Governing Board

The Governing Board is an advisory board that is made up of elected representatives from all across the Matrix ecosystem. The role of the Governing Board is to offer guidance and support to the Guardians, Foundation staff, and Spec Core Team. It is organized under these bylaws (v1.3, last updated April 2025).

There are nine different constituency groups that are allocated seats on the Governing Board, across three categories:

• Community representatives
  • 4 seats for Individual Members — these are people who currently provide individual financial support to the Foundation.
  • 3 seats for Ecosystem Members — these are FOSS projects and communities around Matrix.
  • 2 seats for Associate Members — these are FOSS foundations, academic institutions, and other communities that are aligned with key parts of our mission.
• Funder representatives
  • 4 seats for Platinum Members — these organisations sponsor at the highest level.
  • 3 seats for Gold Members — these organisations sponsor at a high level.
  • 2 seats for Silver Members — these organisations sponsor at a level commensurate with the size of their organisation.
• Foundation representatives
  • 3 seats for Guardians — these are the members of the Foundation's board of directors.
  • 2 seats for the Spec Core Team — these are the members of the Spec Core Team that looks after the spec.
  • Managing Director — this is the Foundation's head of staff.

To become a member, support the Foundation, be eligible to vote (in the Individual Members category), and even to stand as a candidate, please see our Membership Page. If you're part of an organisation or community that wants to be part of the Board, please use this form or reach out to us to discuss.

Elections are being held in the second quarter of each calendar year, alternating halves of the Constituency Groups representatives on the Governing Board as per the following calendar:

• April-June 2024, and any subsequent even-numbered years: Guardians, SCT, Platinum and Ecosystem
• April-June 2025, and any subsequent odd-numbered years: Gold, Silver, Individual, Associate

Elected representatives

The current elected representatives are:

Bylaws, Processes, and Norms

These documents cover the Matrix Governing Board, its purpose, operations, and processes. The content is divided into the following sections:

• Terms of Reference (TOR): The immutable basis for the Governing Board. The TOR outline the Board's purpose, mandate, and authority.
• Bylaws and Expectations: The comprehensive rules, structures, and expectations for the Board, committees, and working groups, layered on top of the TOR.
• Social Contract: The agreed social norms, standards of conduct, and principles for interaction and transparency.
• Processes: Practical procedures for decision-making, proposals, conflict resolution, transparency, and other operational matters.

The Governance Committee is responsible for adapting these documents as needed, with the exception of the TOR, which requires formal amendment from the Guardians. These documents are currently v1.0.1 and were last modified on 2025-05-21. The canonical versions of the bylaws and expectations, social contract, and processes are the markdown sources available through the matrix website's git repo.

Committees

There are currently 4 Committees:

• Community
• Governance
• Trust & Safety
• Finance & Fundraising

Current Chairs of the Governing Board

The current chairs of the Governing Board are:

Where can I reach the Governing Board?

The Governing Board has a dedicated room on Matrix, #governing-board-office:matrix.org, where you can reach out to them.

Publications and News

The Governing Board as a whole meets (at least) twice a year and subsequently publish a report about its activities on the Matrix.org blog. You can find them and other posts concerning the Governing Board using the Governing Board category filter of the blog.

Working Groups

The Working Groups are a collection of groups that are formed to work on specific tasks or projects that are important to the Matrix ecosystem. The Working Groups are made up of members from the Matrix ecosystem and are overseen by the Governing Board. You can find more information about the Working Groups here.