OpenGov Foundation

The OpenGov Foundation is a fiercely apolitical nonprofit dedicated to serving those who serve the people in America’s legislatures.

Our mission is to create a 21st century Congress where elected officials and staff can meaningfully engage at scale with those they represent, and where citizens can see, shape, and understand the critical decisions that affect their lives, their families, and their businesses.

Founded within the halls of Congress and launched in 2013, we and our open source products have supported more than 50 communities, states, and countries—from the City of Chicago to the federal governments of the United States, Mexico, and France. Our experience in legislative transformation, open source product development, and human-centered design enables us to use technology to help bridge legislatures and the communities they represent.

How we work

We empower those who serve in our democracy with better technology, data, and human-centered design. Everyone wins.

This is how The OpenGov Foundation transforms legislatures. Everything starts with those who serve and those they represent. We fall in love with their problems, rapidly prototype improvements, iterate as true partners, then aggressively measure the results. Lather. Rinse. Repeat.

Take a look at what we’ve been up to

Human-Centered Research

Before you solve a problem, you must first understand the challenge and the people facing it. Before we build, we walk many miles in our users’ shoes. Dive into From Voicemails to Votes, a user-centered look at how the United States Congress engages with constituents.

Rapid Prototypes

With a solid understanding of a problem, we rapidly design, prototype, and test products and services directly with Members, staff, and constituents. We believe in demos, not memos.

Smarter Policies

Research and development isn’t enough. Our legislatures need modern policies to support efficient, effective, and accountable action. We’re a trusted policy voice on issues from open source software to creating a Congressional Digital Service.

Growing the Community of Congressional Innovators

An effective Congress needs greater choice and competition in the marketplace. We share what we learn and invest our time and resources to help others building world-class products and services enter the market. There’s plenty of work to go around (and it’s the right thing to do).