diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index 8a8d3008..b2029dbb 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -58,6 +58,7 @@
     "validate:radar-reports": "node scripts/validate-radar-reports.mjs",
     "validate:community-people": "node scripts/validate-community-people.mjs",
     "validate:community-groups": "node scripts/validate-community-groups.mjs",
+    "validate:projects-born": "node scripts/validate-projects-born.mjs",
     "pr-queue-hygiene": "node scripts/pr-queue-hygiene.mjs",
     "test:unit": "TZ=UTC node --test",
     "test:unit:coverage": "TZ=UTC node tests/tools/coverage-report.mjs",
diff --git a/scripts/validate-projects-born.mjs b/scripts/validate-projects-born.mjs
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..8b9bab5a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/scripts/validate-projects-born.mjs
@@ -0,0 +1,105 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env node
+import { readFileSync } from 'node:fs';
+import { reportAndExit } from './lib/validate-utils.mjs';
+
+// data/projects-born.json is hand-maintained, and src/components/ProjectsBorn
+// renders every entry's `url` as an <a href>. That component is mounted in
+// src/theme/Footer, so these links ship on every page of the site rather than
+// on one section of the homepage.
+//
+// It was the only data file feeding an <a href> with no validator behind it,
+// which left a maintainer skimming a JSON diff as the sole gate. A scheme
+// prefix test would not be one either: /^https:\/\// accepts
+// "https://www.cncf.io@evil.example/", whose visible prefix and real host
+// disagree, and accepts unparseable values such as "https://". Parse the URL
+// instead, the same standard checkHttpsUrl() in validate-awards.mjs and
+// checkUrl() in validate-metrics.mjs already apply.
+//
+// No host allow-list: these are legitimately third-party project sites
+// (envoyproxy.io, jaegertracing.io, backstage.io), unlike the cncf.io feeds
+// guarded by validate-radar-reports.mjs and validate-case-studies.mjs.
+
+const REQUIRED_TEXT_FIELDS = ['name', 'origin', 'description'];
+
+function checkUrl(errors, path, value) {
+  if (typeof value !== 'string' || !value.trim()) {
+    errors.push({
+      path,
+      severity: 'error',
+      message: 'url must be a non-empty string',
+    });
+    return;
+  }
+
+  let parsed;
+  try {
+    parsed = new URL(value.trim());
+  } catch {
+    errors.push({
+      path,
+      severity: 'error',
+      message: `url must be an absolute https URL: ${JSON.stringify(value)}`,
+    });
+    return;
+  }
+
+  if (parsed.protocol !== 'https:') {
+    errors.push({
+      path,
+      severity: 'error',
+      message: `url must use https, got ${parsed.protocol}`,
+    });
+    return;
+  }
+
+  if (parsed.username || parsed.password) {
+    errors.push({
+      path,
+      severity: 'error',
+      message: `url must not carry a userinfo component, which only disguises the real host (${parsed.hostname})`,
+    });
+  }
+}
+
+const data = JSON.parse(
+  readFileSync(new URL('../data/projects-born.json', import.meta.url)),
+);
+const errors = [];
+
+if (!Array.isArray(data) || !data.length) {
+  errors.push({
+    path: 'projects-born.json',
+    severity: 'error',
+    message: 'projects-born.json must be a non-empty array',
+  });
+}
+
+const names = new Set();
+for (const entry of Array.isArray(data) ? data : []) {
+  const path = typeof entry?.name === 'string' ? entry.name : 'unknown';
+
+  for (const field of REQUIRED_TEXT_FIELDS) {
+    const value = entry?.[field];
+    if (typeof value !== 'string' || !value.trim()) {
+      errors.push({
+        path,
+        severity: 'error',
+        message: `${field} must be a non-empty string`,
+      });
+    }
+  }
+
+  if (typeof entry?.name === 'string' && names.has(entry.name)) {
+    errors.push({
+      path,
+      severity: 'error',
+      message: 'duplicate name',
+    });
+  }
+  names.add(entry?.name);
+
+  checkUrl(errors, path, entry?.url);
+}
+
+reportAndExit(errors, 'projects born');
+console.log(`Validated ${data.length} born projects`);
diff --git a/tests/validate-projects-born.test.mjs b/tests/validate-projects-born.test.mjs
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..a839f403
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/validate-projects-born.test.mjs
@@ -0,0 +1,166 @@
+import assert from 'node:assert/strict';
+import test from 'node:test';
+import { runScriptWithFixtures } from './helpers.mjs';
+
+const SCRIPT = 'validate-projects-born.mjs';
+
+const validEntry = {
+  name: 'Envoy',
+  origin: 'Lyft',
+  description: 'Originally built at Lyft before becoming a CNCF project.',
+  url: 'https://www.envoyproxy.io/',
+};
+
+const validData = [
+  validEntry,
+  {
+    name: 'Jaeger',
+    origin: 'Uber',
+    description: 'Open sourced by Uber to make distributed tracing practical.',
+    url: 'https://www.jaegertracing.io/',
+  },
+];
+
+function fixture(data) {
+  return { 'data/projects-born.json': JSON.stringify(data) };
+}
+
+test('accepts a valid projects-born file', () => {
+  const result = runScriptWithFixtures(SCRIPT, fixture(validData));
+  assert.equal(result.status, 0, result.stderr);
+  assert.match(result.stdout, /Validated 2 born projects/);
+});
+
+test('rejects a file that is not an array', () => {
+  const result = runScriptWithFixtures(SCRIPT, fixture({ projects: [] }));
+  assert.equal(result.status, 1);
+  assert.match(result.stderr, /must be a non-empty array/);
+});
+
+test('rejects an empty array', () => {
+  const result = runScriptWithFixtures(SCRIPT, fixture([]));
+  assert.equal(result.status, 1);
+  assert.match(result.stderr, /must be a non-empty array/);
+});
+
+// The control this validator exists for: the visible prefix reads as the
+// project's own site while the request resolves to the userinfo-suffixed host.
+test('rejects a url carrying a userinfo component', () => {
+  const result = runScriptWithFixtures(
+    SCRIPT,
+    fixture([
+      { ...validEntry, url: 'https://www.envoyproxy.io@evil.example/' },
+    ]),
+  );
+  assert.equal(result.status, 1);
+  assert.match(result.stderr, /must not carry a userinfo component/);
+  assert.match(result.stderr, /evil\.example/);
+});
+
+test('rejects a non-https url', () => {
+  const result = runScriptWithFixtures(
+    SCRIPT,
+    fixture([{ ...validEntry, url: 'http://www.envoyproxy.io/' }]),
+  );
+  assert.equal(result.status, 1);
+  assert.match(result.stderr, /must use https, got http:/);
+});
+
+test('rejects a javascript: url', () => {
+  const result = runScriptWithFixtures(
+    SCRIPT,
+    fixture([{ ...validEntry, url: 'javascript:alert(1)' }]),
+  );
+  assert.equal(result.status, 1);
+  assert.match(result.stderr, /must use https, got javascript:/);
+});
+
+test('rejects an unparseable url', () => {
+  const result = runScriptWithFixtures(
+    SCRIPT,
+    fixture([{ ...validEntry, url: 'www.envoyproxy.io' }]),
+  );
+  assert.equal(result.status, 1);
+  assert.match(result.stderr, /must be an absolute https URL/);
+});
+
+test('rejects a missing url', () => {
+  const result = runScriptWithFixtures(
+    SCRIPT,
+    fixture([{ ...validEntry, url: undefined }]),
+  );
+  assert.equal(result.status, 1);
+  assert.match(result.stderr, /url must be a non-empty string/);
+});
+
+test('rejects a blank url', () => {
+  const result = runScriptWithFixtures(
+    SCRIPT,
+    fixture([{ ...validEntry, url: '   ' }]),
+  );
+  assert.equal(result.status, 1);
+  assert.match(result.stderr, /url must be a non-empty string/);
+});
+
+test('rejects a non-string url', () => {
+  const result = runScriptWithFixtures(
+    SCRIPT,
+    fixture([{ ...validEntry, url: 42 }]),
+  );
+  assert.equal(result.status, 1);
+  assert.match(result.stderr, /url must be a non-empty string/);
+});
+
+for (const field of ['name', 'origin', 'description']) {
+  test(`rejects a missing ${field}`, () => {
+    const result = runScriptWithFixtures(
+      SCRIPT,
+      fixture([{ ...validEntry, [field]: undefined }]),
+    );
+    assert.equal(result.status, 1);
+    assert.match(
+      result.stderr,
+      new RegExp(`${field} must be a non-empty string`),
+    );
+  });
+
+  test(`rejects a blank ${field}`, () => {
+    const result = runScriptWithFixtures(
+      SCRIPT,
+      fixture([{ ...validEntry, [field]: '  ' }]),
+    );
+    assert.equal(result.status, 1);
+    assert.match(
+      result.stderr,
+      new RegExp(`${field} must be a non-empty string`),
+    );
+  });
+}
+
+// A non-string name still has to produce a readable error path rather than
+// crashing the report, so the entry is labelled "unknown".
+test('labels an entry with a non-string name as unknown', () => {
+  const result = runScriptWithFixtures(
+    SCRIPT,
+    fixture([{ ...validEntry, name: 7 }]),
+  );
+  assert.equal(result.status, 1);
+  assert.match(result.stderr, /unknown: name must be a non-empty string/);
+});
+
+test('rejects duplicate names', () => {
+  const result = runScriptWithFixtures(
+    SCRIPT,
+    fixture([validEntry, { ...validEntry }]),
+  );
+  assert.equal(result.status, 1);
+  assert.match(result.stderr, /duplicate name/);
+});
+
+// A null entry must be reported rather than crash the walk on property access.
+test('reports a null entry instead of throwing', () => {
+  const result = runScriptWithFixtures(SCRIPT, fixture([null]));
+  assert.equal(result.status, 1);
+  assert.match(result.stderr, /unknown: name must be a non-empty string/);
+  assert.match(result.stderr, /unknown: url must be a non-empty string/);
+});
diff --git a/tests/validators-smoke.test.mjs b/tests/validators-smoke.test.mjs
index fe9c2752..b64a04b0 100644
--- a/tests/validators-smoke.test.mjs
+++ b/tests/validators-smoke.test.mjs
@@ -21,6 +21,7 @@ const READ_ONLY_VALIDATORS = [
   'validate-radar-reports.mjs',
   'validate-community-people.mjs',
   'validate-community-groups.mjs',
+  'validate-projects-born.mjs',
 ];
 
 for (const script of READ_ONLY_VALIDATORS) {