The Rocky Enterprise Software Foundation has joined the KDE patron program to support the open-source desktop ecosystem. This move aligns Rocky Linux with other major contributors like Canonical and Google. The announcement highlights growing community support for KDE's development.
The KDE project, known for its popular desktop environment, recently gained another supporter in the free and open-source software community. On March 5, 2026, KDE announced that the Rocky Enterprise Software Foundation (RESF), the nonprofit organization behind the Rocky Linux distribution, has become a patron through the KDE e.V. program.
Rocky Linux is a community-driven enterprise Linux distribution based on Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL). Brian Clemens, co-founder and vice president of RESF, explained the decision: “Sustainable Open Source depends on great open-source communities supporting each other. We do our best to support our upstreams, and backing KDE was an easy choice for us given the popularity of the Rocky Linux KDE spin.”
This patronage requires a minimum donation of 5,000 euros to KDE e.V., which oversees KDE's projects. Funds from patrons like RESF help finance ongoing development, infrastructure, and community initiatives for the open-source desktop.
RESF now joins an established list of KDE patrons, including Blue Systems, Canonical, g10 Code, Google, Kubuntu Focus, Mbition, Slimbook, SUSE, Techpaladin, The Qt Company, and TUXEDO Computers. The support comes amid KDE's recent successes, such as record donations announced at the end of the previous year.
KDE's patron program fosters collaboration in the open-source world, ensuring the ecosystem's advancement through mutual backing among projects and organizations.