ability to be a potential maintainer. In more than 15 years of maintaining the project, Alex was the only person that appeared who could seriously take over the maintainership. He's done a great job, but there's only so much a volunteer can do.

There is nothing being "held hostage". Expecting a volunteer to train new contributors while still managing the project is unrealistic. It is unlikely that any of these new volunteers will step into his role for free.

Thus the realistic options were to let the project die and other orgs take on the works themselves, or fund the guy who has been doing the work for free for 15 years. People values the project enough to do the later.