Invest in the ecosystem you depend on
Every LF Energy project is open and free to use. Membership is how you invest in that work, and it unlocks support, visibility, and influence.
The organizations building energy’s digital foundation
Why join if it’s free?
It’s a fair question. You can use every project, contribute to any of them, and never pay a cent. That stays true whether or not you ever become a member.
Membership is different. It is how you invest in the ecosystem you rely on, and that investment gives you things participation alone cannot: dedicated support, a platform to tell your story, a seat in the room where direction is set, and a network of peers solving the same problems.
What members get
- Dedicated support. Advisory from LF Energy staff on governance, legal, community growth, and ecosystem strategy, meeting you wherever you are on your open source journey.
- Amplification. Your open source engagement told to peers, vendors, and talent through case studies, marketing, events, and speaking opportunities.
- Network. Member-only events and staff-facilitated introductions that turn into joint initiatives, across geographies and segments.
- Influence. A path to governance: Governing Board candidacy for General members, and at the Strategic tier, seats on the Governing Board (strategy and budget), the Technical Advisory Council (technical direction), and the LFESS Steering Committee (standards).
- Leadership signal. Visible membership alongside leading energy and technology organizations, a signal that you invest in shared infrastructure.
As a Linux Foundation member, your organization also taps the wider LF: legal and compliance forums for your counsel, training and certification seats, invitations to exclusive events, and a network of thousands of member organizations across industries.
What it means for you
For grid operators and utilities
You get support, visibility, and a peer network, and you strengthen the projects you run: every utility that joins brings more contributors and makes the case that these are industry standards, not one company’s tools. Your logo is a signal too, telling vendors their customers are building in the open and expect them to follow.
For technology vendors
Membership is a go-to-market channel into the market your customers are building. It puts your products in front of utility decision-makers, builds credibility with buyers who already trust the underlying technology, and, at the Strategic tier, lets you help shape where the ecosystem goes next.
Find your level
Membership is tiered, from General to Strategic, and scales from startups to global organizations. The question is simple: if your strategy depends on the direction of LF Energy, you’ll want to help steer it.
General
For organizations investing in the ecosystem they rely on.
$10,000 – $70,000 if you are not yet a Linux Foundation member
$5,000 – $50,000 if you are
Price scales by employee count.
Pricing Table
| Employee Count | Not yet an LF Member | Current LF Member |
5,000+ | $70,000 | $50,000 |
2,000 – 4,999 | $40,000 | $25,000 |
500 – 1,999 | $25,000 | $10,000 |
100 – 499 | $15,000 | $5,000 |
Up to 99 | $10,000 | $5,000 |
- Dedicated staff support
- Amplification (marketing, content, events)
- Peer network and introductions
- Industry leadership signal
- Linux Foundation ecosystem access
- Governing Board candidacy
Strategic
For organizations whose strategy depends on the direction of LF Energy.
$170,000 if you are not yet a Linux Foundation member
$150,000 if you are
Everything in General, plus:
- Seat on the Governing Board (strategy and budget)
- Seat on the Technical Advisory Council (technical direction)
- Seat on the LFESS Steering Committee (standards)
- Regular collaboration with other Strategic members
If your strategy depends on where LF Energy goes, steer rather than ride along.
Associate
Associate membership is free for eligible open source projects, non-profits, academic institutions, and government research bodies, subject to Governing Board approval. It includes logo placement and marketing participation.