Demo Enable Sponsors

Sponsorships let the GitHub community financially support a user, a repository, or an organization. This guide shows how to enable sponsorship for a repository using a .github/FUNDING.yml file, how GitHub surfaces the Sponsor button, and what account owners must do to receive payouts. Back in my BlogBuster repository, assume I want to enable sponsorship for this project. One way to do that is from the repository Settings.

This image shows a GitHub repository page for a project called "block-buster," which is an enhanced version of a brick breaker game. The repository includes various files like .devcontainer, index.html, script.js, and others, with recent commit activity displayed.

In the repository Settings, under the Features section, enable the “Sponsorship” option. Turning this on allows a Sponsor button to appear on the repository and lets you declare one or more funding providers that visitors can choose from.

The image shows a GitHub repository settings page with options related to features like issues, sponsorships, and discussions. Various settings are available for organizing and managing these features within the repository.

How GitHub determines which funding options to show

GitHub uses a configuration file named FUNDING.yml placed in the .github directory on the repository’s default branch (for example, main).
That file declares supported providers and the account names or URLs to display when a visitor clicks the Sponsor button.

A template for supported platforms looks like this:

# .github/FUNDING.yml — supported funding model platforms (examples)
github:          # Up to 4 GitHub Sponsors usernames, e.g., [user1, user2]
patreon:         # Single Patreon username
open_collective: # Single Open Collective username
ko_fi:           # Single Ko-fi username
tidelift:        # Single Tidelift platform-name/package-name, e.g., npm/babel
community_bridge:# Single Community Bridge project-name, e.g., cloud-foundry
liberapay:       # Single Liberapay username
issuehunt:       # Single IssueHunt username
lfx_crowdfunding:# Single LFX Crowdfunding project-name, e.g., cloud-foundry
polar:           # Single Polar username
buy_me_a_coffee: # Single Buy Me a Coffee username
thanks_dev:      # Single thanks.dev username
custom:          # Up to 4 custom sponsorship URLs, e.g., ['https://...', 'https://...']

Quick reference — common FUNDING.yml entries:

Provider	Purpose	Example
GitHub Sponsors	Direct sponsor usernames (up to 4)	`github: ["sid-gh900","alice-mcberry"]`
Patreon	Patreon profile username	`patreon: "your-patreon-name"`
Open Collective	Open Collective slug	`open_collective: "acme-org"`
Ko-fi	Ko-fi username	`ko_fi: "your-kofi"`
Custom links	Any external funding URL (up to 4)	`custom: ["https://fund.me/project", "https://..."]`

Example: only GitHub Sponsors If you want the repository to list only GitHub Sponsors accounts, create .github/FUNDING.yml with the GitHub entries:

# .github/FUNDING.yml
github: ["sid-gh900", "alice-mcberry"]
# patreon:
# open_collective:
# ko_fi:
# ... other platforms commented out

This makes the Sponsor button present those two GitHub usernames as possible recipients. Branch protection and committing FUNDING.yml If your repository enforces branch protection on the default branch (for example, requiring pull requests and reviews), you may not be able to commit FUNDING.yml directly to main. In that case you have two main options:

Create a new branch, add .github/FUNDING.yml, and open a pull request for the default branch; or
If you are an admin and your policy allows it, temporarily permit admins to bypass the protection rules and commit directly.

The image shows a GitHub interface where a user is proposing changes to a FUNDING.yml file but cannot commit directly to the main branch because it's protected.

In my case I adjusted the branch rule to allow repository admins to bypass the protection, then committed the FUNDING.yml file directly to main.

This image shows the settings page of a GitHub repository titled "block-buster" where rulesets are being configured, including enforcement status and bypass lists. The interface also shows options for adding bypass actors such as roles or teams.

After .github/FUNDING.yml is present on the default branch, the Sponsors button will appear on the repository UI. Visitors can click it to view available funding options.

The image shows a GitHub repository interface for a project named "block-buster" by "Pixelcraft-Studio-kk," highlighting its directory structure and recent commit activity.

Receiving payments (GitHub Sponsors onboarding) Declaring a sponsor destination in FUNDING.yml does not by itself enable payouts. Each GitHub Sponsors account must complete onboarding steps (identity verification, banking details, tax info) to accept funds. When configuring a sponsorship account you select your country, enter payout information, and finish verification.

Account-level sponsorship vs repository-level FUNDING.yml

Repository-level FUNDING.yml controls which funding options a repository advertises.
Account-level setup (user or organization) is required to accept payments. GitHub provides an accounts page listing organizations and users eligible for GitHub Sponsors.

When visiting a user or organization profile that has sponsorship enabled, visitors will see a Sponsor button. Clicking it opens a page where they can:

Read about the author or project,
Choose between tiers (monthly or one-time),
Provide billing details and complete payment.

Here is an example of the sponsorship confirmation screen where a user confirms a $1/month tier and fills billing information:

The image shows a GitHub sponsorship page where a user is confirming a $1 per month tier sponsorship. It includes sections for billing information, payment method, and an achievement notification.

Place your FUNDING.yml at .github/FUNDING.yml on the repository’s default branch (for example, main). If branch protection prevents a direct commit, open a pull request or temporarily allow admins to bypass the rule according to your workflow.

Summary

Enable Sponsorship in repository Settings to show the Sponsor button.
Use .github/FUNDING.yml to declare the providers and accounts to surface.
Complete account-level GitHub Sponsors onboarding to receive payouts.
If branch protection blocks direct commits, use a PR workflow or a temporary admin bypass.

Links and references

GitHub Sponsors: https://github.com/sponsors
FUNDING.yml documentation: https://docs.github.com/en/github/building-a-strong-community/adding-a-sponsor-button-to-your-repository
GitHub branch protection rules: https://docs.github.com/en/repositories/configuring-branches-and-merges-in-your-repository/configuring-protected-branches

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Demo Enable Sponsors

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