The React Foundation — A New Era for Open Collaboration
October 7, 2025 · by Seth Webster, Matt Carroll, Joe Savona, and Sophie Alpert
TL;DR
React and React Native are officially moving from Meta to a new React Foundation.
This foundation will ensure open, vendor‑neutral governance, broader community involvement, and more sustainable support for React’s ecosystem.
Founding members include Amazon, Callstack, Expo, Meta, Microsoft, Software Mansion, and Vercel.
Why This Matters
For over a decade, React has shaped the way we build user interfaces — powering millions of apps, frameworks, and developer tools.
But as React grew beyond Meta, its contributions, influence, and governance needed a structure that reflected the diversity of its global community.
React has outgrown the confines of any one company.
By transitioning to an independent foundation, React ensures that its evolution, priorities, and governance are guided by the community itself — not by corporate interests.
Introducing the React Foundation
The React Foundation will become the new home for:
- React
- React Native
- JSX and related supporting projects
Mission
“Support the React community and ecosystem.”
The foundation’s core objectives:
- Maintain React’s infrastructure — GitHub, CI, trademarks
- Organize and fund React Conf
- Support the ecosystem through grants, programs, and initiatives that accelerate innovation
- Ensure React remains vendor‑neutral and community‑driven
Governance
The React Foundation will be governed by a board of directors, led by Seth Webster as the Executive Director.
This board will direct funds, partnerships, and initiatives to sustain React’s open ecosystem.
Founding Members
React’s founding corporate members represent the most active organizations in the React and React Native world:
| Member | Contribution to the Ecosystem |
|---|---|
| Meta | Original creator and continued core contributions |
| Amazon | Extensive use in retail and AWS UI systems |
| Microsoft | Major investment in React Native for Windows & Office |
| Vercel | Maintainers of Next.js, React Server Components advocates |
| Expo | Simplifying React Native development |
| Callstack | Open-source leadership and cross‑platform expertise |
| Software Mansion | Core maintainers of React Native Reanimated and Gesture Handler |
These organizations have pledged to fund, support, and guide React’s future — while keeping its core open and inclusive.
Technical Governance for React
To guarantee independence, React’s technical governance will be defined separately from the foundation’s board.
This means:
- React’s technical direction will be decided by contributors and maintainers.
- No single company (including Meta) will dominate decisions.
- A new independent technical steering committee (TSC) will be established.
“We believe React’s technical direction should be set by the people who contribute to and maintain React.”
Community feedback will be gathered before finalizing the governance structure — transparency and inclusivity will be central to this process.
Why This Change Matters to Developers
React’s success has always come from its openness — the ability for individuals, startups, and tech giants alike to shape its direction.
Moving to a foundation ensures:
✅ Stability — React will remain open-source, sustainable, and well-governed.
✅ Transparency — decisions will be made in public, with community participation.
✅ Longevity — no single entity can control React’s roadmap or priorities.
✅ Innovation — more contributors, more perspectives, more progress.
Looking Ahead
The React Foundation signals the next phase in the web’s most influential open-source project.
By creating an independent governance model and empowering the ecosystem, React is evolving beyond Meta — into something truly community-owned.
Together, the React Foundation and React’s new technical governance will ensure that React’s future is secure for years to come.
React has always been about more than code — it’s about the people and ideas that push the web forward.
Now, that spirit of collaboration has a permanent home.
Author’s Reflection
This transition isn’t just a governance update — it’s the start of React’s second decade as a community-first project.
If you’ve built a React app, written a library, or even reported a bug, you’re part of this story.
“Open source thrives when communities own their tools.”
Key Takeaways
| Theme | Impact |
|---|---|
| React moves to a foundation | Ensures independence and long-term sustainability |
| New governance model | Contributors, not corporations, define the roadmap |
| Founding members | Amazon, Meta, Microsoft, Vercel, Expo, Callstack, Software Mansion |
| Mission | Support, fund, and grow the React ecosystem |
The React Foundation — Built by the Community, for the Community.
💙 Here’s to the next decade of innovation in React.
Written for developers, by developers. Published on dev.to.
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