A Month of Recognition for Open Source Maintainers

Maintainer Month returns this May, giving the open source community a dedicated window to recognize the people who keep projects alive. The initiative, tracked under the #MaintainerMonth hashtag, brings maintainers together to share experiences, learn from peers, and highlight the work that often goes unacknowledged.

The schedule for this year spans several formats, starting with a hands-on workshop focused on onboarding new contributors and investing in new maintainers. For those who prefer listening, the lineup includes podcast interviews and live streams featuring maintainer stories on shows like the Changelog Podcast, Sustain, Open at Microsoft, the ReadME Project, and Open Source Stories.

There is also an in-person component at Open Source Summit North America in Vancouver, where GitHub will host a Maintainer Month activation for live storyteling with the Changelog Podcast. New registrants for the summit can use the discount code OSSNA23GHMM to save 20% on admission.

Getting Organizations Involved

Beyond the official programming, Maintainer Month is positioned as a chance for companies and organizations to back the maintainers they depend on. The organizing team is actively looking for partners to expand the scope of activities and support.

There are several concrete ways to participate:

  • Host an event for maintainers in your local community, whether a workshop, meetup, or virtual session. Events can be submitted to the official website to appear on the public schedule.
  • Share maintainer stories through blog posts, social media, or other content using the #MaintainerMonth hashtag. Contributions can be submitted to the featured library on the site.
  • Provide financial support via GitHub Sponsors, which now supports organization-funded and bulk sponsorships. For companies unsure where to start, the team is available to help launch a FOSS Fund or corporate sponsorship program—those interested can reach out at [email protected].

The month-long initiative aims to translate appreciation into long-term sustainability for the open source ecosystem. Maintainer Month serves as a practical starting point for organizations to build sponsorship habits and for communities to formalize the recognition of the people who maintain critical infrastructure.