GovStarter

Launch a government website from a working starting point instead of an empty Drupal install.

GovStarter is a free, open-source Drupal CMS site template created for U.S. government agencies and public-sector organizations. It installs a complete starting site, with pages, navigation, content and configuration, built on the GovCraft theme and the U.S. Web Design System.

A complete site, not just a theme

GovStarter gives teams a realistic government website from the first install, including:

• A home page built from GovCraft components
• Service pages
• News, with filtering
• A contact form
• An accessibility statement
• Main, utility and footer menus
• A site header and footer, configured from the site's own settings

The sample content shows how the components fit together on real pages, so teams can replace it with their own instead of starting from a blank screen.

Built for Drupal CMS and Canvas

GovStarter is packaged as a Drupal CMS site template. Its pages are built in Drupal Canvas, so content editors can rearrange sections, edit text and place new GovCraft components visually, without writing code.

Developers keep full control: everything GovStarter installs is standard Drupal configuration and content that can be changed, extended or removed.

Built with public-sector needs in mind

GovStarter is responsive and targets WCAG 2.2 AA, which also meets the WCAG 2.0 AA that Section 508 requires. Its sample pages are composed to model accessible structure, such as heading order, landmarks and link text, because they are what teams will copy.

Because it is built on USWDS, it gives teams a familiar foundation for government digital experiences while keeping the freedom to adapt branding, content and functionality for each agency.

Getting started

Install GovStarter on a new Drupal CMS site. It brings in the GovCraft theme automatically and sets up the pages, menus and content.

For detailed installation and configuration instructions, see the project README.

Only need the theme?

GovStarter provides the complete starting site. GovCraft provides the visual system underneath it: 50 reusable components, available independently for teams that want to apply the theme to an existing or custom Drupal implementation.