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This deck is no longer used - please see our current End User Deck

Reach out to memberships@cncf.io with any questions. Thanks!

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CNCF End User Community

David Palilonis, CNCF Membership Development Lead

Q1 - 2025

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Share your journey and technical stack with the CNCF community to help recruiting.

Engineers are attracted by open source, modern tooling and interesting challenges.

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Recruit engineering talent

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What is CNCF?

The Cloud Native Computing Foundation or CNCF hosts critical components of the global technology infrastructure. CNCF brings together the world’s top developers, end users, and vendors and runs the largest open source developer conferences.

Continuous Integration & Delivery

Container Registry

Cloud Native Network

Scheduling & Orchestration

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hosts

187,000+ contributors

with over

representing 188 countries

209+ projects

Global Mission

“CNCF’s mission is to �make cloud native computing ubiquitous.”

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The Linux Foundation provides unparalleled ecosystem support

Support and Resources

Provides infrastructure, legal help in intellectual property, and financial assistance for open-source project management.

IT Beyond Version Control

Offers CI/CD platforms, testing frameworks, and collaboration tools beyond version control, with support in security, scalability, and performance.

Marketing Programs

Assists in marketing, event organizing, media outreach, and community engagement for projects..

Technical & Research Content

Supports creating and sharing technical and research content like white papers, and organizing webinars and workshops.

Training

Offers training and certifications in Linux administration and advanced cloud technologies through online and instructor-led courses.

Developer Recruitment and Relations

Helps projects in developer recruitment and retention, organizing networking events, hackathons, and offering mentorship platforms.

Neutral Management

Functions as a neutral body to maintain project independence and transparency, providing democratic and inclusive governance frameworks.

Value

Accelerates innovation, supports sustainable project growth, and fosters cross-industry collaboration for a robust, secure open-source ecosystem.

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Incubating Projects

We host ~209+ open source projects at different stages of maturity

Projects hosted by CNCF Today

Graduated Projects

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Cloud Native Computing Foundation

Sandboxed Projects

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CNCF Structure

Marketing Committee

Technical Oversight Committee

Governing Board

End User Community

Technical Oversight Committee

Governing Board

End User Community

Mainly vendors
Fund the organization
Marketing and strategic direction

11 top technical architects
Admit new projects
Acts as a resource to projects

Real end users of these technologies
Communicate back requirements

and good and bad experiences

Marketing Committee

Technical

Advisory

Groups

End User Groups

Technical Advisory Board

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We are the only foundation with every major worldwide cloud provider as members

CNCF enjoys the support of 700+ members from six continents who pay membership fees annually

Academic/Nonprofit Members

Gold Members

With 700+ Members and Growing

Platinum Members

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And 550+ Silver members

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CNCF has the largest end user network of any open source software foundation (150+)

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Gather with the Community at our Events

KubeCon + CloudNativeCon

London, England - April 1-4, 2025
Hong Kong, China - June 10-11, 2025
Tokyo, Japan - June 16-17, 2025
Hyderabad, India - August 6-7, 2025
Atlanta, Georgia - November 10-13, 2025
Amsterdam, Netherlands - March 23-26, 2026
Los Angeles, California - October 26-29, 2026

Kubernetes Community Days (KCD)

KCD Beijing, China - March 15, 2025
KCD Rio de Janeiro, Brazil - March 22, 2025
KCD Guadalajara, Mexico - March 29, 2025
KCD Budapest, Hungary - April 24, 2025
KCD Chennai, India - April 26, 2025
KCD Auckland, New Zealand - April 28, 2025
KCD Heredia, Costa Rica - May 3, 2025
KCD Helsinki, Finland - May 6, 2025
KCD San Francisco, California - May 8, 2025
KCD Austin, Texas - May 15, 2025
KCD Seoul, South Korea - May 22, 2025
KCD Istanbul, Turkey - May 23-24, 2025
KCD New York, USA - June 4, 2025
KCD Czech & Slovak, Bratislava - June 5-6, 2025
KCD Bogota, Colombia - August 29, 2025
KCD Sofia, Bulgaria - September 18, 2025

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Why join the CNCF End User Community?

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Recruit engineering talent

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Navigate the ecosystem

Grow open source leadership

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Companies need to understand how to navigate cloud native and open source.

Collaborate on best practices
Meet project maintainers
Contribute to the CNCF Technology Radar
Find peers with similar challenges through the CNCF User Groups

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Navigate the ecosystem

Public Sector

Research User Group

Developer Experience

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Complimentary tickets to KubeCon

Silver / Gold / Platinum

10 tickets to in-person events (~$15,000 value)

Supporters

2 tickets for 0-300 employees ($3,000 value)
5 tickets for >300 employees ($7,500 value)

Meet the End User Community face-to-face at the End User Partner Summit, an event exclusively for our community members.

Invite to the CTO End User Summit at KubeCon

Note: Does not include co-lo events

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Navigate the ecosystem

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Technical marketing opportunities (Silver and above benefit):

CNCF c ase studies, blog posts, online programs

At KubeCon + CloudNativeCon:

Sponsor an end user booth

$30k booth discounted to $12,000

Invitations to private media and analyst panels
Get assistance with CfPs

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Recruit engineering talent

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Training Benefits for End Users

Our End User Supporters will receive five 100% off coupon codes – a value of up to $2,500 – for any eLearning class, certification exam, or eLearning + Certification exam “bundle” in the Training and Certification Catalog.
Our End User Members will receive a 15-Seat Starter Pack Subscription* to eLearning and certification – a $10,500 value. This means that 15 employees will be able to tap into unlimited access to the entire eLearning catalog and one certification exam for one year.

Training and Certification benefits are good for one year.

Academic & Nonprofit members are not eligible for complimentary training; however we offer many scholarship programs, so please reach out to sales@training.linuxfoundation.org to discuss your options.

For easy reference, please take a look at the Linux Foundation eLearning Catalog and Linux Foundation Certification Catalog.

*End user members can opt to receive 10 LF Training coupons instead of the 15-seat subscription

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Grow open source leadership

For companies who want to formalize open source engagement, including under the Linux Foundation.

Educate leadership and legal, and meet peers in other open source program offices.

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CNCF

Quarterly executive engagement with CNCF staff
Governing Board participation

Linux Foundation

Open Source Program Office
Attend Legal Summit, Open Source Leadership Summit

Grow open source leadership

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End User Supporter

End User Member

$4,500

($1,800 if less than 300 employees)

$500 - $370,000

(Silver, Gold, Platinum)

Join: cncf.io/enduser/

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End User Member Annual Dues

Platinum Member

Three year minimum commitment

Gold Member

Silver Member

$370,000

$120,000

5,000+ employees: $70,000

3,000 - 4,999: $65,000

1,000 - 2,999: $45,000

500 - 999: $25,000

100 - 499: $15,000

50 – 99: $10,000

< 50 employees: $7,000

Not Yet a �Linux Foundation Member

$350,000

$100,000

3,000+ employees: $50,000

1,000 - 2,999: $30,000

500 - 999: $10,000

50 – 499: $5,000

< 50 employees: $2,000

Existing �Linux Foundation Member

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Next steps / contact

David Palilonis

Director of Business Development

dpalilonis@linuxfoundatin.org

Jake Pineda

Membership Solutions

rpineda@linuxfoundation.org

Book A Meeting

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Silver Membership

Silver members are eligible to:

Participate in all Marketing, Community, Thought Leadership opportunities above.
Participate in elections to appoint three (3) representative to the CNCF Governing Board.
Opportunity to host 2 marketing activities per quarter, including on-demand webinars, livestream, and YouTube playlist submissions, through CNCF’s Online Programs, availability permitting.
Receive discounts on KubeCon + CloudNativeCon and Linux Foundation event sponsorships.
Demonstrate your organization's support for the Foundation by displaying your logo on the CNCF & LF websites and in marketing materials.
Access to Linux Foundation’s invitation-only Linux Foundation Member Summit and Linux Foundation Legal Summit for one individual per company.
Feature your organization in the quarterly CNCF and LF Silver New Member announcement.
Ten coupon codes good for any eLearning, certification exam, or eLearning/exam bundle. Additional terms apply.
Feature your company’s events on our events.linuxfoundation.org community events calendar:

Silver level membership is for those organizations that want to demonstrate their support for CNCF and help grow the CNCF ecosystem. We encourage organizations just getting started in contributing to our communities to begin their partnership with CNCF at the Silver level.

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Gold Membership

Gold members are eligible to:

Enjoy all benefits included at the Silver level, plus;

Participate in elections between only other Gold members to appoint one (1) representative to the CNCF Governing Board. Three (3) total Gold representatives will be elected to represent all Gold members.

Voice your opinions amongst the leaders in the industry and help determine the strategic direction of CNCF. The top public and private cloud providers and software companies sit on the CNCF Governing Board.

Receive greater insight into CNCF strategy and project roadmaps through increased engagement with the CNCF General Manager, Chief Technology Officer, and staff.

The team will make themselves available to help achieve your goals whether those are in open source contribution, new market creation, investment opportunities, industry trends, and/or open source project donation. A business and strategy review meeting with CNCF leadership and Gold member stakeholders will be held once per year virtually or at a CNCF event.

Opportunity to host 4 marketing activities per quarter, including on-demand webinars, livestream, and YouTube playlist submissions, through CNCF’s Online Programs, availability permitting.
Increased access to Linux Foundation’s invitation-only Linux Foundation Member Summit.
Mention in CNCF KubeCon keynote plus customized press release upon membership announcement with the CNCF PR team.

Gold level membership is for those organizations that want to put their organization in full view in support of CNCF and our mission. Organizations that join at the Gold level are deeply committed to using open source technology, helping CNCF grow, voicing the opinions of their customers, and giving back to the community.

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Platinum Membership

Platinum members are eligible to:

Enjoy all the benefits of Gold and Silver levels, plus;

Hold one (1) guaranteed seat on the CNCF Governing Board + one alternate (1) representative as a voting member in any subcommittees or activities of the Governing Board.
Receive greater insight into CNCF strategy and projects through engagement with the CNCF leadership team.

Platinum level members have the unique opportunity to customize their experience with CNCF. The team will make themselves available to help achieve your strategic goals. CNCF can help with guidance in open source contributions, new market creation, and/or open source project donation. Have ideas? Just ask!
A business and strategy review meeting with CNCF leadership and Platinum member stakeholders will be held twice per year, in person or virtual.

Enjoy most prominent placement in displays of membership including on the website and in marketing materials.
Receive first choice to participate in any KubeCon + CloudNativeCon Diamond Sponsorship lotteries
Inclusion in KubeCon + CloudNativeCon keynote announcement. Speaker of your choice will be featured for 60 seconds on stage virtual or in-person.

Platinum level membership is the highest tier of membership and for those organizations who are change agents in the industry. Platinum level organizations are dedicated to the advancement and adoption of CNCF projects and work in concert with CNCF + LF team members to grow their exposure and contributions. Platinum members want to take the most active role in enabling cloud native computing to be ubiquitous and are recognized for their thought leadership.

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Academic and Nonprofit

�Academic/Nonprofit members are eligible to:

Participate in all Marketing, Community, and Thought Leadership opportunities above.
Receive discounts on KubeCon + CloudNativeCon sponsorship.
Identify your organization as a member and display your logo on the CNCF website and in marketing materials.
Feature your organization in the quarterly CNCF New Member announcement.

The Academic and Nonprofit level of participation is limited to academic and nonprofit institutions respectively.

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Benefits snapshot

Membership benefits	Academic/Nonprofit	Silver	Gold	Platinum
Strategic community engagement guidance	n/a	n/a	Yearly	Customized
Governing Board election and participation	n/a	Yes	Yes	Guaranteed seat
Member marketing programs	Yes	2 per quarter	4 per quarter	4 per quarter + live webinar
Membership press announcements	Quarterly group release	Quarterly group release	KubeCon keynote mention + customized PR	KubeCon keynote mention + feature speaker, and customized PR
Logo recognition on CNCF.io, the landscape, and LF website	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Event sponsorship discounts	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes

LF Silver benefits included

Minimum of three year commitment

LF Associate included

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