🎂 Commonhaus Turns One — A Look Back, and the Road Ahead

Announcement

On April 9th of last year, we launched the Commonhaus Foundation to offer a simple, more flexible path for open-source projects in need of support.

We began with the communities we knew well — starting close to home helped us build with trust, refine our approach, and lay a strong foundation. A year later, we’ve grown to 14 projects, and we’re ready to welcome more.

Commonhaus is a community rooted in trust, light governance, and shared care for the future of our projects. Our approach is guided by a few simple principles:

• Automate the administrivia so maintainers can focus on the work that matters
• Offer stability without unnecessary complexity
• Keep developers at the center of decision-making

At its core, Commonhaus exists to support open-source projects in a way that feels grounded, sustainable, and community-aligned.

Where We're Going & What We're Looking For

To keep building that future, we need a few more things:

More individuals as supporters and members. We're deeply grateful to our individual supporters who've helped make this a developer-powered organization from day one. If you're aligned with our mission and want to shape a different kind of support system for open source, come join us — we're saving you a seat at the table.

Corporate sponsors for our Advisory Board. A huge thanks to our infrastructure sponsors for helping us build a support structure that benefits both our projects and our mission.

Now, we're looking to grow our base of corporate sponsors — companies and vendors who rely on our projects or believe in open source and want to invest in its sustainability. Your support doesn’t just pay for operational essentials; it helps fund writers, designers, and other contributors who can elevate the work of our projects. Gold and Silver sponsors get seats on our Advisory Board — a way to bring your voice into the room as we align Foundation efforts with both community priorities and industry realities. It’s also a meaningful way to connect your organization’s values with the long-term sustainability of the open source projects you rely on.

More diverse projects. We’re especially eager to welcome projects from beyond our current circles. We started close to home — many of our first collaborators are Java Champions, and our early growth included several Red Hat–sponsored projects, reflecting long-standing relationships and shared values. Those trusted relationships helped shape what Commonhaus is — and now, we’re actively looking to broaden the ecosystems we support.

We’re especially well-suited for established projects with active use, steady maintainers, and a solid grasp of open source — the unsung heroes and workhorses that don’t need guardrails, just a supportive, neutral home. Fresh perspectives make us all stronger, and if that sounds like your project, we should talk.

Our Commitment

As we enter our second year, our promise remains the same: to keep things simple, practical, and focused on what matters. Commonhaus is here to offer more than just a financial framework — we’re here to support the people doing the work.

We'll continue to:

• Provide lightweight fiscal sponsorship without unnecessary complexity
• Support leadership transitions as a normal, healthy part of project life
• Help projects build resilience — whether or not they pursue funding
• Invest in shared support for non-code contributions like writing and design
• Foster a learning community where maintainers can connect, share, and grow

We’re not here to reinvent open source — just to offer steady, thoughtful support for the people and projects that keep it going.

⸻

Thank you to everyone who's been part of our first year. Whether you're maintaining a project, lending expertise, or just cheering us on — we're glad you're here. Here's to the next year of building something sustainable, thoughtful, and open.

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