Civic Tech Field Guide
Sharing knowledge and productively growing the fieldAdjacent Fields > Foundational layers - (77)
We consider these categories necessary pre-requisites for effective civic tech. Without digital literacy and access, meaningful representation, trust and safety, or civic literacy, civic tech will not succeed. So while not every project in this section is explicitly 'civic tech', they are vital foundational layers to the field.
Showing 77 Results
AnitaB.org is known for our Grace Hopper Celebration, and our various programs connecting, guiding and inspiring women and non-binary technologists.
Information Sharing and Analysis Centers (ISACs) are non-profit organizations that provide a central resource for gathering information on cyber threats (in many cases to critical infrastructure) as well as allow two-way sharing of information between the private and the public sector about root causes, incidents and threats, as well as sharing experience, knowledge and analysis. In many EU Member States, ISAC or similar initiatives exist.
National Digital Inclusion Alliance
Columbus, OH, USANational Digital Inclusion Alliance advances digital equity by supporting community programs and equipping policymakers to act.
This set of free tools, guidance, and training is designed to help organizations take key cybersecurity steps and be more secure.
Sets out best practices and actions online platforms can take to implement more robust support for Human Rights Defenders under threat
Beloved
New Orleans, LABeloved Community offers a number of consulting services to support organizations and communities to drive change within organizations by providing teams with custom coaching and the necessary thought leadership to advance equity journeys.
AWA by Beloved
New Orleans, LAThe first virtual DEI assessment for the workplace with an emphasis on mutual accountability.
Kapor Center
Oakland, CaliforniaA family of interrelated justice-seeking organizations that both independently and collectively work to reimagine and reconstruct a more inclusive and equitable technology sector.
a11ybuddy
Germany (Deutschland)A11yBuddy is the software behind an innovative web portal that empowers everyone to report and track digital accessibility issues.
Measure the Internet, save the data, and make it universally accessible and useful.
The aim of the project Improving Inclusion of EU Mobile Citizens (IMPEU) is to foster political participation of EU mobile citizens and enhance capacity and knowledge of civil servants and relevant national, regional and local experts on EU citizenship and related political rights.
Are We Together?
Ethiopia (Ityop'iya)The findings from our study are intended to provide insights to developers and designers to improve the accessibility and inclusivity of digital platforms from the perspective of language.
Sovereign Tech Fund
BerlinStrengthening Digital Infrastructure and Open Source Ecosystems in the Public Interest
Accessibility ABCs
Tunisia (Tunis)A practical toolkit for the global civic tech community
#VisibileWikiWomen
Santa Cruz, California, USACentering the knowledges of marginalised communities from around the world. Re-imagining the internet to be for and from us all.
Ada's List
LondonAll about changing communities, our workplaces, and the industry for the better.
Aira
4225 Executive Square, La Jolla, CA 92037, USAAira connects people who are blind or low vision to a trained professional agent who is dedicated to further enhancing their everyday experience – completely hands-free assistance at the touch of a button.
7000 Languages
745 Atlantic Ave, Boston, Massachusetts, USAWe create free language-learning software for Indigenous communities around the world.
Ada Developers Academy
Seattle, WA, United States of AmericaA non-profit, tuition-free coding school for women and gender diverse adults. They focus on serving low-income people, underrepresented minorities, and members of the LGBTQIA+ community.
Responsive Policy Project
United States of America (the)Responsive Policy Project (RPP) lifts the curtain on public policy, making it easy to find, understand, and engage with opaque policy documents. Ultimately, RPP aims to radically transform policy by changing who participates and how.
CIRCLE is a non-partisan, independent research organization focused on youth civic engagement in the United States.
Project to create articles about notable women that do not currently exist on Wikipedia
Racial Equity Tools is designed to support individuals and groups working to achieve racial equity.
In partnerships with local and international organisations, each GTI has further developed specific facilitation methodologies and training contents addressing the risks, attacks and contexts faced by activist women in the region.
Liftware
269 E Grand Ave, South San Francisco, CA 94080, USALiftware's selection of stabilizing and leveling handles and attachments are designed to help people with hand tremor or limited hand and arm mobility retain dignity, confidence, and independence.
Draw the Lines PA
PennsylvaniaIt's our House, so it should be our mouse.
Community Lab at Open Tech Fund
2025 M Street Northwest, Downtown, Washington, DC 20036, USAThe Community Lab provides services that empower the community to become stronger and vibrant by focusing on cultivating deeper trust relationships, improving knowledge share and collaboration, and supporting and diversifying the next generation of leaders.
A free campaign for youth funded by Colin @kaepernick7 to raise awareness on self-empowerment 💪🏿 and interacting with law enforcement 🚔
Digital Stewards Detroit
4126 3rd Avenue, Detroit, Michigan 48201, USAThis training prepares teams of community organizers, people with construction skills, and techies to design and deploy communications infrastructure with a commitment to the Detroit Digital Justice Principles.
Baobab Law
South Africa (South Africa, Afrika-Borwa, Suid-Afrika)Baobab.law attempts to remove barriers to legal assistance by providing DIY legal solutions in the form of videotutorials. Videos are recorded with professional lawyers, and are available in multiple languages.
CivLab
Lehigh University, Memorial Drive West, Bethlehem, PA, USACivLab is a suite of complementary projects and design-thinking that revolve around the concepts of citizenship, civics, and engagement.
Open Tech Fund (OTF)
2025 M Street Northwest, Downtown, Washington, DC 20036, USAWe support the research, design, development, and deployment of technology-focused projects that counter online censorship and combat repressive surveillance, to enable global internet users to exercise their fundamental human rights online.
Hack your Future
BeCentral, Cantersteen 12, 1000 Bruxelles, BelgiumTHE CODING SCHOOL FOR REFUGEES IN BELGIUM
Racial literacy is a new method for addressing the racially disparate impacts of technology.
The Smart City Digital Inclusion Maturity Model is a tool to help cities worldwide assess and benchmark their level of digital inclusion and ICT accessibility.
Reveal hidden gender bias
Internet access in major global subway networks
RePresent
ConnecticutRePresent is a law game that provides self-represented parties in Connecticut with foundational advocacy experience.
Sign Dict
Richard-Sorge-Straße, Berlin, GermanyA crowdsourced German sign language dictionary. Funded by @prototypefund
We are a global campaign to center the knowledge of marginalized communities (the majority of the world) on the internet.
New York City Civic Engagement Commission
1 Centre Street, New York, NY, USAThe Civic Engagement Commission will enhance civic participation, promote civic trust, and strengthen democracy in New York City.
Constitute Project
TexasConstitute offers access to the world’s constitutions so that users can systematically compare them across a broad set of topics — using an inviting, clean interface.
Direct Democracy Database
StockholmThe Direct Democracy Database allows users to explore the different ways direct democracy is used in different countries.
NYC Connectivity Challenge
New York CityDe Blasio Administration Launches NYCx to Stimulate Economic Growth, Create Jobs and Solve Big Challenges Through New Technologies
CIVICUS
College Park, MarylandA living-learning community at the University of Maryland based on instilling civic engagement
New America Resilient Mesh Wireless initiative
Red Hook, Brooklyn, NY, USAThe Resilient Mesh Wireless project is a series of local networks serving small businesses combined with community-based trainings in Sandy-affected areas.
Outline VPN offered in Zimbabwe
ZimbabweCITE in Zimbabwe and Code for Africa have partnered to make Outline from Jigsaw available to news organisations and CSOs. It means VPN can be rolled out on their own servers to connect to the internet and keep communication private and safe.
Bite the Ballot
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (the)Bite The Ballot is an international social enterprise that specialises in civic and community engagement. Our charity has grown from an idea in a classroom to coordinating world-record breaking campaigns, changing laws and rebranding politics among young and socially-excluded communities.
Get email updates
Helpful Links
Reach Out
A project of
With support from
National Endowment for Democracy
Founding Organization
Civic Hall
Technology partner
Civic Tech Field Guide