OurSQL Foundation Launches to Guide MySQL's Open Source Future

RALEIGH, NC – May 27, 2026 – By Daniel Howard

A coalition of influential figures and companies within the MySQL ecosystem today announced the launch of The OurSQL Foundation, a new non-profit organization aimed at steering the future of the world's most popular open-source database. The foundation, established as a 501(c)(6) entity, positions itself as an independent, vendor-neutral body dedicated to supporting the vast community of users, developers, and businesses that rely on MySQL.

The move is widely seen as a significant step to reassert community influence over the database's direction, a topic of increasing discussion since Oracle's acquisition of Sun Microsystems—and with it, MySQL—over a decade ago. The foundation's stated mission is to provide a central, transparent venue for collaboration, knowledge sharing, and feedback on MySQL's development, independent of any single corporate entity.

A Declaration of Community Independence

The OurSQL Foundation arrives with a clear mandate: to foster a healthy, collaborative ecosystem around MySQL that is not beholden to one company's roadmap. The founding board includes a roster of prominent names from the MySQL world, including individuals from Percona, PlanetScale, and PingCAP, as well as respected independent consultants. This composition is designed to signal broad support from key players who build, deploy, and support MySQL at scale.

"This Foundation will provide a platform to promote and support MySQL as a database, fostering collaboration across everyone looking to contribute to the broad MySQL ecosystem," said Vadim Tkachenko, Co-Founder at Percona and President of the new foundation. "By bringing the community together under the banner of an independent Foundation, we can demonstrate that MySQL has a valid and vibrant future ahead of it."

The organization's initial plans include the stewardship of shared community assets, such as a public bug database for tracking issues and a portal for open-source tools. It also aims to be a central hub for virtual and physical events, fostering dialogue about the database's future. This structure is intended to create a merit-based, vendor-neutral governance model where the entire community has a voice.

Navigating the Oracle Relationship

The foundation's launch occurs against a backdrop of a complex and sometimes tense relationship between the open-source community and Oracle. While the press release notes the foundation will "collaborate with all players in the market, including Oracle," it also explicitly states it is "not connected to or supported by Oracle" and will "ensure that the broad MySQL ecosystem has a bright future, independent of Oracle."

This careful positioning reflects long-standing community concerns. Earlier this year, an "Open Letter to Oracle" co-signed by several companies, including Percona, called for a non-profit foundation to steward MySQL, citing a decline in contribution rates and a lack of transparent governance.

Oracle, for its part, has recently attempted to address these criticisms. In February 2026, marking MySQL's 30th anniversary, the company announced a "reinvigorated approach to community collaboration," promising to move previously commercial features into the open-source Community Edition and publish a more open development roadmap. However, Oracle has explicitly rejected the idea of ceding control of MySQL to an independent foundation, a move analysts believe is tied to protecting its commercial interests in products like MySQL HeatWave and the Oracle Cloud Infrastructure.

The OurSQL Foundation, therefore, emerges as the community's answer to this impasse. While Oracle controls the core codebase, the foundation seeks to control the ecosystem's narrative and collaborative infrastructure. Early industry commentary suggests the foundation's role is perceived as a necessary check and balance, a way to hold Oracle accountable to its open-source promises and ensure the community's needs are not sidelined by corporate strategy.

Securing MySQL for the Next Generation

A critical focus for the foundation is ensuring MySQL's long-term relevance in an increasingly crowded database market. The founders are acutely aware that without a pipeline of new developers, the database's dominance could wane. A key part of the foundation's charter is the development of education and training materials, with potential for new certification programs and academic partnerships.

"Without the next generation of developers learning about where and how MySQL shines versus alternatives in the space, the community will continue to slowly retract," noted Matt Lord, a Software Engineer at PlanetScale and Secretary for the foundation. He emphasized that for companies relying on MySQL, "keeping that pipeline of developer interest and talent centered around MySQL will be essential."

This sentiment is echoed by other board members who see the foundation as a vehicle for collective action. "Open source involves collaboration and finding ways to give back, so that we can learn and meet our challenges together," said Jean-Francois Gagné, an independent MySQL expert and foundation board member. He views the foundation as a "vendor-neutral forum to collaborate and to make sure MySQL keeps allowing us to meet our challenges in the years to come."

A New Blueprint for Open Source Governance?

In structuring itself, The OurSQL Foundation is drawing from the playbook of other successful open-source projects, but with a key distinction. Unlike the MariaDB Foundation, which is focused on the MariaDB server—a fork of MySQL—the OurSQL Foundation aims to support the entire MySQL ecosystem, including all compatible technologies and vendors. This broader scope is intended to unite, rather than fragment, the community.

The chosen 501(c)(6) non-profit structure, typically used for business leagues, underscores its goal of promoting the common business interests of the MySQL ecosystem. However, the path for such foundations is not without challenges. Sustaining operations through donations and sponsorships, preventing volunteer burnout, and navigating the inherent tension with the project's corporate steward are common hurdles.

The success of The OurSQL Foundation will likely depend on its ability to build a robust funding model and demonstrate tangible value to its members and the wider community. By creating a neutral ground for collaboration, the foundation hopes to foster innovation that benefits everyone, from independent developers to the largest enterprise users. Its creation marks a pivotal moment, shifting the center of gravity in the MySQL world and placing the responsibility for its future squarely in the hands of its dedicated community.