GitHub Sponsors

In this lesson we’ll cover GitHub Sponsors — GitHub’s built-in platform for funding open-source work. GitHub Sponsors enables individuals, teams, and organizations to provide direct financial support to maintainers and projects, improving long-term sustainability for open-source software. What you can expect:

Direct sponsorship of individuals or organizations
Configurable sponsorship tiers and perks
Zero platform fees from GitHub for individual sponsorships (payment processor fees may still apply)
Enterprise and corporate sponsorship options for organizations

Here is a consolidated example of a supported funding platforms configuration you may add to a repository or profile. Replace each entry with the correct usernames, project slugs, or URLs for your project:

# Supported funding model platforms (example values)
github:            # Replace with up to 4 GitHub Sponsors-enabled usernames, e.g. [user1, user2]
  - [alice, bob]
patreon:           # Replace with a single Patreon username, e.g. 'project-patron'
  - project-patron
open_collective:   # Replace with a single Open Collective slug, e.g. 'my-collective'
  - my-collective
ko_fi:             # Replace with a single Ko-fi username, e.g. 'my_kofi'
  - my_kofi
tidelift:          # Replace with a single Tidelift package identifier, e.g. 'npm/babel'
  - npm/babel
community_bridge:  # Replace with a single Community Bridge project slug, e.g. 'cloud-foundry'
  - cloud-foundry
liberapay:         # Replace with a single Liberapay username, e.g. 'myname'
  - myname
issuehunt:         # Replace with a single Issuehunt username or project
  - project-issuehunt
lfx_crowdfunding:  # Replace with a single LFX Crowdfunding project slug
  - cloud-foundry
polar:             # Replace with a single Polar username
  - polar-user
buy_me_a_coffee:   # Replace with a single Buy Me a Coffee username
  - buyme-user
thanks_dev:        # Replace with a single thanks.dev username
  - thanks-user
custom:            # Replace with up to 4 custom sponsorship URLs, e.g. ['https://example.com/donate']
  - ['https://example.com/donate']

Supported platforms at a glance

Platform	What to include in your funding file	Example
GitHub Sponsors	Up to 4 GitHub usernames or organization accounts	`- [alice, bob]`
Patreon	Single Patreon username or project	`- project-patron`
Open Collective	Single collective slug	`- my-collective`
Ko-fi	Ko-fi username	`- my_kofi`
Tidelift	Package identifier (ecosystem/package)	`- npm/babel`
Community Bridge	Project slug	`- cloud-foundry`
Liberapay	Username	`- myname`
Issuehunt	Username or project identifier	`- project-issuehunt`
LFX Crowdfunding	Project slug	`- cloud-foundry`
Polar, Buy Me a Coffee, thanks.dev	Respective usernames	`- polar-user`, `- buyme-user`, `- thanks-user`
Custom	Any custom sponsorship URL(s)	`- ['https://example.com/donate']`

How does GitHub Sponsors work?

Direct support

Sponsors can back individual maintainers (via their GitHub profile) or entire organizations (via an organization Sponsors page).
Payments may be set up as monthly recurring contributions or one-time donations depending on recipient configuration.

Flexible tiers

Maintainers and organizations can define multiple sponsorship tiers with specified monthly amounts and optional perks (examples: early access, private support channels, or public recognition).
Prospective sponsors choose the tier that best matches their desired level of support.

Zero-platform fees (for individual sponsorships)

GitHub currently charges zero platform fees for individual-sponsored contributions so more of the pledge reaches the recipient.
Note that payment processing fees from third-party payment providers may still apply.

Payment processing fees may still apply, and GitHub Sponsors availability varies by country and region. Always verify the latest regional availability and fee details in the official GitHub Sponsors documentation: https://docs.github.com/en/sponsors/setting-up-sponsorships-for-your-organization/about-github-sponsors

Corporate sponsorship and budgets

Companies can create corporate sponsorships, allocate budgets, and distribute funds to maintainers and projects.
Organization-level sponsorships may require additional configuration, legal agreements, or enterprise features depending on the plan.

Summary

GitHub Sponsors centralizes open-source funding by enabling direct sponsorship, configurable tiers, and organizational sponsorship controls.
Use the funding file example above to list the platforms you accept for contributions, and replace placeholder values with your actual usernames, slugs, or URLs.
Confirm current fee policies and geographic availability on the official GitHub Sponsors documentation.

Links and references

GitHub Sponsors documentation: https://docs.github.com/en/sponsors/setting-up-sponsorships-for-your-organization/about-github-sponsors
Funding file guidance: https://docs.github.com/en/repositories/managing-your-repositorys-settings-and-features/customizing-your-repository/about-funding-files

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