# Getting Involved

Cantera is an open-source suite for chemical kinetics, thermodynamics, and transport
modeling, widely used in fields like combustion, electrochemistry, and materials
science. As a community-driven project, we depend on contributions from users and
developers who are interested in writing code, improving documentation, or assisting
fellow users.

## Ways to Contribute

- **Engage with the Community.**
  Join the [Cantera Users’ Group](https://groups.google.com/g/cantera-users) to ask
  questions, share knowledge, and connect with other users and developers.

- **Contribute Code.**
  Explore our [open issues](https://github.com/Cantera/cantera/issues) and
  [feature requests](https://github.com/Cantera/enhancements/issues) to find tasks that
  match your interests.

- **Enhance Documentation.**
  Help us improve tutorials, examples, and API references to make Cantera more
  accessible to users of all levels.

- **Report and Fix Bugs.**
  Identify [issues or bugs](sec-bug-reporting) and contribute fixes to enhance the
  stability and performance of Cantera.

## Getting Started

- **Review the [Contributor's Guide](https://cantera.org/stable/develop/CONTRIBUTING.html).**
  Learn about our development workflow, coding standards, and testing practices.

- **Set Up Your Development Environment.**
  Follow our [development documentation](https://cantera.org/stable/develop/index.html)
  to compile Cantera from source and configure your tools.

- **Reach Out.**
  If you're unsure where to start, contact the
  [core developers](mailto:developers@cantera.org) to discuss areas where you
  can contribute effectively.

## Community and Support

Cantera is governed by a {doc}`Steering Committee <governance>` dedicated to
maintaining a respectful and inclusive community. All interactions are guided by our
[Code of Conduct](https://github.com/Cantera/cantera/blob/main/CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md) to
ensure a welcoming environment for everyone.

## Recognition

Your contributions are valuable! If you make significant improvements, feel free to add
your name to the `AUTHORS` file in your pull request. We appreciate and acknowledge the
efforts of all our contributors.

(sec-donations)=
## Donations

Finally, please consider financially supporting Cantera's development! Cantera is a
fiscally sponsored project of NumFOCUS, a 501(c)3 nonprofit dedicated to supporting the
open source scientific computing community. If you have found Cantera to be useful to
your research or company, please consider making a
[donation](https://numfocus.org/donate-to-cantera) to support our efforts. All donations
will be used exclusively to fund the development of Cantera's source code,
documentation, or community.

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```{image} _static/img/SponsoredProject.png
:align: center
:alt: Powered by NumFOCUS
:target: https://numfocus.org
:width: 250px
```
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:::{grid-item}
```{button-link} https://numfocus.org/donate-to-cantera
:color: primary
:shadow:
:align: center
Donate to Cantera {octicon}`link-external`
```
:::

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