The ASF has a process for managing open source projects, that starts with new projects entering the Incubator. The project is monitored by a committee for thing

The ASF has a process for managing open source projects, that starts with new projects entering the Incubator. The project is monitored by a committee for things like how well the project is able to attract developers, whether they are able to form a common vision / roadmap. Once the project is deemed to have gained sufficient traction, it is promoted to a top-level Apache project. tl,dr; credibility + ASF management.