Empowering non-code contributors
· 2 min read
One of the nicest things about being in the CNCF is projects can generate their own governance. Our layperson description for how CNCF governance works is typically "Do what you say you do on the tin."
Cloud Native Security Controls Catalog: Refreshed, Structured, and Machine-Readable
· 3 min read
Revised security guidance has been released by CNCF advisors to streamline cloud-native project security assessments.
Initially created in 2022 by CNCF's TAG Security and Compliance (TAG-SC), the Cloud Native Security Controls Catalog (CNSC Catalog) is a direct, actionable list of controls mapped to NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5. To incorporate emerging technologies, tools, and research, a new version of the catalog has been created and released in 2026.
Cloud Native Project Monthly (CNPM) June 2026 Newsletter
· 5 min read
Welcome to the June 2026 edition of the Cloud Native Project Monthly (CNPM) Newsletter.
We look forward to seeing many of you at KubeCon + CloudNativeCon Japan next month!
CNCF staff will be at the various maintainer-focused activities on July 29-30.
Please take a moment to complete the 2H 2026 Maintainer Survey. Your feedback is essential for us to serve you better in the second half of the year.
Strengthening LFX Mentoring: A Fairer Stipend Model and a Shared Standard of Excellence
· 3 min read
This post was originally published on the Linux Foundation blog.
Two updates that help our growing mentorship community do its best work.
LFX Mentoring has grown into one of the largest open source mentorship programs in the world, connecting new contributors with experienced maintainers across hundreds of projects every year. As the program scales, we're making two updates that keep it fair, sustainable and welcoming for everyone.
A more equitable stipend model
At its core, LFX Mentoring is all about providing unique opportunities to learn, grow, and become part of the global open source community. By participating, mentees get to work on exciting technology and receive invaluable coaching directly from experienced practitioners. Because the heart of this program is professional development, it is fundamentally designed as a learning experience, not employment. While many open source mentorships are entirely unpaid, some of our participating projects choose to offer stipends. These stipends can be thought of as educational grants that help offset basic living expenses so mentees can focus their energy on learning and contributing. Since these stipends are intended to offset basic living expenses (and not intended as compensation or wages), these amounts are calculated to reflect the cost of living in a mentee’s country.
Mentee stipends are calculated using a formula based on Purchasing Power Parity (PPP): we start from a $6,000 USD baseline and adjust for each mentee's country, so a stipend’s real-world value is comparable wherever a mentee lives. We review these amounts periodically to keep them aligned with industry standards and economic conditions.
For programs that start on or after July 1, 2026, we've refreshed the schedule. We keep PPP and the $6,600 maximum, and we've lowered the minimum to $1,000 so that stipends more closely reflect regional cost of living and align with other popular open source mentoring programs. This lets us reinvest in the program and extend mentorship to more people each term.
These updates apply only to future programs. If you've already been accepted into a program that starts before July 1, 2026, you'll continue to receive the amount listed in your acceptance letter. Full country-by-country amounts are published in the mentee stipend documentation.
A shared Standard of Excellence
We're also publishing the Linux Foundation Mentoring Standards of Excellence: a clear statement of the collaborative, respectful, and professional behavior we encourage from every mentor, mentee, and candidate.
The Standards highlight what makes mentorship work: supporting one another, giving constructive feedback, communicating with respect, and accepting evaluations and selection decisions gracefully. They also explain how to raise concerns through the right channels. The goal is simple: every participant has a positive, productive experience and the clarity to do their best work.
Learn more
Explore open mentorships and apply at LFX Mentorship.
Cloud Native Project Monthly (CNPM) May 2026 Newsletter
· 4 min read
Welcome to the May 2026 edition of the Cloud Native Project Monthly (CNPM) Newsletter.
We didn't send out an edition in April due to the volume of other staff messages sent to the maintainer mailing lists.
We look forward to seeing many of you at KubeCon + CloudNativeCon India next month!
CNCF staff will be at the various maintainer-focused activities on June 18-19.
Introducing .project: Standardized Project Metadata, Rolled Out for You
· 3 min read
CNCF staff will soon begin rolling out a new repository called
.project
into project GitHub organizations. If you see a new repo appear, do not be
alarmed: this is expected, and there is no action required from maintainers for
the initial rollout.
The short version is that
.project
is a standardized metadata repository for CNCF projects. It gives each project
a clear, machine-readable home for information like project details,
repositories, maintainers, governance references, security contacts, and other
metadata that CNCF systems rely on.
Reducing the Support Tax: CNCF Partners with Kapa.ai to Help Project Maintainers
· 3 min read
As CNCF projects grow, maintainers increasingly spend time answering repetitive technical questions across Slack, Discord, and GitHub issues - often the same questions, many of them already answered in documentation.
High-traffic projects like OpenTelemetry and Envoy Gateway have been using Kapa.ai to handle thousands of community questions per month, reducing the volume of inbound support questions maintainers handle directly.
CNCF has partnered with Kapa.ai to provide AI-powered documentation assistants to hosted projects at no cost.
Cloud Native Project Monthly (CNPM) March 2026 Newsletter
· 5 min read
Welcome to the March 2026 edition of the Cloud Native Project Monthly (CNPM) Newsletter. We hope you’re excited for KubeCon + CloudNativeCon Europe in Amsterdam in a few days!
CNCF staff will be at the Maintainer Summit and the Project Pavilion throughout the week. Please find us if you have any questions about support for your projects.
Table of contents
Sunsetting GitHub Copilot Business: Transitioning to Enterprise for CNCF Maintainers
· 3 min read
Late last year, we announced the strategic agreement with GitHub to provide GitHub Copilot Enterprise licenses to CNCF project maintainers at no cost. Since then, we have seen a strong response from the community, with over 100 Enterprise seats already in active use.
As we move forward, we are working to simplify our infrastructure and billing. To that end, we will be phasing out all legacy GitHub Copilot Business licenses in early April 2026.
Cloud Native Project Monthly (CNPM) February 2026 Newsletter
· 6 min read
Welcome to the February 2026 edition of the Cloud Native Project Monthly (CNPM) Newsletter.
We hope you’re excited for KubeCon + CloudNativeCon Europe and plan to attend the Maintainer Summit!
You can learn more about the event and other worldwide KubeCon + CloudNativeCon opportunities in this month’s newsletter.