Project Website Guidelines - LF AI & Data

The LF AI & Data Foundation hosts a diverse set of open source projects. Many of these projects began inside a single company (called the “origin company” below) before being accepted into LF AI & Data. As they transition into community-led governance, it is critical that project websites reflect their status as open, vendor-neutral, and community-driven initiatives under LF AI & Data. Please reach out to marketing@lfaidata.foundation if you have any questions.

These guidelines ensure project websites:

• Clearly show affiliation with LF AI & Data

• Avoid confusion with corporate branding

• Maintain vendor-neutrality

• Promote the project community, not the origin company or its products/solutions

• Correct copyright notice

• LF AI & Data Affiliation Must Be Visible

  • Top of the Homepage: Projects must clearly state their affiliation with LF AI & Data at the top of the homepage. Acceptable options include

    • Adding the phrase “We are an LF AI & Data Foundation Project”

    • Including “An LF AI & Data Foundation Project” alongside the project logo

  • Bottom of the Website: Projects must also display an affiliation statement in the footer, such as

    • “[Project Name] is a project of the LF AI & Data Foundation. View all LF AI & Data projects here”. The LF AI & Data logo must appear in the footer and link to lfaidata.foundation

    • Projects are encouraged to include a link in the footer inviting visitors to engage with LF AI & Data, e.g., “Get involved in LF AI & Data Foundation here”.

    • In addition, the projects must use the standard Linux Foundation footer. The standard format is:

      • Copyright ENTITY NAME and its contributors. | Trademarks | Privacy | Terms | Policies

      • Example: Copyright Delta Lake and its contributors. | Trademarks | Privacy | Terms | Policies

• Project Branding Comes First

  • The site should use the project’s own logo, name, and visual identity, not the origin company’s branding.

  • It is acceptable to state the project’s history, e.g., “Delta Lake builds upon years of experience as the default format for operations at Databricks”. However, references to the origin company should not dominate the homepage, overshadow the project, or imply origin company ownership.

• Vendor Neutrality in Support & Services

  • There should be no lead capture forms or direct marketing for commercial services on the project website.

  • If enterprise support or commercial services are offered, they must be listed on a dedicated “Support” or “Commercial Partners” page. Companies must be listed alphabetically (or randomized on each page load). Projects may categorize support types (e.g., Training, Managed Services, Consulting). Simple vetting is required to ensure listed companies genuinely provide project-related services.

  • Links to company sites must go to pages that reference the project specifically (either a general homepage with mention of the project or a dedicated project landing page).

• Community-Driven Messaging

  • Content should emphasize technical value, collaboration, and community contributions, not company agendas or profit-generation.

  • The website should make it easy for contributors to engage: include clear links to project GitHub repos, wiki, mailing lists, Slack/Discord, and contribution guidelines.

• Project logo and branding as the primary identity

• LF AI & Data affiliation statement and logo (with link back to main LF AI & Data site)

• Neutral description of the project’s scope, mission, and features

• Links to community resources (GitHub, contribution guides, governance documents, communication channels)

• Governance information (charter, maintainers list, TSC, etc.), either displayed on the site or linked directly to the project’s repository

• Links to project meeting registrations and schedules, where applicable

• Using the origin company’s corporate branding 

• Lead capture forms or direct sales CTAs on the homepage

• Marketing or sales content for corporate products /solutions on the project site

• Download links pointing to closed-source software, sales materials, or other proprietary content

• Omission of LF AI & Data affiliation

• Adding customized AI bots or chat assistants that interact with visitors (these require significant review, approvals, and ongoing maintenance)

Projects should review their websites against these guidelines and make updates within a reasonable timeframe after joining LF AI & Data. The LF AI & Data marketing and operations teams can provide:

• Logos and visual assets

• Sample footer statements

• Review and feedback on drafts