The Raku Foundation

On 1 May 2026, a legal entity for The Raku Foundation was registered in the Netherlands. A Stichting with registration number 42050836.

Community feedback shaped the formation; the aim throughout has been a member-driven organisation with annual elections and the -Ofun paradigm at its heart.

It is going to take a little time for the Executive Board to put in place the registration of Raku community members and democratic procedures consistent with the legal requirements in the Netherlands so that members will be able to democratically participate in the decision-making.

Raku contributors (of all kinds) will shortly be invited to join the membership. You are most welcome and kindly encouraged to register your interest above.

Raku began as Perl6 and inherited its organisational home — Yet Another Society, now The Perl and Raku Foundation. That connection has always felt like a historical remnant: TPRF struggles to raise funding specifically for Raku, and the communities have grown apart.

A dedicated Raku Foundation gives the language its own independent representation and fundraising ethos — letting TPRF refocus on Perl while Raku charts its own course.

There is also a timely opportunity: the EU Cyber Resilience Act introduces the category of Open-source software steward, a role the Foundation is well-placed to fill before the 2027 deadline.

The rationale for a separate Raku Foundation was set forward on 18 June 2025 by Elizabeth Mattijsen in an article on Dev.to.

The legal incorporation required the registration of an initial Executive Board. The following Raku Community members have agreed to serve:

- Elizabeth Mattijsen (lizmat)

- Bruce Gray (Util)

- Patrick Boeker (patrickb)

- Richard Hainsworth (finanalyst)

- Tadeusz Sośnierz (tadzik)

A driving motivation for the immediate formation of The Raku Foundation in a country in the European Union is the Cyber Resiliance Act, which will make it mandatory for any software that is sold or licensed in the European Union to define its dependencies, to have a mechanism for reporting and fixing faults, and establishes legal responsibility for those who sell software. This has major consequences for FOSS developers, which the EU has taken into account, by creating a new category of entity called Open-source software steward.