The Apache Software Foundation (ASF) is the nonprofit organization that shepherds the Apache HTTP Server and a large family of related open-source projects. It grew out of the Apache Group, the volunteer team that had maintained the Apache web server since 1995. The group formed the foundation in 1999 to give the work organizational, legal, and financial support that would outlast any individual volunteer.
The ASF’s own June 30, 1999 press release announced that the Apache Group had incorporated as the Apache Software Foundation, describing it as a membership-based, not-for-profit corporation. It explained that membership is open to individuals by invitation, based on technical contributions and active collaboration on Foundation projects.
The foundation’s own pages describe the ASF as a U.S. 501(c)(3) charitable organization that exists to provide software for the public good, funded by donations and corporate sponsors and run largely by volunteers. It champions community-led development known as “The Apache Way” and today supports hundreds of projects, making it one of the central institutions of open source.