Our Mission

ClassicPress is a community-driven open-source content management system (CMS) designed for website creators everywhere. We aim to provide a CMS that is stable, secure, and instantly familiar.

Our Vision

We believe that by combining careful, deliberate planning with the insight and collective wisdom of the ClassicPress community, we will ensure the success of ClassicPress for many years to come.

We understand that longevity in the marketplace is often one of the hallmarks of an optimal solution. The pre-5.0 WordPress publishing experience was (and still is) a tried and tested platform complemented by a wide array of plugins that extend its functionality. ClassicPress builds upon the foundation that made WordPress the most popular CMS in the world.

As a community-led fork, we choose to focus on open dialogue and democratic decisions to guide our journey. ClassicPress directors, committee members, and team leaders commit to the following:

Focus on creativity

ClassicPress serves users who will benefit greatly from a robust CMS, one that has been created for creators. As ClassicPress evolves, the features and functionalities we implement will align with the votes of the ClassicPress community and our three core ideals:

Stable. Secure. Instantly Familiar.

We facilitate democratic discussion and decision making

In order for community members to participate in decisions about ClassicPress, it is essential that we provide a platform that makes it easy for every member to share ideas, debate, vote, and give feedback without censorship. To make this a reality, we facilitate these discussions via our forum and other digital communication platforms.

Our organizational structure allows us to adapt to meet the expressed needs of the ClassicPress community, and we make decisions collaboratively with the overall mission of ClassicPress in mind. 

We build ClassicPress to meet the needs of our users

We are sensitive to the wide variety of needs that are presented by ClassicPress users. Programmers, designers, marketers, businesses, and individual website visitors each have unique challenges that must be addressed in areas such as stability, efficiency, security, usability, and more.

Ultimately, we want to ensure that those who use ClassicPress find it to be a positive experience that supports them as they focus on their own personal and business goals.

We invest in the future of ClassicPress

The ClassicPress Initiative is a nonprofit organization registered under section 501(c)(3) of the United States IRS code, established for the purpose of promoting and supporting the ClassicPress project. In addition to the individuals who have committed to serving as directors of The ClassicPress Initiative, a steering committee exists to ensure the longevity of the platform and to address any challenges that may arise over time.

Ultimately, all decisions made by the directors of The ClassicPress Initiative. and the ClassicPress steering committee will be based on their understanding of the ClassicPress mission and vision and their effort to serve the best interest of the organization as a whole. 

We use all ClassicPress finances prudently

We will be transparent about our finances and encourage the community to provide input on how donations received may be best utilized. We will consistently re-invest in the ClassicPress platform and any supporting systems to ensure the continued success of ClassicPress.

Founding Committee

The founding committee is the group of people who formed the initial ClassicPress committee. The members can be seen below:

Pieter Bos
Scott Bowler
Michelle Coe
Fredrik Forsmo
Rui Guerreiro
Ray Gulick

Tim Kaye
Charles Lecklider
James Nylen
Daniele Scasciafratte
Wade Striebel
Fabian Wolf

Our History

The concept of ClassicPress was launched by Scott Bowler on August 18th, 2018. Within a week, word spread around the globe and people started to volunteer to help change ClassicPress from a simple idea to a reality. The evolution of ClassicPress has been phenomenal — we went from zero to a team of 15+ volunteers in a matter of weeks, and we are still growing.

The Project is 100% community-driven and funded.