The User Group Support Program Is Becoming the Developer Communities Program

Great developer communities don’t come together by accident – they’re built by people who consistently show up for others. They organize meetups after work, keep online discussions active, invite speakers, prepare workshops, and create spaces where developers can learn from each other.

At JetBrains, we’ve always valued these efforts and had the privilege of supporting community organizers around the world. Today, we’re taking the next step in how we do that.

Communities have changed, and so have we

When we first launched the JetBrains User Group Support Program thirteen years ago, the idea was simple. We wanted to help local developer groups grow by providing JetBrains IDE subscriptions for organizers and small community giveaways. Since then, the way developer communities work has changed greatly.

Many communities now live online, on Discord, Slack, and other platforms. Others move between in-person and virtual events, depending on what works best. Workshops, livestreams, and hybrid events have become part of everyday community life.

We realized our program should evolve together with the communities.

That’s why our User Group Support Program is becoming the JetBrains Developer Communities Program, designed to better support the many ways developers come together today.

Supporting more communities, in more ways

Our goal hasn’t changed. We still want to help communities create opportunities for developers to learn, connect, and exchange ideas. What is changing is how we support that.

The program now welcomes a much broader range of communities, including:

• Online communities
• Hybrid communities
• Local meetup groups
• Workshops and other developer-focused initiatives

We’re also expanding the types of support available. In addition to JetBrains IDE subscriptions for organizers and community giveaways, communities may also receive:

• JetBrains swag
• Ready-to-use content
• Help connecting with speakers
• Visibility through JetBrains channels
• Sponsorship for selected events
• Opportunities to host meetups at JetBrains offices

Every community is different, so support won’t look exactly the same for everyone. We’ll work with organizers to understand what would be most useful, based on the activities, needs, location, and available resources.

Existing User Group Support Program participants will automatically become part of the Developer Communities Program – there’s no need to reapply.

Running a student community? School, college, and university student clubs aren’t covered by this program. If you’re a student looking for free JetBrains tools, check out the JetBrains Student Pack.

Staying connected

We see this program as a long-term collaboration with community leaders. As the program grows, we want to stay closer to the communities we support.

Starting in 2027, we’ll check in with participating communities once a year to hear what they’ve been working on and how we can help going forward.

Join us

If you lead an active, established developer community, we’d like to hear from you! We look at each community individually and consider its activities, audience, and engagement.

Learn more about the JetBrains Developer Communities Program and apply today

Thank you to everyone who puts time and energy into helping developers connect and grow!