diff --git a/CHANGELOG b/CHANGELOG
index 4bbc3bbc4c..913745a1a0 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG
+++ b/CHANGELOG
@@ -1,3 +1,13 @@
+mkdocs-ng-material-9.7.7 (2026-04-27)
+
+  * First release of the mkdocs-ng fork
+  * Upstream entered maintenance mode; fork continues active development
+    See https://github.com/squidfunk/mkdocs-material/issues/8523
+  * Rebranded as mkdocs-ng-material under the mkdocs-ng ecosystem
+  * Updated all documentation links and references for the new project home
+  * Added release drafter and PR autolabeler workflows
+  * Fixed documentation build workflow for the mkdocs-ng organization
+
 mkdocs-material-9.7.6 (2026-03-19)
 
   * Automatically disable MkDocs 2.0 warning for forks of MkDocs
diff --git a/docs/blog/posts/git-sparse-checkout.md b/docs/blog/posts/git-sparse-checkout.md
index a32bcbb7c3..f302fc75b1 100644
--- a/docs/blog/posts/git-sparse-checkout.md
+++ b/docs/blog/posts/git-sparse-checkout.md
@@ -89,7 +89,7 @@ jobs:
       - uses: actions/setup-python@v4
         with:
           python-version: 3.x
-      - run: pip install mkdocs-material
+      - run: pip install mkdocs-ng-material
       - run: mkdocs gh-deploy --force
 ```
 
diff --git a/docs/blog/posts/insiders-now-free-for-everyone.md b/docs/blog/posts/insiders-now-free-for-everyone.md
index 305dcc7ff1..92ae311806 100644
--- a/docs/blog/posts/insiders-now-free-for-everyone.md
+++ b/docs/blog/posts/insiders-now-free-for-everyone.md
@@ -134,7 +134,7 @@ Thus, please adjust your `requirements.txt` and GitHub Actions workflows:
 
 ```diff
 - pip install git+https://${GH_TOKEN}@github.com/mkdocs-ng/mkdocs-material-insiders. git
-+ pip install mkdocs-material
++ pip install mkdocs-ng-material
 
 ```
 
diff --git a/docs/changelog/index.md b/docs/changelog/index.md
index 5302eb2982..4ebaefc946 100644
--- a/docs/changelog/index.md
+++ b/docs/changelog/index.md
@@ -2,6 +2,23 @@
 
 ## Material for MkDocs
 
+### 9.7.7 <small>April 27, 2026</small> { id="9.7.7" }
+
+!!! info "First release of the mkdocs-ng fork"
+
+    [Upstream Material for MkDocs entered maintenance mode][issue-8523] on
+    November 11, 2025, and will no longer receive new features or bug fixes
+    beyond critical security updates. This fork continues active development
+    under the [mkdocs-ng] organization to keep the project alive and evolving.
+
+    [issue-8523]: https://github.com/squidfunk/mkdocs-material/issues/8523
+    [mkdocs-ng]: https://github.com/mkdocs-ng
+
+- Rebranded as mkdocs-ng-material under the mkdocs-ng ecosystem
+- Updated all documentation links and references for the new project home
+- Added release drafter and PR autolabeler workflows
+- Fixed documentation build workflow for the mkdocs-ng organization
+
 ### 9.7.6 <small>March 19, 2026</small> { id="9.7.6" }
 
 - Automatically disable MkDocs 2.0 warning for forks of MkDocs
diff --git a/docs/publishing-your-site.md b/docs/publishing-your-site.md
index d6f55f2965..5311ea3811 100644
--- a/docs/publishing-your-site.md
+++ b/docs/publishing-your-site.md
@@ -43,11 +43,11 @@ jobs:
       - run: echo "cache_id=$(date --utc '+%V')" >> $GITHUB_ENV # (3)!
       - uses: actions/cache@v4
         with:
-          key: mkdocs-material-${{ env.cache_id }}
+          key: mkdocs-ng-material-${{ env.cache_id }}
           path: ~/.cache # (4)!
           restore-keys: |
-            mkdocs-material-
-      - run: pip install mkdocs-material # (5)!
+            mkdocs-ng-material-
+      - run: pip install mkdocs-ng-material # (5)!
       - run: mkdocs gh-deploy --force
 ```
 
@@ -129,7 +129,7 @@ pages:
   stage: deploy
   image: python:latest
   script:
-    - pip install mkdocs-material
+    - pip install mkdocs-ng-material
     - mkdocs build --site-dir public
   cache:
     key: ${CI_COMMIT_REF_SLUG}
diff --git a/material/__init__.py b/material/__init__.py
index a09923341c..4561c41297 100644
--- a/material/__init__.py
+++ b/material/__init__.py
@@ -18,4 +18,4 @@
 # FROM, OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS
 # IN THE SOFTWARE.
 
-__version__ = "9.7.6"
+__version__ = "9.7.7"
diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index 25d642dce6..61d8cfb9b0 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
   "name": "mkdocs-ng-material",
-  "version": "9.7.6",
+  "version": "9.7.7",
   "description": "Documentation that simply works",
   "keywords": [
     "mkdocs",
diff --git a/src/overrides/assets/javascripts/templates/sponsorship/index.tsx b/src/overrides/assets/javascripts/templates/sponsorship/index.tsx
index d795baf29d..8b1ef89c42 100644
--- a/src/overrides/assets/javascripts/templates/sponsorship/index.tsx
+++ b/src/overrides/assets/javascripts/templates/sponsorship/index.tsx
@@ -58,7 +58,7 @@ export function renderPrivateSponsor(
 ): HTMLElement {
   return (
     <a
-      href="https://github.com/sponsors/squidfunk?metadata_origin=docs"
+      href="https://github.com/sponsors/mkdocs-ng?metadata_origin=docs"
       class="mdx-sponsorship__item mdx-sponsorship__item--private"
     >
       +{count}
diff --git a/src/overrides/assets/stylesheets/custom/layout/_iconsearch.scss b/src/overrides/assets/stylesheets/custom/layout/_iconsearch.scss
index 90f2eb1bbd..8934900830 100644
--- a/src/overrides/assets/stylesheets/custom/layout/_iconsearch.scss
+++ b/src/overrides/assets/stylesheets/custom/layout/_iconsearch.scss
@@ -159,7 +159,7 @@
         height: px2rem(18px);
 
         // Slate theme, i.e. dark mode
-        [data-md-color-scheme="slate"] &[src*="squidfunk"] {
+        [data-md-color-scheme="slate"] &[src*="mkdocs-ng"] {
           filter: invert(1); /* stylelint-disable-line */
         }
       }