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 Winter 2023. Applications are due by December 31, 2022.
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
Daniel Stenberg
curl master
Dawn Foster
Director Open Source Community Strategy, VMware
Duane O'Brien
Director of Open Source, Indeed
Erica Brescia
Managing Director, Redpoint and Board Member, Linux Foundation
Ezra Olubi
CTO, Paystack
Kailash Nadh
CTO, Zerodha
Mike Perham
CEO, Contribsys
Viral Shah
Cofounder & CEO, Julia Computing
Frequently asked questions
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
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.