Catalyst Program
The world’s first open source incubator.
3 months
of mentorship
$10,000
funding per project
2 batches
per year
+700%
avg project growth
Build the next breakout open source project
The Catalyst Program gives you the funding, mentorship, and growth playbook to turn your open source project into a thriving community.
$10K to build and grow your open source project.
100% remote program. No relocation required. Weekly Office Hours with OCV.
From empty forums to thriving communities.
Set weekly growth goals and hit them. Top performing projects are featured across OCV's channels.
Join a network of high-profile OSS maintainers.
Share wins, get feedback, and collaborate with other Catalyst maintainers and alumni.
“Catalyst has completely changed how I approach community building.”
Before I started, there was zero community. I had a Discord server, and I was the only one in it. The program provided practical advice and week-by-week areas of focus. By the end of the program, we added 50 people to our Discord.
Andres Morey
Creator of Kubetail
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“The project wouldn’t be in its current state without the Catalyst program—especially so quickly.”
Joining the program allowed me to dedicate time to building RA.Aid. Since joining the program, our weekly downloads jumped from 700 to 4,400—a sixfold increase—and a thriving community has developed around the project.
Andrew Christianson
Creator of RA.Aid and Gobii Founder
Fine Print
The Catalyst Program is an open source sponsorship program that provides funding and mentorship to OS authors and maintainers to catalyze project growth. The goal of the program is to support open source sustainability by helping maintainers build a thriving and active community of contributors and users.
Program Structure
- The Catalyst Program is a 3-month program that focuses on accelerating community contributions and adoption of open source projects.
- Program participants receive 1:1 mentorship and set growth goals during weekly office hours.
- Participants are invited to a private community where they ask questions and share progress with other program projects and alumni.
- Projects that achieve exceptional results are featured on OCV’s blog and social channels.
- Catalyst is an online, remote program. Co-location and/or relocation are not required.
Eligibility
- Catalyst is open to any open source maintainer interested in growing the community around their project.
- Sponsorship is awarded to specific contributors. Multiple maintainers from the same project are welcome to apply.
- Foundations and non-profits are not eligible to receive sponsorship.
Application Process
- Applications for Spring 2026 are now open. Deadline to apply: January 16, 2026.
- Catalyst is hosted twice a year, with limited spots in each batch.
- Applications for Spring 2026 are now open. Deadline to apply: January 16, 2026.
- Catalyst Spring 2025 begins February 1, 2026.
Selection
- Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis. Selected partipants are notified within two weeks after applying.
- Sponsorship awards are given in two installments throughout the three-month program.
- Recipients are required to complete a W-9 and will receive a 1099 tax form from Open Core Ventures.