Maintainer Month returns this May, and the Open Source Initiative (OSI) is proud to join GitHub and a global community of contributors in honoring the individuals who steward and sustain Open Source projects. In 2025, Maintainer Month enters its fourth year with a clear and urgent theme: Securing Open Source.
Throughout the month, OSI and our affiliates will be highlighting maintainers who prioritize security in their projects, sharing their stories, and providing a platform for collaboration and learning. These efforts are not just celebrations—they are opportunities to recognize the essential role maintainers play in safeguarding the Open Source infrastructure that underpins so much of our digital world.
About Maintainer Month
Organized annually by GitHub and supported by a diverse group of Open Source stakeholders, Maintainer Month is a time to gather, share knowledge, and express appreciation for the people who keep Open Source projects running. These maintainers not only review issues and merge pull requests—they also navigate community dynamics, mentor new contributors, and increasingly, adopt security best practices to protect their code and users.
This year’s theme, “Securing Open Source,” focuses on three key areas:
Adopting security best practices in projects and communities
Recognizing contributors who improve project security
Collaborating to strengthen the ecosystem as a whole
How OSI is participating
The Open Source Initiative will be marking Maintainer Month in several ways:
Spotlighting maintainers and security best practicesOSI will publish a series of articles on Opensource.net highlighting maintainers whose work centers around security. These features will showcase how individuals and teams are implementing secure development workflows, responding to vulnerabilities, and helping their communities stay resilient.
Hosting the OSI affiliate town hallAs part of our programming for May, OSI will host a virtual Town Hall with our affiliate organizations and invite the broader Open Source community to join. The Town Hall will be hosted May 21st and will offer a space to discuss how we can support maintainers, foster secure development practices, and share resources across geographies and sectors.
Sharing stories and amplifying voicesMaintainer Month is also a time to tell the stories of those who often work behind the scenes. OSI will be amplifying voices from across our affiliate network and encouraging communities to recognize the people whose efforts are often invisible, yet essential.
The role of OSI affiliates
OSI’s affiliate organizations are an important part of our mission. Affiliates include nonprofit organizations, Open Source projects and communities, educational institutions (K-12 and higher education), and user groups engaged in and with the Open Source ecosystem.
Affiliates contribute to the ongoing awareness, advocacy, and adoption of Open Source software. During Maintainer Month, their voices are especially important in uplifting maintainers and driving conversations around sustainability and security.
How to get involved
Whether you are a maintainer, contributor, educator, or advocate, there are many ways to participate in Maintainer Month:
Share a story about maintainers who have made a difference in your project or community. The OSI will publish your story on Opensource.net and feature it on our newsletter.
Attend OSI’s town hall on May 21st at 11:30am Eastern Time and other events from Maintainer Month.
Publish a blog post or resource that helps other maintainers improve security practices.
Recognize maintainers on social media using the hashtag #MaintainerMonth.
Together, we can ensure maintainers receive the recognition, support, and resources they need—not only in May, but all year long.
To learn more and explore programming, visit maintainermonth.github.com.
Source: opensource.org