GitHub Sponsors

Open Source Collective is an approved fiscal host for GitHub Sponsors

GitHub and Open Source Collective work together to ensure that any project registered on GitHub Sponsors and using OSC to manage funds will automatically receive payments each month.

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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. You can create a GitHub organization by following this guide.

• A Collective on the Open Collective platform using 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)

Be sure to select 'Open Source Collective' from the dropdown.

• 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 [e-mail] and we will amend your application with GitHub.

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Receiving Financial Contributions

GitHub sends payments to GitHub Sponsors participants on a monthly basis. We allocate these payments when we receive them, typically at the end of the calendar month.

Funds will be automatically added to your project's Open Collective balance, minus our 10% administration fee, at the end of each month. You'll see 'GitHub Sponsors' listed as the source of these funds.

If you have not received a payment that you expected by the end of the month, please contact us.

Frequently Asked Questions

When will we receive our contributions from GitHub Sponsors?

We process payouts from GitHub on a monthly basis, typically at the end of the calendar month or 1st week of the following 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.