How to Set Up GitHub Sponsors

A practical setup guide for enabling GitHub Sponsors, adding tiers, and making the sponsor button visible on your repository.

If you want to know how to set up GitHub Sponsors, the short answer is: enable GitHub Sponsors on your account, add a sponsor profile and tiers, connect payouts, and then make the sponsor button visible through your profile and a FUNDING.yml file.

Step 1: Check eligibility and create your profile

Start from your GitHub account settings and apply for Sponsors if it is not already enabled. GitHub supports both personal and organization accounts, but personal accounts are usually the best starting point for independent maintainers.

When you create the profile, add:

A short description of your project and what support funds
A cover image or profile polish so the page feels trustworthy
A simple explanation of why sponsorship matters

Step 2: Create sensible tiers

Do not overthink tiers. Most maintainers do better with a small number of easy-to-understand options than a big menu of perks.

A good starting structure is:

Low recurring tier for individual supporters
Mid recurring tier for users who depend on the project
Higher tier for companies that want public recognition

If you do not want to manage perks, say that clearly and frame support as funding maintenance, issue triage, releases, and docs.

Step 3: Set up payouts

Connect the payout method GitHub requires for your region. One of the biggest advantages of GitHub Sponsors is that the checkout and payout flow feels native to GitHub, so supporters trust it quickly.

Step 4: Add `FUNDING.yml`

Add a .github/FUNDING.yml file so the sponsor button appears on your repositories. If you also use Open Collective or Ko-fi, include them there too.

Step 5: Make the sponsorship ask visible

Your sponsor page is not enough on its own. Add a short funding message to:

Your README
Project website
Release notes
Profile or organization overview

The ask should be simple: if the project is useful, consider sponsoring it.

When to combine GitHub Sponsors with another platform

Use Open Collective if you need team budgets and expense reimbursement. Use Tidelift if your library already has serious enterprise adoption. GitHub Sponsors is usually the foundation, not always the whole stack.

Need help deciding whether GitHub Sponsors should be your first platform? Try the Funding Finder.