GitHub Accelerator

Jumpstarting new careers in open source

The world runs on open source. None of it would be possible without the global team of contributors who freely devote their time and energy to pushing our shared digital infrastructure forward.

Open source developers often balance enterprise jobs by day and community work by night. For many, this isn't sustainable - especially in places where unpaid work isn't possible. Going full-time means navigating a maze of sponsorships and grants, licensing gray zones, and starting companies, with a rare few developing into durable businesses. Our open source community needs more examples and better guides on how to take the leap into full-time work.

With the GitHub Accelerator, we want to pioneer new ways for developers to simply and sustainably work in open source full-time – built on developer's terms. Our first class of fellows will be in Spring 2023 with new dates to be updated. We apologize for any inconvenience and appreciate your patience as we decide on our first class!

Invertocat

Program

Pioneering new ways to work in open source

Our first class of fellows will participate in a 10-week accelerator program where they will receive an initial sponsorship as well as mentorship from open source leaders and enterprise partners on how to grow their projects and build durable streams of funding.

  • Sponsorship

    GitHub will fund your first sponsorship with a $20,000 cash sponsorship for the duration of the accelerator (10 weeks).

  • Mentorship

    Open source experts will discuss how to build successful projects with topics ranging from Licensing 101 to working with enterprise sponsors.

  • Support

    Dedicated product support and guidance during the course of the program including consumption credits for GitHub Codespaces and Copilot.

  • Eligibility

    Anyone who is a current maintainer of an open source project on GitHub. See below for more details. Applications due by Dec 31.

Selection Committee

  • Photo of Daniel Stenberg

    Daniel Stenberg

    curl master

  • Photo of Dawn Foster

    Dawn Foster

    Director Open Source Community Strategy, VMware

  • Photo of Duane O'Brien

    Duane O'Brien

    Director of Open Source, Indeed

  • Photo of Erica Brescia

    Erica Brescia

    Managing Director, Redpoint and Board Member, Linux Foundation

  • Photo of Ezra Olubi

    Ezra Olubi

    CTO, Paystack

  • Photo of Kailash Nadh

    Kailash Nadh

    CTO, Zerodha and Director, FOSS United Foundation

  • Photo of Mike Perham

    Mike Perham

    CEO, Contribsys

  • Photo of Viral Shah

    Viral Shah

    Cofounder & CEO, Julia Computing

Frequently asked questions

Mar 2023 Update: Please note that program dates and notifications to the first class of fellows are currently on hold. We will be updating the website with new dates as soon as possible. We have not notified any applicants about their acceptance yet. We sincerely appreciate your continued patience and apologize for any inconvenience this delay poses!

Who can apply?

Anyone who is a current contributor or maintainer of an open source project on GitHub. You can also apply as a team for a given open source project (max of 3 people).

You must also:

  • Have an active online profile on GitHub
  • Be located in one of the regions supported by GitHub Sponsors
  • Not be a current employee of GitHub and/or any of its parent/subsidiary companies

What are you looking for? Who decides who is selected?

All of our applications will be thoroughly evaluated by a selection committee. You’ll be much more likely to be selected if you:

  • Have an active and growing set of users
  • Understand how you want to grow and maintain your project
  • Wish to pursue open source work full-time

What do I get if I’m selected?

  • $20,000 stipend per person ($2,000 per week of participation) for the duration of the 10 week program.
  • Dedicated mentors from the open source community and enterprises

What do I have to do if I’m selected?

  • Participate in all Accelerator activities during the 10-week program (roughly 10 hours per week)
  • Contribute to the open source resources we have on GitHub so other developers can learn from your experience

What are the exact dates of the program? What does Spring 2023 mean?

UPDATE: The program applications were due by December 31, 2022. Our application is currently on hold and we will notify the first class of fellows as soon as possible. The program dates will also be updated when the class notification dates are update. We appreciate your patience!

Can I apply if I'm already a sponsorsed developer on GitHub?

Yes! We want to help you expand your funding and support as you look to build a full-time career in open source.

I want to help. How can I get involved?

Awesome! Email us at accelerator@github.com.

If I have any questions, what do I do?

Send us an email to accelerator@github.com.

GitHub Accelerator

Apply now