Apereo Foundation Welcomes the dat-ecosystem Community
Beaverton, OR — May 12, 2025 — The Apereo Foundation is proud to welcome dat-ecosystem as its newest member. The dat-ecosystem is officially joining the Apereo Foundation, bringing with it over 25 open source project communities focused on building decentralized, privacy-conscious, and equitable data infrastructure. This strategic partnership reflects a shared mission to advance open technologies that serve the public good through collaboration, transparency, and sustainability.
Originating from efforts to decentralize data sharing on the web, the dat-ecosystem has evolved into a vibrant consortium of open source projects advancing peer-to-peer technologies. The dat-ecosystem includes a global network of technologists, researchers, and practitioners who steward interoperable tools and protocols that support peer-to-peer, user-empowered data sharing. Its projects power applications ranging from collaborative academic research platforms to resilient civic data archives.
“Apereo has spent more than two decades nurturing communities that build mission-driven open source software,” said Patrick Masson, Executive Director of the Apereo Foundation. “The dat-ecosystem reflects many of the same values we hold dear—equity, transparency, and sustainability—and we’re excited to support their continued growth and impact.”
By joining Apereo Foundation, dat-ecosystem projects gain access to Apereo’s established incubation process, which offers governance support, mentoring, and community development to help initiatives grow sustainably. Projects such as dat-garden, still in their early stages, will benefit from these long-term structures of support.
“We’ve already seen incredible alignment in vision and ethos between Apereo and the dat-ecosystem,” said Jenn Cummings, Apereo Community and Membership Manager. “Both communities value openness, transparency, and collective action. It’s exciting to welcome such a dynamic group into the fold and help ensure their tools are supported for years to come.”
This partnership underscores the importance of open, interoperable technologies in building a fairer digital future—and affirms how Apereo’s proven approach to governance, nurtured over decades of nonprofit stewardship, can help scale these efforts with integrity and impact.
“We chose Apereo because of its long history supporting open source communities with transparency and care,” said the dat-ecosystem Consortium. “Apereo understands how to nurture projects with high ideals, and we see this collaboration as a foundation for principled, long-term growth.”
Together Apereo Foundation and dat ecosystems are cultivating a stronger, more resilient open source ecosystem—one rooted in shared values, mutual support, and the pursuit of digital equity. To learn more about how this partnership will shape the future of open data technologies—or to explore how your institution can get involved - visit https://www.apereo.org/ or email membership@apereo.org
The Apereo Foundation
The Apereo Foundation is the only global non-profit organization supporting and developing open source software for higher education institutions. Established in 2012, following the Sakai and Jasig Foundations merger, Apereo has facilitated the development and sustainability of more than 12 OSS projects, which are used at thousands of educational institutions worldwide. Members and supporters collaborate to raise awareness and adoption of open initiatives, extending and enhancing teaching and learning, research, and administrative computing. https://www.apereo.org/
For more information about the dat-ecosystem, visit dat-ecosystem.org.