The Open Knowledge Foundation Deutschland (OKF DE)

What The Open Knowledge Foundation Deutschland (OKF DE) does

Open Knowledge Foundation Deutschland e.V. (OKF DE) is a Berlin-based non-profit association (eingetragener Verein) founded in 2011 that develops civic technology tools, advocates for government transparency, open data, and digital democracy in Germany and select DACH-region markets including Austria and Switzerland. The organization operates a portfolio of civic tech platforms, most notably FragDenStaat — a freedom-of-information portal that has processed over 10,000 government document requests and supports litigation when authorities deny disclosure — together with Jugend hackt (a youth civic-tech program for 12-18 year olds), Code for Germany (a volunteer civic-tech network), the Prototype Fund (grants for open source civic technology), and Prototype Fund Hardware (grants for open hardware projects). Technology infrastructure spans web-based FOI portals, council information system APIs (the OParl standard), open government data portals, transparency ranking systems, and data-donation infrastructure such as the OpenSchufa project. Additional initiatives include OffeneGesetze.de (free access to Federal Law Gazettes) and the recently launched PODEST research project (January 2026) on open hardware for democratic energy transition.

Revenue is generated almost entirely through non-commercial means. Project grants from German federal ministries constitute the dominant funding stream, with the Bundesministerium für Forschung, Technologie und Raumfahrt (BMBF) supplying approximately 26% of FY2025 income for the Prototype Fund and Hack Your Education projects. The remaining funding is drawn from individual donations processed via Betterplace, smaller project grants from other public bodies, and minor economic revenues from publications (less than 10% of total budget). FY2025 income was €3.783 million against €3.850 million in expenses, producing a small operational deficit. Distribution occurs exclusively through self-serve digital platforms, hackathons, conferences (re:publica, PIAZZA, Bits & Bäume, RightsCon), and community networks rather than commercial sales or pricing models. OKF DE serves four primary constituencies: citizens and journalists seeking government transparency, civil society organizations, youth aged 12-18, and civic tech developers receiving grant funding; government bodies are engaged as transparency targets and policy counterparts rather than customers.

Name

The Open Knowledge Foundation Deutschland (OKF DE)

Legal name

Open Knowledge Foundation Deutschland e. V.

Website

https://okfn.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Berlin-based non-profit founded in 2011 that develops civic technology platforms including FragDenStaat (freedom of information portal), Jugend hackt (youth civic tech program), and Prototype Fund (open source grants), serving citizens, civil society organizations, youth, and developers across Germany and DACH.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Civic Technology and Open Knowledge Services

NAICS

Social Advocacy Organizations (8133), Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813), Political Organizations (813940)

SIC

Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700), Communications Services, Nec (4899)

akta.pro primary industry

Digital Inclusion & Civic Tech (Connectivity, GovTech for Social Good) (BPAGALAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Public Communications, Transparency & Open Government (BPAIAAAH), Digital Rights, Privacy & Free Expression Advocacy (BPAGAFAL), Smart Cities & Urban Innovation Programs (Digital Planning, Civic Tech for Cities) (BPAIANAJ), Media Freedom, Access to Information & Digital Rights (BPADAGAE), Digital Inclusion & Public Tech Access Training (Device/Internet/Basic IT) (EDAAAFAE)

Keywords

• Civic technology
• Open data advocacy
• Freedom of information
• Open source funding
• Transparency platforms

Headquarters

HQ city

Berlin

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Project Funding: Majority of funding comes from project grants, primarily from government ministries (BMBF for Prototype Fund and Hack Your Education approximately 26% of 2025 revenue)
2. Donations: Individual donations processed through Betterplace platform, significant but secondary funding source
3. Economic Revenues: Minor economic revenues from publications and services, less than 10% of total budget

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

OKF DE operates civic-technology programs and platforms that advance government transparency, open data, and digital civic participation in Germany. Its core offerings include the FragDenStaat freedom of information portal, the Jugend hackt youth civic-tech education program, Code for Germany volunteer network, and the Prototype Fund grant program that funds open-source civic-tech projects.

Product overview

OKF DE operates a portfolio of civic technology projects united by the mission of promoting open knowledge, transparency, and democratic participation through digital tools. The core projects include FragDenStaat (freedom of information portal), Jugend hackt (youth tech education), Code for Germany (volunteer civic tech network), Prototype Fund and Prototype Fund Hardware (open source funding programs), and Offene Verwaltungsdaten (open data advocacy). Notable sub-projects include OpenSchufa (credit scoring transparency), OffeneGesetze (legislative transparency), OParl (council data standard), and various transparency and accountability initiatives. The organization functions as a platform connecting civil society with government transparency infrastructure, with programs spanning FOI enforcement, youth civic tech education, open source funding, and policy advocacy.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• FragDenStaat Germany's freedom of information portal enabling citizens to file FOI requests to public authorities and access government documents, with litigation support for denied requests.
• Jugend hackt Funding and educational program for technology-enthusiastic youth aged 12-18, providing workshops, hackathons, and mentorship to develop civic-tech projects with focus on digital democracy and open source values.
• Code for Germany Volunteer network of civic-tech enthusiasts organized into local OK Labs across German cities, developing applications using open government data for public benefit.
• Prototype Fund Funding program supporting civic-tech project ideas through grants, enabling individuals and small teams to develop open-source software prototypes for public benefit.
• Prototype Fund Hardware Dedicated funding program supporting civil-society-oriented open hardware projects, promoting transparency of technical products and participation in hardware development.
• Offene Verwaltungsdaten (Open Administrative Data) Advocacy and expertise program promoting open data policies in public administration, contributing civil society knowledge to government transparency initiatives.
• OpenSchufa Crowdsourced data-donation platform that collects SCHUFA credit data from citizens to analyze and increase transparency in Germany's credit-scoring algorithm.
• OffeneGesetze Portal providing free access to German Federal Law Gazettes for unrestricted re-use of legislative documents for analysis and transparency.
• OParl Open data standard and API specification for council information systems (Ratsinformationssysteme), enabling developers to access and build applications on municipal political data.
• PODEST Three-year research project examining how open-source hardware can contribute to a democratic energy transition, in cooperation with TU Berlin and BTU Cottbus-Senftenberg.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 10,000 Freedom of Information requests filed through FragDenStaat platform
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Bündnis F5coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Alliance with AlgorithmWatch, Gesellschaft für Freiheitsrechte, Reporters Without Borders (Reporter ohne Grenzen), and Wikimedia Deutschland for public-interest digital policy advocacy. Founded in 2021 to give civil society stronger voice in digital policy.
• Jugend hacktcoreOthersFlagship youth program for tech-savvy teenagers to develop civic technology projects, with multiple locations across Germany and Austria.
• FragDenStaatcoreOthersFreedom of information portal project enabling citizens to request government documents and pursue transparency through legal action.
• Prototype FundcoreOthersFunding program for civic tech developers and small teams creating open source projects for public benefit.
• Code for GermanymajorOthersNetwork of volunteer civic tech developers working on open government data projects in cities across Germany.
• BetterplaceminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDonation processing platform used for accepting charitable contributions from individuals.
• Open-Government-Partnership (OGP)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational transparency initiative where OKF DE participates as civil society member, including representation in OGP Steering Committee.
• Agora Digitale TransformationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThink tank focused on digital transformation and democracy where managing director Henriette Litta serves as founding managing director.
• Wikimedia DeutschlandminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Forum Open Education and Forum Open Hardware initiatives for open knowledge and education.
• OpenBudgets ConsortiumminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEU Horizon 2020 funded project consortium for opening government budget data across Europe.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• AlgorithmWatch: German non-profit focused on algorithmic accountability and AI ethics. Co-founded the Bündnis F5 alliance with OKF DE, and jointly launched OpenSchufa. Direct peer in civic tech, transparency advocacy, and policy intervention in the German digital rights space.
• mySociety: UK-based civic tech charity that builds digital tools (e.g., WhatDoTheyKnow, FixMyStreet, TheyWorkForYou) for government transparency and citizen engagement. Direct functional parallel to FragDenStaat and Code for Germany in a different jurisdiction.
• Open Data Institute: UK-based non-profit founded by Tim Berners-Lee and Nigel Shadbolt to promote open data innovation. Highly comparable in mission around open data advocacy, training, and institutional engagement with governments.
• Gesellschaft für Freiheitsrechte: German civil liberties non-profit using strategic litigation to defend digital rights. F5 alliance co-founder and close partner on FOI cases and digital policy. Directly comparable in mission, advocacy tactics, and donor base.
• Wikimedia Deutschland: German chapter of the Wikimedia Foundation, focused on free knowledge and open education. F5 alliance partner and co-collaborator on Forum Open Education. Comparable as a major German non-profit advancing open knowledge and digital public goods.
• Open Knowledge Foundation (UK): The original parent organization founded by Rufus Pollock in 2004; both entities share the open knowledge, open data, and civic tech mission and were historically part of the same network. Directly comparable in activities, target audiences, and policy advocacy focus.
• Code for America: US-based non-profit using technology to improve government services and civic participation. Strong functional parallel to Code for Germany's volunteer civic tech model, with a similar community-driven, fellowship-based operating model.

Broad incumbents

• Transparency International Deutschland: German chapter of the global anti-corruption coalition. Broader anti-corruption mandate compared to OKF DE's narrower digital/open data focus, but directly comparable as an established German civil society transparency organization with greater scale and global parent.

Regional players

• Sunlight Foundation: US-based non-profit advocating for open government and transparency through technology tools and policy work. Strong functional parallel to OKF DE's open government mission but focused on US federal and state government rather than Germany/EU.

Emerging players

• Center for the Cultivation of Technology: Non-profit focused on technology that supports the public good. Closely connected through former OKF DE CEO Kristina Klein, who served as its Executive Director. Operates at smaller scale with adjacent mission around technology in the public interest.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• GitHubgithub.com/okfde
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCUD8EFjXzRN-wFUbVTYlDAw
• Xx.com/okfde
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/open-knowledge-foundation-deutschland-e-v-

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Open Knowledge Foundation Deutschland (OKF DE)