GitHub Sponsors tops USD $100 million for open source
Tue, 21st Jul 2026 (Yesterday)
GitHub says its Sponsors programme has channelled more than USD $100 million to open source maintainers and projects through payments from individual and corporate sponsors.
The total has accumulated since GitHub Sponsors launched in 2019 as a way for individual developers to support maintainers directly. The scheme later expanded to include organisation-funded sponsorships, which became generally available in 2023.
The programme now operates across 103 regions and supports more than 70,000 maintainers and organisations. More than 280,000 sponsors have taken part, ranging from individual developers to large companies.
The figures reflect a growing effort to provide regular funding for open source software, which underpins much of the technology used by businesses and public services. Although open source tools are often free to use, maintaining them has long depended on unpaid labour, spare time or inconsistent support.
One notable shift is companies paying the developers behind software they rely on. Organisations accounted for nearly 40% of sponsorship funding in 2022, and each organisation-funded sponsorship was worth on average almost 15 times as much as the average individual sponsorship.
Funding growth
Contributions have accelerated as the network has expanded. The first USD $10 million took nearly two years to reach, while the most recent USD $10 million was accumulated in five months.
GitHub attributed that growth partly to operational changes such as invoice payments, bulk sponsorships and wider regional coverage. Those steps were intended to remove barriers for companies and individuals that wanted to provide funding.
The milestone also highlights a broader debate about how the software industry pays for the infrastructure it depends on. Security incidents and supply chain risks have drawn attention to the strain on maintainers responsible for widely used code, especially when a small number of people oversee critical projects.
Several users of the programme described GitHub Sponsors as a source of more predictable income and a way to spend more time on open source work.
"GitHub Sponsors changed how I think about open source. It gave me a direct, sustainable way to fund the time it takes to build and maintain projects, instead of treating it like side work. That has let me invest more consistently in the projects and build with a much longer-term view. Thanks to GitHub Sponsors, I am able to give back to our community, build a business, and actually make a difference in OSS," said Kelvin Tegelaar, maintainer, Lime Networks.
Other developers said sponsorship had allowed them to move from part-time to full-time work on their projects.
"GitHub Sponsors has meant many things for me and my open source. First, it showed me people's appreciation and motivated me. Then it showed me I could and should figure out how to do more open source. And then, for the past years, it has also allowed me to sub-sponsor many of the open source tools that power mine, to share that appreciation and support," said Sebastián Ramírez, tiangolo.
"My projects wouldn't be what they are today without GitHub Sponsors. Sponsorships allowed me to quit my job and work on them full time. GitHub Sponsors opened my eyes to the opportunities available for passionate people working on projects that people care about," said Caleb Porzio, Livewire & Alpine.js.
Corporate support
Large companies have also used the programme to support upstream software projects. GitHub cited Shopify and Mercedes-Benz among the organisations directing money to maintainers through sponsorships.
"Shopify invests in open source because our platform, our merchants, and our engineering culture all depend on a healthy open source ecosystem. GitHub Sponsors gives us a direct way to support the maintainers and projects that move the industry forward, from foundational technologies to smaller tools that make developers' daily work better. For us, sponsorship is both practical and values-driven: it helps sustain the software we rely on while strengthening our connection to the people building it," said Shopify.
Mercedes-Benz linked its support to the need for a more durable model for widely used software.
"As strong advocates of open source software, Mercedes-Benz recognizes the incredible contributions made by developers and maintainers worldwide. Through GitHub Sponsors, we aim to support and empower these dedicated individuals and projects that drive innovation, collaboration, and the advancement of open source. By providing financial assistance to these projects, we hope to enable them to dedicate more time and resources to their impactful work, thereby making open source more sustainable and contributing to the overall health and longevity of the projects. We extend our deep gratitude to all the participants and celebrate their dedication. Together, we can continue to foster a vibrant and sustainable open source ecosystem that benefits our teams, developers and users alike," said Dr. Wolfgang Gehring, OSPO lead & FOSS ambassador, Mercedes-Benz Tech Innovation GmbH.
Despite the USD $100 million figure, major gaps remain in open source funding, and many important projects are still underfunded. GitHub also pointed to maintainer burnout as one of the main risks facing the software supply chain.
Its experience over seven years suggests demand exists when funding is easier to arrange, particularly for businesses. The latest total indicates that a larger share of the software industry is willing to pay towards maintaining the tools it uses, even if the overall gap remains substantial.
GitHub said the milestone belongs to the developers, organisations and maintainers who have "invested in a more sustainable open source ecosystem".