Support CC

Other ways to give

In addition to a regular donation to CC, these are some other ways to help support CC.

Corporate Giving Program

“Our culture cannot expand and develop without people willing to share their work with each other and build on each others greatness. The use of Creative Commons licensing presents the best way for creative people to share work with each other and through that sharing make the world better for us all. We're lucky that the Creative Commons exists and I'm proud that we've supported the groups work over these many years.”

Chris DiBona, Open Source Program Manager, Google, Inc.

Support from our corporate partners is crucial to CC’s continued growth and success. Our work would not be possible without the financial, technical, legal, and professional assistance that our corporate partners provide. By choosing to support Creative Commons, you are validating the ideals upheld by this organization – openness, collaboration, and innovation. Specifically, your support is vital to sustaining CC's general operations, allowing us to continue building our organizational infrastructure, while at the same time helping to further CC's mission by validating us as a leader in open innovation. By establishing a relationship with CC, you open the door to working with other organizations and companies that are also leaders in the field.

We strive to work closely with each of our corporate partners to identify new points of collaboration. Whether it be through access to our board and staff or through networking events, workshops, and consulting opportunities, building a relationship with Creative Commons allows you to engage more fully with us as you invest in the future of the digital commons.

Each relationship between CC and its corporate partners is unique, and the Creative Commons Development Team will work closely with you to build a working sponsorship tailored to meet your needs. We look forward to discussing ways in which we can work together!

Corporate Giving Program

$50,000 and Up — Sustainer

  • All benefits of Investor sponsorship.
  • Access to Board of Directors.

$25,000–$50,000 — Investor

  • All benefits of Leader sponsorship.
  • On-site workshops/seminars for your employees or group of colleagues.

$10,000–$25,000 — Leader

  • All benefits of Innovator sponsorship.
  • ccTalks - a profile on our public Supporter page including a brief interview discussing the work of your company and why your company chooses to support CC.

$5,000–$10,000 — Innovator

  • All benefits of Creator sponsorship.
  • Open invitation to all CC events - including invitation-only events.

$1,000–$5,000 — Creator

  • Promotion on our Web site and public Supporters page.

Further questions and interest should be directed to development@creativecommons.org or 1-650-294-4732.

Matching Challenge Sponsorship

Many successful companies — Yahoo, Microsoft, Google, Mozilla, Redhat — have benefited from the work of Creative Commons because our tools allow for new kinds of business models that encourage legal sharing and foster digital innovation. As a way to give back and provide us with much-needed funding to continue the work we are doing, we want to offer you the chance to support CC through a matching challenge sponsorship. The sponsor agrees to match all individual donations to CC dollar for dollar (up to a given amount, generally $3–5,000) within a specific time frame (usually 1–2 weeks). In return, it will be heavily promoted on our blog and listed as a sponsor on our supporters page and in our donor recognition material.

Matching challenge sponsorships provide an excellent opportunity to build goodwill between your organization and CC while gaining valuable exposure to a growing community of users and supporters of free and open content.

Our annual fundraising campaign generates close to a million website views, with an average of 80,000 visits per week, and gets publicized on dozens of major blogs and online news sites. We always receive extremely positive responses from both our community and the sponsors themselves.

Further questions and interest should be directed to development@creativecommons.org or 1-650-294-4732.

Employee Matching Gifts Program


Interested in doubling your contribution to Creative Commons at no cost to you? Read through these FAQs to learn more about employee matching gifts programs and how you can participate.

What is an Employee Matching Gifts Program?

Many companies and corporations offer this program as a benefit to their employees and retirees who wish to donate to a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt charitable organization. Your employer pledges to match your contribution to qualifying organizations.

How much of my donation will my company match?

Rules and regulations vary from company to company, but generally, your employer will match your donation 1:1 up to $1,000 or more a year. If you donate $100, your employer will give another $100. Some companies may also match in-kind gifts, or gifts of products and equipment (like computers).

How do I participate in my Employee Matching Gifts Program?

First, you will need to inquire at your company whether this program is offered. If it is, the process must start with you. The process varies among companies, but generally speaking, there are three steps – you take the first two, and the final step is ours. (1) Make a donation to Creative Commons. (2) Obtain an Employee Matching Gifts Program form from your employer, fill out the section indicated, and mail it to us (444 Castro Street, Suite 900 / Mountain View, CA 94041). (3) We will take it from there – once we have verified that your donation has been made, we will fill out the second portion of the form and return it to your employer, who will then disburse the matching funds to us.

Is it worth it?

We think so! It's a win-win situation: Not only are you taking advantage of this great opportunity to increase your contribution to Creative Commons, but your employer is happy because you are happy, and Creative Commons is thrilled, as always, to have the support of dedicated Commoners like you!

Here are some examples of companies that offer Matching Gifts Programs:

  • Adobe Systems Inc.
  • American Express
  • Amgen
  • AT&T
  • Bank of America
  • Blue Shield of California
  • Cisco
  • Google
  • IBM
  • Merrill Lynch
  • Microsoft
  • New York Times Company
  • Sun Microsystems
  • Xcel Energy
  • Yahoo

Further questions and interest should be directed to development@creativecommons.org or 1-650-294-4732.

Gifts of stock

We'd be happy to assist you if you'd like to make a gift of stock to Creative Commons. Please send an email to gifts@creativecommons.org.