OpenGov

What OpenGov does

The OpenGov Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded within the halls of the United States Congress in 2013 and headquartered in Washington, D.C. Its mission is to create a 21st century Congress in which elected officials and staff can meaningfully engage at scale with constituents, and citizens can see, shape, and understand decisions that affect their lives. The organization develops open source products and services for legislative transformation and civic engagement, with human-centered research, rapid prototyping, and policy advocacy as core methodologies. Its named product portfolio includes "From Voicemails to Votes," a user-centered examination of how the U.S. Congress engages with constituents.

The organization serves legislatures and government bodies at the federal, state, and local levels, and reports supporting more than 50 communities, states, and countries, including the U.S. Federal Government, the federal governments of Mexico and France, and the City of Chicago. The technology stack is built around open source legislative tools that are distributed through direct government partnerships rather than commercial channels. The organization is fiercely apolitical and operates autonomously under a Board of Directors, with a separate Board of Advisors providing domain expertise in design, engineering, legislative data, congressional process, and nonprofit management.

As a nonprofit, the OpenGov Foundation does not generate commercial revenue. Operations are funded through grants and donations from a diversified set of foundations and individual donors, including Democracy Fund, Twilio.org, the Consumer Technology Association, the Knight Foundation, the Shuttleworth Foundation, the Rita Allen Foundation, and individual donors such as Todd Park, Amy Geng, Matt Cutts, and the Issa Family Foundation. The team is small, reported at 1-10 employees, and the organization's go-to-market motion relies on direct government engagement, content marketing through its Medium blog, and word-of-mouth within civic technology circles rather than traditional sales channels.

Name

OpenGov

Legal name

The OpenGov Foundation

Website

https://opengovfoundation.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The OpenGov Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2013 that develops open source products and human-centered research to modernize legislative engagement for U.S. and international government bodies, funded by foundations and individual donors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Civic Technology / Legislative Software

NAICS

Scientific Research and Development Services (5417)

SIC

Services-Prepackaged Software (7372)

akta.pro primary industry

Community Foundations (BPAGAKAB)

Keywords

• Open source legislative tools
• Civic technology software
• Government transparency platforms
• Constituent engagement tools
• Legislative modernization software

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

The OpenGov Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that develops open source legislative technology products and conducts human-centered research to help government bodies modernize their engagement with constituents. It delivers its work through rapid prototyping, policy advocacy on issues such as open source software and a Congressional Digital Service, and the cultivation of a community of congressional innovators.

Product overview

OpenGov Foundation is a nonprofit organization that provides open source products and services for legislative transformation and civic engagement. Their portfolio includes 'From Voicemails to Votes,' a user-centered product examining Congressional constituent engagement. The organization supports legislatures through human-centered research, rapid prototyping, policy development, and community building for congressional innovators.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• From Voicemails to Votes: A user-centered look at how the United States Congress engages with constituents.

Products and services

• From Voicemails to Votes A user-centered product examining how the United States Congress engages with constituents, tracing the process from initial constituent contact through legislative response. Targeted at legislators, Congressional staff, and civic stakeholders interested in improving Congressional engagement workflows.

Named customers4 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• U.S. Digital Service (USDS): Federal civic technology organization that partners with agencies to deliver technology improvements. Comparable mission of modernizing government through human-centered design and open source tools.
• 18F (GSA): U.S. federal government civic technology office that modernizes digital services and procurement. Operates inside government rather than as a nonprofit, but addresses the same legislative and constituent engagement modernization challenges.
• National Democratic Institute (NDI): Nonprofit supporting democratic institutions globally with programs in legislative strengthening and civic participation. Comparable international democratic innovation scope across Mexico, France, and beyond.
• International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES): Nonprofit that provides assistance in democratic governance and electoral processes worldwide. Comparable international footprint and focus on strengthening legislative and democratic institutions.

Direct peers

• Democracy Works: Nonprofit civic technology organization building tools like TurboVote to modernize voter and civic participation. Comparable nonprofit civic tech model with foundation funding.
• POPVOX: Civic engagement platform enabling constituents to communicate with legislators and track legislative activity. Directly comparable product offering—bridging citizens and Congress through technology.
• Sunlight Foundation: Nonprofit focused on government transparency, legislative data, and open data tools. Highly comparable mission around making legislatures more accessible and accountable to citizens.
• Code for America: A 501(c)(3) nonprofit that builds digital services for government, including legislative and civic engagement tools. Most direct peer—same nonprofit model, civic technology focus, and government customer base.
• GovTrack: Open source legislative tracking and transparency platform serving citizens and researchers. Comparable open source approach to making legislative data and processes accessible.

Emerging players

• Civic Innovation Works: Civic technology nonprofit incubator working with governments on legislative and civic tech projects. Smaller-scale peer with similar nonprofit civic tech focus and government customer base.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/sethetter
• Facebookfacebook.com/opengovfoundation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/opengov-foundation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles16 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

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 OpenGov