GitHub Sponsors

Open Source Collective projects can use Open Collective to receive financial support through GitHub Sponsors.

If you'd like to support an Open Source community through GitHub sponsors direct them to this page.

Supporting a project through GitHub Sponsors

GitHub and Open Collective work together to ensure that any project registered on GitHub Sponsors, that uses Open Collective to manage its money, will receive that money automatically on a monthly basis.

Simply sponsor the project on GitHub, and we'll do the rest.

Registering your Collective with GitHub Sponsors

To register your project for GitHub Sponsors you will need:

  • A GitHub organization (not an individual user account) that hosts your repository/repositories on GitHub. You can create a GitHub organization by following this guide.

  • A Collective on the Open Collective platform for your open source project. You will need to use Open Source Collective as your fiscal host. Read more about applying to OSC here.

Organizations on Open Collective are not the same as Organizations on GitHub. You must create a Collective in order to manage your project's finances on Open Collective.

To register for GitHub Sponsors follow these steps:

  • Visit github.com/sponsors and sign your Github organization up for the Sponsors waitlist: - Select: "This organization is using a fiscal host" and select Open Source Collective from the menu. - Add your Collective's URL to the 'Fiscal host project profile URL' box for example: https://opencollective.com/babel

  • Click Join Waitlist.

GitHub staff will review your application, and you'll be notified when you can proceed to the next step.

Open Source Collective acts as your legal and financial home. You do not need to enter your own Stripe account or business information. If you reach this step please contact support@opencollective.com and we will amend your application with GitHub.

Receiving Financial Contributions

GitHub processes payments to GitHub Sponsors participants on a monthly basis. We allocate these payments when we receive them, typically on the 27th of each month.

Funds will be automatically added to Collectives' balance, minus our 10% administration fee, at the end of each month. 'GitHub Sponsors' will be indicated as the source of the funds.

If you have not received a payment that you expected by the end of the month please contact our support team.

Frequently Asked Questions

When will we receive our contributions from GitHub Sponsors?

We process payouts from GitHub on a monthly basis, typically on the 27th of the month.

What fees will be charged?

The standard Open Collective and Open Source Collective fees apply to funds raised via GitHub Sponsors: 10%. GitHub does not charge a fee.

Should I create an Organization or a Collective?

Confusingly, GitHub and Open Collective use the word "organization" to mean two different things.

  • On GitHub, you need to create an Organization to use Sponsors for your project.

  • On Open Collective, you need to create a Collective for your project.

    • Organizations on Open Collective are a different profile type, for companies who sponsor open source projects, i.e. designed for paying money out, not accepting money like Collectives.

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