Drupal Certified Partner Program Reaches 101 Agencies, But Broader Industry Support Remains Crucial

In a Feb. 15 blog post on Drupal.org, Tim Doyle, CEO of the Drupal Association, announced the expansion of the Drupal Certified Partner Program to 101 partners—up from 75 a year ago. The growth represents a significant stride toward fostering sustainable support for the open-source Drupal platform, yet Doyle cautioned that greater industry-wide participation is essential to maintain Drupal’s innovation and independence.

According to Doyle’s update, the 101 partner agencies now sponsor 87% of all Drupal contributions. In 2024, certified partners made 158,387 credits to the platform’s 203,738 total contributions. However, only 7% of the 1,440 active organizations on Drupal.org are enrolled in the program, underscoring a reliance on a small group of contributors. Doyle noted that 96% of 2024’s total contributions came from just 219 companies, warning that this imbalance poses a risk to Drupal’s long-term viability. 

The program categorizes agencies into tiers based on their contributions, with most new partners starting at the entry-level and some advancing within the same year. Geographic diversity remains an area for improvement, with growth potential in Asia, Australia, and the Middle East.  

To address the disparity, the Drupal Association aims to triple the number of certified partners and encourage larger corporations to contribute at levels proportionate to their revenues. While the program has seen a promising mix of contribution tiers—with smaller agencies often surpassing expectations—Doyle highlighted that some large companies remain hesitant. Despite generating substantial income from Drupal-related business, they often fail to secure upper management approval for code and financial contributions.

Doyle also emphasized the need to drive more business toward certified partners. By rewarding organizations that actively sustain Drupal’s codebase, the association hopes to reduce free-riding and ensure that development costs are shared among those benefiting from the platform. Citing the success of the program in 2024, Doyle stressed that broad-based commitment to open-source principles is essential for safeguarding Drupal’s competitive edge.

Looking ahead, the Drupal Association plans to strengthen governance, expand geographic diversity, and improve incentives for higher-tier agencies. Doyle expressed optimism for the community’s future, calling on agencies that profit from Drupal to become makers, not takers, and to help keep the platform independent, innovative and sustainable. For a detailed breakdown of the program’s progress and next steps, read Tim Doyle’s full blog post: Progress in Innovating and Sustaining Drupal, but More Needs to Be Done.