Lyrasis Organizational Home

Organizational Home

The Lyrasis Organizational Home is a partner in stewardship, a legal home and fiscal sponsor for mission-aligned community-supported open-source technologies.

Included Services

We offer a comprehensive set of clearly scoped services across 5 categories.

  • Program Stewardship
  • Fiscal Services
  • Human Resources
  • Information Technology Infrastructure
  • Marketing & Communications Support

See the FAQ for more information about the individual services.

Core Principles

The Organizational Home is guided by our core principles.

  • Mission Alignment
    We host programs that empower libraries, archives & museums.
  • Transparent & Collaborative Stewardship
    We are transparent about the costs and work together to develop budgets.
  • Nonprofit, Open-Source Ethos
    We operate the Organizational Home at-cost, and invest in these open-source communities.

Cost Structure

Our transparent tiered rate structure considers where a program is in its lifecycle and acknowledges the interdependence of the open-source ecosystem. Costs are designed to cover the resources a program consumes. Stewardship costs are shared proportionally so that programs that have more resources contribute more, supporting the health of the whole ecosystem.

  • Flat Rate

    A minimum flat fee that covers base organizational costs for smaller programs, ensuring reliable access to Organizational Home services regardless of early-stage revenue.

  • Emerging Rate

    Applied as a percentage of revenue for programs in their emerging phase. Designed to promote growth by keeping costs tied to what a program actually brings in.

  • Evolving Tiered Rates

    Applied as a percentage of direct expenses for more established programs, with three sub-tiers where the rate decreases as program expenses grow, rewarding scale.

In addition to the rates above, programs are responsible for 100% of their direct expenses (e.g. salaries, fringe, contracted development, etc.). Rates are revisited every three years to ensure alignment with organizational goals and principles.

Programs move through these tiers as they evolve. Tiers are assigned annually at budget time based upon projected revenue and expenses.  Want to know where your program would fall? Reach out to our team for a discussion.

Value Proposition

 Lyrasis provides the Organizational Home as a cost-neutral service that is core to our mission as a non-profit.

  • Neutral home that attracts, develops and supports high-quality program staff

  • Signals Lyrasis’ belief in the program’s technology and goals

  • Enables the community to focus on program-specific needs & priorities

  • Part of a family of sister programs with common values, needs and interests

  • Access to a deep reserve of experience

    ITAV Logo

Community Responsibilities

The Organizational Home is a genuine partnership. While Lyrasis provides organizational infrastructure and stewardship, the governing communities of the programs in the home are responsible for driving their programs forward.

Governance

Programs must have established governance structures with responsible and engaged stakeholders making key decisions.

Strategic & Technical Decision Making 

The community drives strategic direction and technical decisions, with Lyrasis providing a stable organizational framework.

Revenue Generation & Fundraising

Programs are responsible for developing and executing their own revenue and fundraising strategies.

Outreach & Community Engagement

Programs actively cultivate their user and contributor communities and lead engagement efforts.

Software Development 

Technical development and open-source contributions are led by the program's own team and community contributors.

Partnership with Lyrasis

Programs work collaboratively with Lyrasis staff on financial reporting, planning, and organizational strategy.

Ready to Learn More?

Explore the FAQ or contact us to discuss how
your program might find a home at Lyrasis.