Inclusion & Accessibility
The power of collaboration is greater
when many different perspectives are included.
Addressing Inclusion & Accessibility
A broad range of ideas and contributions—originating from individuals of all backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives—is essential to building sustainable and healthy open source communities. People from different walks of life bring fresh thinking and drive innovation, helping to shape an open source ecosystem that is inclusive and welcoming to all. The Linux Foundation is committed to fostering inclusive and accessible communities. Achieving this requires active effort and long-term commitment to creating spaces where everyone feels welcome and empowered to participate. We continue to address this through a range of initiatives, including:
Training and Certification
The Linux Foundation provides free training to foster inclusive and accessible communities to support career development. More than 100,000 women have taken our free, Massive Online Open Courses (MooCs) in partnership with edX.
Inclusion & Accessibility at Events
The Linux Foundation and its project communities are dedicated to providing an inclusionary and harassment-free experience for participants at all of our events, whether they are held in person or virtually.
LF Live Mentorship Series
In this series, maintainers from the Linux Kernel and other projects serve as mentors for discussions around specific technology and topic areas that will help provide guidance and answer questions to help folks fast forward their learning and career opportunities.
This mentorship series is part of a three-pronged approach for mentorship opportunities—LF Live mentorship series unstructured webinars, training and our Mentorship Program—which all combine to help advance a diverse, healthy and vibrant open source community.
LiFT Scholarships
The Shubhra Kar Linux Foundation Training (LiFT) Scholarship Program aims to increase inclusion in open source technology by providing access to training courses and certification exams for deserving individuals at no cost to the recipient. Since 2010, The Linux Foundation has awarded over 3,750 scholarships for millions of dollars worth of specialized, technical training to those who may not have the ability to afford this opportunity otherwise.
Click below to see the 2025 scholarship recipients!
LFX Mentorship Showcase
The LFX Mentorship Showcase is an opportunity for graduating mentees of the LFX Mentorship program to showcase the work they completed during their session term, and connect with prospective employers from our member companies.
Linux Foundation Mentorship Programs
The Linux Foundation’s Mentorship Programs are designed to help developers with the necessary skills—many of whom are first-time open source contributors—experiment, learn, and contribute effectively to open source communities.