WHO CAN SPONSOR ? From time to time there is confusion about who can sponsor the Apache Software Foundation. Additionally, there are often inquiries from potential sponsors who are not committed to the mission of the ASF or open source software. Therefore, this is our policy to answer “Who Can Sponsor the ASF?” Because the policies for the Apache Software Foundation Sponsorship Program need to be quickly, fairly and equally applied without the need for exceptions or board votes, we have tried to maintain this document at the most basic level. However, the foundation still reserves the right to decline any sponsor without reason and at our sole discretion. In short, sponsors must be: An individual or a business located anywhere in the world that would be legal to operate anywhere in the United States and any state of nexus* for the ASF excluding businesses, persons and jurisdiction limited by law. This is necessary to avoid legal risks and protect our non-profit status. Demonstrably committed to open source software and the foundation’s mission. The concept of commitment to open source software is of concern especially for Bronze-level sponsors who are interested primarily in the SEO benefits of being a sponsor. To avoid this issue, all bronze sponsor thank you listings will include a NoFollow tag. However, to reward sponsors committed to the long-term success of the ASF and open source software, we will remove the NoFollow attribute on links for repeat Bronze sponsors (including non-contiguous sponsorship) and for those sponsors who commit to pay for a three-year Bronze sponsorship in advance. Landing pages for sponsor links cannot be directed to advertisements or redirectors and must be “PG Rated” and safe for work environments. All links should go to a home page or a page with relevant, editorial content about open source software. Any sites with content unsuitable for minors must use a landing page that is completely kid-safe with appropriate warnings and meeting US legal requirements such as the FTC’s COPPA requirements addressed to continue.

WHY SHOULD I SPONSOR ? The Apache Software Foundation provides support for the Apache community of open-source software projects. The Apache projects are characterized by a collaborative, consensus based development process, an open and pragmatic software license, and a desire to create high quality software that leads the way in its field. We consider ourselves not simply a group of projects sharing a server, but rather a community of developers and users. The ASF provides the infrastructure for the projects - the mailing lists, code repositories, bug tracking systems, etc. These resources are maintained by a few paid contractors (as well as by large amounts of volunteer effort). This, in addition to the large costs of bandwidth and server hardware, constitutes the bulk of the expense of running the Foundation. By sponsoring the ASF you show your support for our mission and help sustain a vibrant organization. Sponsorship also shows your support for Open Source and provides you the opportunity to "give back" to the community. Finally, since the ASF is non-profit organization, sponsorship provides attractive tax benefits.