Civic Tech Field Guide

Planet Detroit

Detroit, MI

Planet Detroit produces quality climate, equity, health, and environment journalism in the public interest that centers grassroots voices, holds power accountable, spotlights solutions, and serves the community.

Te Lo Cuento News Kansas City - St Joseph

Saint Joseph, MO

Te Lo Cuento News Kansas City-St. Joseph empowers the Spanish-speaking community in the central United States by providing high-quality, reliable news and information in Spanish that is free from sensationalism. It is dedicated to addressing the unique needs and concerns of the Hispanic community, ensuring it remains well-informed about local, national, and international events.

Door County Knock

Egg Harbor, WI

Door County Knock advances the truth, centers, and drives understanding of critical issues that affect Door County residents’ lives. It also holds powerful institutions accountable to the people, including by investigating betrayals of public trust and other abuses of power.

Lorton Media Group

Tulsa, OK

The Frontier produces fearless independent journalism with impact and moral force. It holds those in power accountable, gives a voice to the powerless, and tells stories that matter to Oklahomans.

ITASCA COMMUNITY TELEVISION (ICTV)

Grand Rapids, MN

ICTV connects, informs, and empowers the community of Grand Rapids, Minn., through diverse media.

El Informador Newspaper

Mount Pleasant, SC

El Informador Newspaper informs, engages, and empowers the Latino community in South Carolina through journalism that is trustworthy, accurate, culturally resonant, and impactful.

Radio Indigena 94.1

Oxnard, CA

Radio Indigena’s mission is to unite and empower California's Indigenous migrant communities by delivering high-quality programming in Indigenous languages. Radio Indigena is committed to fostering equality, peace, democracy, and social justice while breaking down barriers of literacy and language.

The Riverside Record

Los Angeles, CA

The Riverside Record provide its neighbors with a platform to tell their stories themselves, prioritizing context and insight over hype and sensationalism and striving to connect people through a shared love for their communities. It holds those in positions of power accountable through in-depth, hyperlocal, and easy-to-understand reporting.

Shoresides

Wilmington, NC

Shoresides, a nonprofit digital news site in Wilmington, N.C., is dedicated to reporting on the intersection of racial justice, community, culture, and power in the region. Its mission is to serve as an active voice telling regional stories through journalism that reaches the BIPOC community while creating a living archive preserving the community’s collective history.

The Trenton Journal

Trenton, NJ

The Trenton Journal empowers and inspires residents living in and around Trenton, N.J., by filling in the information gaps through stories and solutions-based journalism.

Black Voice News

Riverside, CA

Publishing in the spirit of the Black Press, the Black Voice News mantra, since its founding over 50 years ago, is “justice seeking reporting.” Its mission is to inform, engage, and empower its community with information while amplifying the voices of the Black community in Riverside and San Bernardino counties.

La Raza

Chicago, IL

La Raza informs, defends, educates, enlightens, and empowers the Hispanic community in Chicago through Spanish journalism and literature, outreach activities, and business opportunities while promoting the values of democracy, freedom, justice, diversity, equality, cultural heritage, and opportunity for all.

Border Belt Independent

Whiteville, NC

Border Belt Independent digs deep into the issues, power, and people of Bladen, Columbus, Robeson, and Scotland counties.

Amplify Utah

Salt Lake City, UT

Amplify Utah empowers student and emerging journalists by providing the resources, opportunities, and mentorship needed to develop their skills and make a meaningful impact. In collaboration with local media, it works to ensure that every voice is heard and valued, bridging gaps and building understanding across all communities in Utah.

The Jersey Vindicator

Princeton, NJ

The Jersey Vindicator tells stories no one else is telling in the state about how the powerful operate, with the aim of sparking change and solutions. In a state where democracy has eroded due to recent laws gutting campaign finance reform and public records access, it seeks to shed light on how government functions while engaging and serving residents and sharing information in new ways to reach new and younger audiences.

Ethiopique

Washington, DC

Ethiopique empowers, informs, and connects the Amharic-speaking community in the Washington, DC, metro area with trusted content, providing educational resources, insightful articles, and news that enhance lives and inform decisions.

The Scope

Boston, MA

The Scope is a hyperlocal digital news organization focused on telling stories of justice, hope, and resilience in Greater Boston. It is editorially independent and operated by Northeastern University’s School of Journalism and Media Innovation to serve the news needs of under-covered communities; train the next generation of journalists in covering local news; and empower community members to tell their own stories.

SwipeBlue

United States of America (the)

SwipeBlue is a relational organizing app that matches your phone contacts to the voter file and shows you their party and districts. Just swipe blue (left) like Tinder to text them to register, donate, attend an event, or vote!

El Comercio de Colorado

Denver, CO

El Comercio de Colorado is a bilingual multi-media organization targeting the growing Hispanic/Latinx community in Colorado since 2006. El Comercio’s goal is to empower the Hispanic/Latinx community through information, engagement, and advocacy.

Athens County Independent

Athens, OH

The Athens County Independent empowers community engagement through accessible public service journalism.

Shasta Scout

Redding, CA

Shasta Scout strengthens democracy by providing access to trustworthy information in a way that deepens and empowers engagement with the news, neighbors, and people in power for readers in Shasta County, Calif.

VoteRaiser

United States of America (the)

VoteRaisers empower your supporters to reach out directly to their Democratic friends—encouraging them to register, volunteer, and VOTE for Democrats!

The Providence Eye

Providence, RI

The Providence Eye is a nonprofit journalistic initiative devoted to informing and empowering the public about events and issues of concern to residents and visitors of Providence, R.I., and its environs.

Uvalde Leader-News

Uvalde, TX

The Uvalde Leader-News is a locally owned newspaper covering Uvalde County, Tex., and it is the region's primary public information source. The Leader-News believes that freedom of the press is paramount to preserving the rights guaranteed under the First Amendment. Empowered by that freedom and its responsibility, the Leader-News pledges that its reporting will be impartial regardless of party, sect, or special interests.

The TRiiBE

Chicago, IL

The TRiiBE is dedicated to reshaping the narrative of Black Chicago by producing original journalism, documentaries, community perspectives, and videos that capture the multifaceted essence of the Black experience. It empowers its community by providing a platform for authentic stories, fostering truth and liberation, and giving ownership of the narrative back to the people.

RANGE Media

Spokane, WA

RANGE is a local, independent, worker-owned newsroom serving Spokane County with an emphasis on engaging communities not adequately served, reached, or represented by traditional media. The anti-racist, equity-minded, class-focused newsroom centers the perspectives and expertise of members of marginalized communities and provides tools to engage with power and advocate for their needs.

WTIP North Shore Community Radio

Grand Marais, MN

WTIP is a dynamic local media resource that connects, reflects, and builds community on the North Shore of Lake Superior, providing a forum for local perspectives that supports an informed public, is built on journalistic integrity, empowers storytelling, strengthens democracy, and invests in the well-being of the community.

Wausau Pilot & Review

Wausau, WI

Wausau Pilot and Review delivers in-depth reporting and analysis that improves local decision-making. It seeks to drive the public conversation, set the agenda on key issues, and empower people through insight, information, and engagement. The independent nonprofit newsroom is devoted to hard-hitting journalism that serves the people of central Wisconsin.

Cicero Independiente

Cicero, IL

Cicero Independiente serves the diverse communities of Cicero and Berwyn with inclusive and bilingual news and storytelling opportunities that elevate local voices and foster civic engagement. It envisions a future in which every member of the community in Cicero and Berwyn is informed, engaged, and empowered to tell their own stories, shaping the narrative of their community.

El Planeta

Boston, MA

El Planeta empowers, informs, and connects the vibrant Hispanic community of Greater Boston. As the largest Spanish-language news provider in the state, it is dedicated to delivering timely, relevant, and impactful news and information. More than just a newspaper, El Planeta is a community advocate and a cultural bridge that enriches the lives of Hispanic individuals and families throughout Massachusetts.

The Philadelphia Hall Monitor

Philadelphia, PA

The Philadelphia Hall Monitor covers news that impacts Philadelphia’s diverse neighborhood organizations and concerned citizens, focusing on how city programs impact families experiencing poverty, consumers, and those without access to traditional power structures.

The Triton's Call

Mangilao, GU

The Triton’s Call is committed to enriching the University of Guam community by providing a vibrant platform for student perspectives on current events, both on and off campus. It offers island-centered reporting that reflects the community’s unique narratives and cultures, empowering students with information and insights that are relevant, engaging, and deeply rooted in their local context.

New Mainstream Press

Bala Cynwyd, PA

New Mainstream Press empowers and uplifts the Asian American communities in the Greater Philadelphia area through diverse, high-quality media platforms, including print publications—Metro Chinese Weekly, Metro Viet News, and PhillyGuide—and a dynamic WeChat channel with over 50,000 subscribers.

Boyle Heights Beat, a part of the L.A. Local News Initiative

Los Angeles, CA

Boyle Heights Beat is a Spanish and English bilingual community news project produced by youth, offering noticias por y para la communidad or “news by and for the community.” The community journalism program’s mission is to empower youth voices and address relevant issues through multimedia journalism and provide a platform for young people to report on stories that matter to them while giving them a voice in shaping the narrative of their neighborhood.

BoiseDev

Boise, ID

BoiseDev strives to be an innovative and impartial local news source focused on original and transparent reporting. The outlet seeks to give a voice to those without power.

Arizona Luminaria

Tucson, AZ

Arizona Luminaria is an independent nonprofit journalism organization publishing local news in English and Spanish. It provides equitable access to local information that empowers readers in Tucson and Southern Arizona—especially Latinx, Black, Indigenous, people of color, and other historically marginalized and underrepresented people—to participate in civic life and elections.

BLCK Press

Saint Paul, MN

BLCK Press is advancing equity through media. Its mission is to utilize the power of stories as a catalyst to shift culture, normalize inclusion, and weave equity into the fabric of society. A distinguished news and production powerhouse, it believes storytelling transcends racial and socioeconomic boundaries, captivating hearts and minds and influencing more empathetic actions.

The Lawrence Times

Lawrence, KS

The Lawrence Times informs and empowers members of the community of Lawrence and Douglas County, Kan., through timely news and information; breaks down barriers to knowledge and information, in part by maintaining a paywall-free website; amplifies the voices of marginalized people; highlights members of the community who do not often see themselves in local news; and helps voters make informed decisions.

Our Times Newspaper

Evansville, IN

Our Times Newspaper, the legacy Black-owned newspaper in Evansville, Indiana, seeks to raise racial equity and address power structure imbalance by providing transformative civic journalism solutions to address the community’s news desert. Its mission is to provide truthful information to the public, foster civic engagement, promote accountability, and elevate the voice of the Black community.

Tucson Sentinel

Tucson, AZ

Tucson Sentinel’s independent nonprofit newsroom is an award-winning journalism pioneer that learns from and informs Southern Arizonans about the community challenges and unique culture of the Borderlands. Through watchdog reporting, local commentary, and expert analysis, the Sentinel inspires residents to be meaningfully engaged with its community, promotes transparency and understanding, seeks solutions that empower, and holds the powerful accountable.

The Lens

New Orleans, LA

The Lens is the New Orleans area’s first nonprofit, nonpartisan public-interest newsroom dedicated to unique investigative and explanatory journalism. Its mission is to educate, engage, and empower readers with information and analysis necessary for them to advocate for a more transparent and just governance that is accountable to the public.

MOXY

Washington, DC

A Social Ecosystem connecting Voters, Elected Representatives, Thought Leaders and Authorized Organizations

Hand-written Petition Scanner

Newspeak House, Bethnal Green Road, London, UK

An AI-powered tool designed to efficiently digitize handwritten petition sheets, transforming them into organized, upload-ready CSVs to streamline data management and optimize volunteer efforts.

America's Healthy Democracy Ecosystem Map

Washington, DC

Our goal is to identify, categorize, and quantify existing organizations, networks, and funders who work to promote and protect healthy democracy in America. We aim to create a compelling, interactive resource that educates and empowers users to engage in democracy.

Juice Rescue ⚡🔌🚗

A collective effort to save and maintain Juicebox EV Chargers

Hardware

USWDS + Tailwind

A modern rewrite that hopes to make it a bit easier for federal product teams to adopt, adapt, and extend the USWDS.

Smart Buildings TensorFlow Dataset

A powerful tool designed to train reinforcement learning agents to optimize energy consumption and minimize carbon emissions in buildings.

Nucleic Acid Barcode Identification Tool (NABIT)

Washington, DC

The NABIT (Nucleic Acid Barcode Identification Tool) is a low-cost, hand-held, field-ready automated tool to validate the identity of a wildlife or food product, anywhere in the world, without specialized training, equipment, reagents, or even continuous power.

animals

Conservation X Labs (CXL)

Washington, DC

Unlike traditional conservation efforts, Conservation X Labs focuses on leveraging the best technology, the newest innovation, interdisciplinary genius, and the power of the marketplace to boldly confront the biggest problems facing the planet.