Joomla wins Sovereign Tech Fund grant to hit WCAG 2.2 accessibility standard

What's the deal? JoomlaDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, one of the world's leading content management systems, has secured a grant from the Sovereign Tech FundDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → to fund a 20-month accessibility programme. Open Source Matters (OSM), the non-profit behind the CMS, announced the investment on July 19, 2026.

What's the endgame? The programme spans 20 milestones across nine phases, aiming to bring Joomla's core platform into full compliance with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2 standard. It marks the first time a volunteer-driven open-source CMS has received public funding for a comprehensive, independently audited accessibility programme.

What's included? Beyond the audit, the initiative covers modernising the design system, building framework-agnostic templates, improving developer documentation, and embedding accessibility testing into Joomla's development workflows. The goal is to make accessibility a sustainable and measurable part of the CMS.

Why now? Across Europe, the EU Accessibility Act and national rules such as Germany's BFSG now require public-facing digital services to meet stricter accessibility standards. Joomla's programme directly targets these requirements, positioning it for governments, municipalities, and public institutions.

"This investment represents a major milestone for Joomla and the wider open-source community," said Elisa Foltyn, president of OSM. "We are setting a new standard for what open-source CMS accessibility can and should look like."

The signal: The Sovereign Tech Fund, part of the Sovereign Tech Agency, invests in open-source software to strengthen digital infrastructure and sovereignty. Its backing of a volunteer-driven project signals growing public investment in the open digital foundations that public institutions increasingly depend on.

Read more: BusinessMole