The Problem —Our tech is vulnerable
Society depends on thousands of Open Source packages, but the people who maintain them are often unpaid and burned out, working second shifts after work for years or decades.
This arrangement isn't fair to maintainers, And it makes our ecosystem fragile and vulnerable to security issues, because the stewards of our digital infrastructure can't sustainably support it.
When keystone Open Source projects break — which is happening more and more — all our software is threatened, from commercial products to public tech infrastructure like transportation, medical devices and the internet.
Our Solution —Companies pay maintainers
The Open Source Pledge is a group of companies with a shared commitment to paying the maintainers of the Open Source software we all depend on. We believe a new social norm of companies paying maintainers will help make burnout and the supply chain security issues it causes a thing of the past.
Our new norm is for companies to pay a minimum of $2000 per year per full-time equivalent developer on the company's staff, to Open Source maintainers and/or foundations of each company's choosing. We do not handle any funds — everything goes directly to maintainers.
Pledge Team
Initiator
Contributors
Historical contributors
Frequently Asked Questions
Table of contents:- What about other ways to support Open Source?
- What payments are eligible?
- Does the Open Source Pledge handle funds?
- What are Open Source Pledge Innovators?
- Can individuals join?
- Is it unfair to ask companies in different countries to pay the same amount?
- Where can I find promotional materials?
- Are there local initiatives similar to the Pledge?
- Is the Pledge related to cryptocurrencies in any way?
What about other ways to support Open Source?
Some companies support the Open Source ecosystem by hiring developers to work on Open Source Software, or by giving gifts such as cloud computing credits.
These gifts are important! But our mission focuses on cash payments to underpaid and overworked maintainers, which is why only cash payments count towards Pledge membership.
If maintainers of software we rely on can do their Open Source work while paying their bills, we will have a healthier, fairer, more stable and more secure Open Source ecosystem.
What payments are eligible?
The Pledge promotes no-strings-attached payments to Open Source maintainers. Starting with that, here are some clarifications. When in doubt, use your best judgement and be transparent in your annual report.
Open Source Projects
Projects you pay should meet the Open Source Definition.
Open Source Foundations
Payments to all Open Source foundations are in scope. We acknowledge that most foundations today are not set up to pay maintainers — they focus more on conferences, trademarks etc. We hope that the Pledge will enable foundations to shift towards paying maintainers in the future.
Other Contributions
It's great if your company also actively participates in the projects you fund, via code contributions, membership on an advisory council or board, and the like.
Payment Method–Agnostic
Platforms such as thanks.dev, Open Collective, GitHub Sponsors and ecosyste.ms Funds are a common way to pay maintainers, though some can also be used to make payments that are out-of-scope for the Pledge. Only payments that fit our criteria are in scope, regardless of payment platform.
Trademarks
Open Source projects that your company controls are out of scope. If you own the trademark, it doesn't count.
Exclusive Benefit
Open Source projects that exclusively benefit your company's own ecosystem are out of scope.
Payments To Employed Maintainers
Directly employing maintainers is laudable, yet outside the core scope of the Pledge, because of the complexity and subtle conflicts of interest that come along with that.
Non-Incidental Company Benefit
It's okay if you get non-exclusive logo placement or other acknowledgement for your payments, or an hour or two of consulting time along with a large sponsorship, but anything beyond such minimal benefits puts the payment out of scope.
Does the Open Source Pledge handle funds?
Payments are made directly to maintainers — we never handle any funds.
What are Open Source Pledge Innovators?
Innovators are founding members of the Pledge who joined before our launch on 08 Oct 2024. They can be identified by the “Innovator” badge they carry on our member list.
Can individuals join?
No, we don't offer an individual membership category, because we are focused on unlocking funding from companies to maintainers. That said, single-person companies are welcome to join, and we also appreciate endorsements from individuals.
Individuals who want to give back to Open Source might also be interested in the Open Source Endowment, the first ever endowment dedicated to supporting the Open Source ecosystem, built on funds mainly raised from individual donors.
Is it unfair to ask companies in different countries to pay the same amount?
Our current ask is set to US$2000 per dev per year. We're trying to find ways to take purchasing power disparities into account to make this requirement more accessible to companies worldwide, but there are many details to consider. We'd love to hear your thoughts over in issue #36.
Where can I find promotional materials?
Members, ecosystem partners and general advocates will find a lot of helpful promotional materials on our Resources page. You can even make your own stickers! 😊
Are there local initiatives similar to the Pledge?
French readers may be interested in Copie Publique, whose goals align with ours. Let us know about any other initiatives we may have missed.