Transparency in Action: Understanding GitLab Foundation’s Handbook

At GitLab Foundation, we know that what we do is important, but we also believe that how we do it is equally essential. Our core values — Collaboration, Results, Efficiency, Diversity & Inclusion, Iteration and Transparency (CREDIT) — underscore all of our work. Among these, transparency in particular informs how we engage with our team, partners and the public.

Our team does not gatekeep organizational knowledge. Instead, we embrace a “Handbook-first” approach. 

What does that mean, exactly? It means ensuring our operating structure, grantmaking strategy and decision-making matrices are accessible to all via our publicly available Handbook. The Handbook is a comprehensive resource that serves as the single source of truth for internal and external stakeholders. It is adapted from GitLab Inc.’s handbook that enables the organization’s efficient, fully-remote and open-source operating model, which is how we aim to conduct our philanthropy too. 

Below, we break down how our Handbook not only exemplifies transparency but showcases each of our organizational values in action.

A living document for efficiency and accountability

Our Handbook is not static. Like our organization, it evolves continuously, incorporates new insights, adapts to changing conditions and integrates improved practices. Sharing information openly and encouraging dialogue ensures our operations remain nimble and responsive to new challenges and opportunities. 

“We find the foundation to be very communicative, transparent and helpful — ingredients that we consistently find to be part of the healthiest funder-grantee relationships,” said Erica Wong, senior director of development at CodePath. “We appreciate the foundation’s transparent guidance on new grant opportunities, quick funding decisions and innovative grantee support.”

Our public handbook isn’t just a set of policies — it’s a tool that clarifies expectations, accountability and decision-making across our team.

“By explicitly documenting everything from our big-picture strategies to daily workflows, we streamline onboarding, empower team members to align with our mission and values and ensure we’re all on the same page,” explained Elicia Wilson, director of operations at GitLab Foundation. “This approach cuts down on repeat efforts, accelerates our fully remote environment, and lets us focus on what really matters — creating meaningful impact."

Building trust and fostering collaboration

Transparency is a vital component of collaboration. The Handbook creates a space for shared understanding with our partners and grantees, which builds trust among everyone we work with. In practice, this looks like publishing and regularly updating FAQs for open funding opportunities, sharing information about grantees with other funders and our advisory boards, and publishing clear reporting requirements.

“It is incredible to think that the foundation has only been around for 18 months with the amount of processes that it has built out,” said Kristina Parks, philanthropy manager at Human-I-T. “Recently, I had a conversation with a state about federal digital equity programming, and they asked for examples of grantmaking processes that worked well — I immediately mentioned GitLab Foundation because it operates with a level of transparency that is rare to find. I was even able to provide a link to the Handbook, where everything is available online.”

Clarity about our work and goals allows us to focus on delivering measurable and meaningful results while also helping other organizations accurately measure and track the impact of their projects.

Explore the Handbook

In the spirit of transparency, we invite you to explore our work and how the foundation operates. Get started with these popular Handbook sections: 

• Values — Get details on each of our CREDIT values and how they show up in our work. 

• Grantmaking — Learn about our grantmaking strategies and focus areas.

• Impact measurement and learning — Discover our unique North Star impact model and how we support evidence-building for our grantees.