https://www.oss.fund/guides/Recent content in Guides on OSS.Fund | Open Source Sustainability DirectoryHugo -- gohugo.ioenhttps://www.oss.fund/guides/best-funding-for-solo-maintainers/Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000https://www.oss.fund/guides/best-funding-for-solo-maintainers/Solo maintainers have specific constraints: limited time, no organization, and usually no desire to spend hours on fundraising. Here are the platforms that work best for your situation. That is why low-friction funding matters more than perfect funding. A platform that is slightly less powerful but actually gets set up this week is usually more valuable than a sophisticated option that sits in your backlog for months. Top picks for solo maintainers 1.https://www.oss.fund/guides/crowdfunding-open-source/Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000https://www.oss.fund/guides/crowdfunding-open-source/Crowdfunding can work for open source projects, but it works best when you have a specific story, milestone, or funding goal rather than a vague request for support. The strongest platforms for crowdfunding open source are usually Open Collective, Community Bridge, Gitcoin, Goteo, Kickstarter, and Indiegogo. The important distinction is that crowdfunding is campaign funding, not background funding. You are asking people to support a defined push with a beginning, middle, and end.https://www.oss.fund/guides/getting-paid-for-open-source/Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000https://www.oss.fund/guides/getting-paid-for-open-source/Getting paid for open source work is possible, but usually not through one magical platform. The common routes are sponsorships, bounties, grants, consulting, maintainer programs, freelance services, and education products. The best path depends on whether you are a maintainer, contributor, or someone building a business around your project. The practical question is not “which platform pays the most?” but “what kind of value am I offering?” People pay for continuity, expertise, delivery, or risk reduction.https://www.oss.fund/guides/github-sponsors-vs-open-collective/Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000https://www.oss.fund/guides/github-sponsors-vs-open-collective/Two of the most popular funding platforms for open source, with very different approaches. Here’s how to choose. The core difference is simple: GitHub Sponsors is designed for direct sponsorship of maintainers, while Open Collective is designed for transparent project funding and expense management. If you choose based on that distinction first, most of the tradeoffs become obvious. GitHub Sponsors GitHub Sponsors embeds funding directly into GitHub. Supporters click a button on your repo profile and set up monthly or one-time donations.https://www.oss.fund/guides/open-source-funding-for-companies/Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000https://www.oss.fund/guides/open-source-funding-for-companies/If you are asking how to fund open source as a company, the best answer is to use a mix of direct sponsorships, project-level collectives, maintainer programs, and targeted grants or bounties. The right method depends on whether you want to support people, fund roadmap work, reduce risk, or back the ecosystem more broadly. 1. Sponsor maintainers directly The simplest option is direct support through GitHub Sponsors. This works well when your team depends heavily on specific maintainers and you want an easy budget line for recurring support.https://www.oss.fund/guides/how-open-source-maintainers-make-money/Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000https://www.oss.fund/guides/how-open-source-maintainers-make-money/Open source maintainers make money through a mix of sponsorships, grants, enterprise programs, consulting, bounties, education, and productized services. Very few projects rely on one revenue stream forever. The most resilient maintainers usually combine at least two of them. 1. Community sponsorships The most visible route is direct support from users and companies through GitHub Sponsors, Open Collective, Ko-fi, or Liberapay. This works best when the project has a recognizable user base and a clear reason for people to give.https://www.oss.fund/guides/how-to-fund-open-source-project/Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000https://www.oss.fund/guides/how-to-fund-open-source-project/You maintain an open source project and want to explore funding. Here’s a practical roadmap based on where your project is today. Step 1: Understand your options Open source funding falls into three broad categories: Donations and sponsorships — Recurring or one-time support from your users and community. Platforms: GitHub Sponsors, Open Collective, Ko-fi, Liberapay. Revenue from your project — Paid support, commercial licenses, content, or services built around your work.https://www.oss.fund/guides/funding-yml-setup/Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000https://www.oss.fund/guides/funding-yml-setup/GitHub’s FUNDING.yml file adds a “Sponsor” button to your repository. It takes 2 minutes to set up and makes your funding links permanently visible. That visibility matters because most maintainers lose donations at the point of discovery, not at the point of payment. If someone already appreciates your work, the easiest win is putting the funding options directly where they are looking at the code. How to create it Create a file at .https://www.oss.fund/guides/github-sponsors-setup-guide/Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000https://www.oss.fund/guides/github-sponsors-setup-guide/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.https://www.oss.fund/guides/open-collective-guide/Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000https://www.oss.fund/guides/open-collective-guide/If you want to know how to use Open Collective, the practical answer is: create a collective, choose a host or setup model, define your public funding page, and then use Open Collective to receive money and pay expenses with transparent bookkeeping. Step 1: Decide what kind of collective you need Open Collective works very differently depending on whether you are a solo maintainer, a project with multiple contributors, or an organization that needs fiscal hosting.https://www.oss.fund/guides/open-source-bounty-platforms/Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000https://www.oss.fund/guides/open-source-bounty-platforms/If you are looking for open source bounty platforms, the main options today are Issue Hunt, Opire, Algora, Gitpay, BountyHub, and security-focused platforms like HackerOne and Hacken Proof. The right choice depends on whether you want to fund general issue work, attract new contributors, or run a formal security program. Bounties work best when you have clearly scoped tasks and an active repository. They are much weaker as a replacement for broad project funding.https://www.oss.fund/guides/open-source-grants-2026/Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000https://www.oss.fund/guides/open-source-grants-2026/Grants are one of the best funding options for open source — non-dilutive, often substantial, and designed for public goods. Here are the programs currently accepting applications. They are not the fastest path to cash, but they can fund work that sponsorships rarely cover well: security hardening, infrastructure maintenance, standards work, documentation, and long-term public-good improvements. That makes them especially valuable for maintainers whose users benefit broadly but do not always donate directly.https://www.oss.fund/guides/open-source-sustainability-guide/Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000https://www.oss.fund/guides/open-source-sustainability-guide/Open source sustainability means building a project that can keep operating over time, not just finding one donation button. In practice, sustainable open source usually combines funding, workload reduction, realistic governance, and a clear operating model. Sustainability is not only money Money matters, but projects fail for several different reasons: Maintainers burn out Critical work is invisible and unfunded Infrastructure bills keep growing Governance is unclear Too much work depends on one person That is why sustainability tools on OSS.https://www.oss.fund/guides/alternatives-to-patreon-for-developers/Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000https://www.oss.fund/guides/alternatives-to-patreon-for-developers/If you are searching for Patreon alternatives for developers, the best options are usually GitHub Sponsors, Open Collective, Ko-fi, Liberapay, and Buy Me a Coffee. They all solve the same core problem as Patreon, but they fit open source audiences much better. Patreon works well for creators who publish regular bonus content, but many maintainers do not want to turn an OSS project into a membership club. They want a sponsor button, a transparent project budget, or a simple tip jar that feels native to developer workflows.https://www.oss.fund/guides/tidelift-vs-github-sponsors/Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000https://www.oss.fund/guides/tidelift-vs-github-sponsors/If you are comparing Tidelift vs GitHub Sponsors, the short answer is this: GitHub Sponsors is easier to start and better for community donations, while Tidelift is harder to access but better for established libraries with enterprise adoption. That difference matters because the buyer is different. GitHub Sponsors depends on people who already know your work and want to support it directly. Tidelift depends on companies paying for package stewardship, security, and maintenance signals at ecosystem scale.