Maintainer Retainer Program (MRP)
Here’s a quick overview of the Maintainer Retainer Program (MRP) and the two kinds of maintainers it involves. For the full picture (eligibility, funding, reviews), check the official OSC MRP page.
What is the MRP?
The MRP provides recurring funding to experienced contributors who maintain critical Cardano open-source repositories, so those projects stay secure, regularly updated, and actively developed. Intersect runs the program with the Open Source Committee (OSC) and Technical Steering Committee (TSC).
Core vs Community Maintainers
Core Maintainers are senior project stewards with final technical authority over a repo's direction. They own strategic decisions, governance and policy work, release sign-off, and security-sensitive changes; they mentor others and ensure long-term project health. Think of them as the people who lead and make the big calls.
Community Maintainers are Trusted Committers (in an eligible project) who join the program via application to expand capacity around a project. They focus on day-to-day maintenance, user-feedback loops, and community operations (code, docs, triage, talking to users) without holding ultimate decision rights or high-risk credentials. They must meet the Contribution Ladder threshold (≥ Trusted Committer) and pass the program's 30-day evaluation before ongoing funding. Your contributions can be coding, documentation, governance, or ecosystem advocacy; it’s not only about code.
Applications for Community Projects to be maintained are open! Apply here
Applications are open for Developers → Community Maintainers! Apply here