What Smart Chicago Collaborative does

Smart Chicago Collaborative is a Chicago-based nonprofit civic technology organization founded in 2011 to improve residents' quality of life through technology. Founded jointly by the City of Chicago, the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, and The Chicago Community Trust, it operates as a funding collaborative that brings together municipal, philanthropic, and corporate investments in civic innovation. Its work is organized around three pillars: increasing Internet access, improving digital skills, and developing meaningful data products for residents.

The organization maintains a portfolio of civic technology products and programs spanning health, education, justice, and digital equity. Core offerings include the Chicago Health Atlas (a public health data visualization platform mapping 20,000+ community resources and tracking Healthy Chicago 2.0 indicators), Connect Chicago (monthly digital inclusion meetups), Youth-Led Tech (a 29-day, 174-hour technology training curriculum for youth in underserved neighborhoods such as Austin, Englewood, Humboldt Park, North Lawndale, and Roseland), CUTGroup (a community of 1,200+ residents who test civic websites and apps), Foodborne Chicago (a Twitter-based foodborne-illness reporting tool connected to the Chicago Department of Public Health), Array of Things Civic Engagement (community feedback process for an urban sensor network operated with UrbanCCD), Smart Health Centers (digital health literacy program placed in clinics), Expunge.io (juvenile record expungement assistance), Chicago School of Data, and the Cook County Forest Preserves interactive map. Technical components include open-data visualization, web-based mapping platforms, SMS-based resident engagement systems (e.g., Textizen), and development partnerships such as with Dom and Tom on the Health Atlas rebuild.

Smart Chicago's business model is grant-funded philanthropy rather than commercial revenue. It receives funding from the MacArthur Foundation, Chicago Community Trust, Knight Foundation, Otho S. A. Sprague Memorial Institute, City of Chicago, Get IN Chicago, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and other program-specific funders. All programs and digital resources, including the Youth-Led Tech curriculum and the Chicago Health Atlas, are provided free of charge to Chicago residents. The organization is staffed by approximately 11–50 personnel including an Interim Executive Director, program analysts, and project coordinators, and has been co-located with City Digital at UI LABS in Chicago since September 2017.

Name

Smart Chicago Collaborative

Legal name

Smart Chicago Hub

Website

https://smartchicagocollaborative.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Smart Chicago Collaborative is a Chicago-based nonprofit civic technology organization that delivers grant-funded digital inclusion programs, civic data platforms, and community engagement initiatives to underserved Chicago residents.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Civic Technology Services

NAICS

Civic and Social Organizations (813410), Civic and Social Organizations (81341)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Computer Integrated Systems Design (7373)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industries

Smart Cities & Urban Innovation Programs (Digital Planning, Civic Tech for Cities) (BPAIANAJ), Digital Inclusion & Public Tech Access Training (Device/Internet/Basic IT) (EDAAAFAE)

Keywords

• Civic technology programs
• Digital inclusion services
• Open data platforms
• Community technology training
• Nonprofit civic innovation

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Philanthropic Grants: Funding from foundations including John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, The Chicago Community Trust, Knight Foundation, and others to support civic technology programs
2. Municipal Government Funding: Partnership with City of Chicago providing support for civic innovation projects and open data initiatives
3. Program-Specific Grants: Funding from organizations like Otho S. A. Sprague Memorial Institute for health projects, Get IN Chicago for Youth-Led Tech, and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for healthy hotspot initiatives

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Smart Chicago Collaborative is a civic organization devoted to improving lives in Chicago through technology. It works on increasing access to the Internet, improving digital skills for using the Internet, and developing meaningful products from data that measurably contribute to the quality of life of residents. As a funding collaborative, it operates a portfolio of civic technology products and digital inclusion programs including the Chicago Health Atlas, Foodborne Chicago, Expunge.io, Smart Health Centers, CUTGroup, Youth-Led Tech, Connect Chicago, and Array of Things Civic Engagement, all provided at no cost to Chicago residents.

Product overview

Smart Chicago Collaborative is a civic technology organization offering a portfolio of digital products and programs focused on three pillars: increasing Internet access, improving digital skills, and developing data-driven products. The product portfolio includes the Chicago Health Atlas (health data visualization platform), Array of Things Civic Engagement (urban sensor project engagement), Connect Chicago (digital inclusion meetups), Youth-Led Tech (youth technology curriculum), CUTGroup (civic app testing), Foodborne Chicago (food safety reporting), Smart Health Centers (health navigation), Expunge.io (juvenile record expungement), Chicago School of Data (data ecosystem initiative), and the Cook County Forest Preserves Map. These products operate as independent initiatives that collectively address civic tech needs across health, education, justice, and digital equity.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Chicago Health Atlas A public health data visualization platform that displays health data, tracks the Healthy Chicago 2.0 plan indicators, maps over 20,000 community resources, and enables Chicago residents and stakeholders to take action to improve their health. Free public resource for residents, hospitals, health departments, and community health workers.
• Array of Things Civic Engagement A civic engagement initiative for the Array of Things urban sensor network project, collecting public feedback on governance and privacy policies and hosting community meetings to inform sensor placement in Chicago neighborhoods. For Chicago residents, civic tech developers, and the Urban Center for Computation and Data (UrbanCCD).
• Connect Chicago A digital inclusion program that convenes monthly meetups of computer trainers, nonprofit professionals, and Chicago residents to improve digital equity and access across the city, including Community Technology Forums at community learning sites.
• Youth-Led Tech A technology mentoring program for youth in Chicago neighborhoods providing introductions to WordPress, app development, financial literacy, and typing skills over 29 days (174 hours) of training. Participants earn laptops upon completion. Curriculum is freely available for download.
• CUTGroup (Civic User Testing Group) A community of Chicago and Cook County residents who get paid to test civic websites and apps, providing feedback to improve civic technology tools. Text message-based sign-up and participation system for inclusive engagement. Community has over 1,200+ members.
• Foodborne Chicago A food safety tool that identifies foodborne illness complaints on Twitter and connects Chicago residents to the Chicago Department of Public Health for follow-up. Recognized as a Top 25 Innovation in Government by the Ash Center in 2015.
• Expunge.io A website that helps start the process of erasing juvenile arrests and/or court records in Cook County. Supported by The Chicago Community Trust.
• Smart Health Centers A program that places trained health information specialists in clinics to assist patients in connecting to their medical records and finding reliable health information. Partnership with Sinai Health System.
• Chicago School of Data A project to define Chicago's local data ecosystem, convene data players around shared challenges, and publish a book on data literacy and collaboration. Engaged 200+ institutions in Chicago's data ecosystem during 2014 Chicago School of Data Days.
• Cook County Forest Preserves Map An interactive map application showing trails, points of interest, activities, and groves in Cook County Forest Preserves, built on Code for America's Trailsy platform with GPS functionality.
• Chicago Early Learning Portal A portal providing information about early childhood education resources and programs in Chicago.
• Convicted in Cook A justice-focused data project providing information about criminal convictions in Cook County.
• Open Grid for Smart Cities A platform for visualizing and exploring Chicago's open data resources.
• Documenters

Quantifiable outcome

• 140 youth trained in technology skills through Youth-Led Tech program with laptops earned upon completion
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Cook County Forest PreservesminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 12 October 2017Partner on Forest Preserves of Cook County interactive map showing trails, points of interest, activities, and groves with GPS functionality.
• MAPSCorpsminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2017Non-profit providing hands-on STEM training for youth through neighborhood asset mapping. Provides data on 20,000+ community resources to Chicago Health Atlas.
• Health & Disability AdvocatescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 September 2016Partner on Chicago Health Atlas development and co-convener of Healthy Chicago Hospital Collaborative. Collaborated on adding Hospital Service Area data to the Atlas.
• Chicago Department of Public HealthcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 September 2016Primary government partner on Chicago Health Atlas and Healthy Chicago 2.0 health improvement plan. Commissioner Julie Morita cited Atlas as key component of citywide health strategy.
• City of ChicagocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFounding partner and municipal government collaborator. City of Chicago provides funding and partnership on civic technology initiatives including WindyGrid, Array of Things, and Open Data Portal.
• Association House of ChicagominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity anchor institution hosting Array of Things civic engagement meeting. Since 1899, provides educational and workforce development services impacting nearly 20,000 children, individuals and families annually.
• Urban Center for Computation and Data (UrbanCCD)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOperator of Array of Things project. Partnered with Smart Chicago to manage civic engagement process for urban sensing project deployment.
• City Digital at UI LabscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-located innovation accelerator partner at UI LABS. Original approach to cross-sector, collaborative problem solving involving data collection and innovative data sharing agreements.
• Code for AmericaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAffiliated with civic tech movement. Textizen, a product that started through Code for America fellowship, was used for community feedback campaigns.
• Harvard Ash Center for Democratic Governance & InnovationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHosted Ash Fellow Summer Fellowship program placing Glynis Startz at Smart Chicago. Contributed to Array of Things civic engagement work.
• LiteracenterminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerChicago literacy and digital literacy collaborative space where Smart Chicago is a resident member. Hosts Connect Chicago meetups and training events.
• City BureauminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity news organization that now hosts the Documenters Program previously run by Smart Chicago. Focuses on placing narratives of west and south sides in residents' hands.
• Chicago Public LibraryminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvided welcoming community spaces to host Array of Things public meetings and civic engagement events at Harold Washington Library and Lozano Library branches.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• City Bureau: Chicago civic/community news organization that inherited Smart Chicago's Documenters Program; overlaps directly on community-driven civic engagement and public-meeting documentation in the same geography.
• Code for America: National civic-tech nonprofit building government-facing digital tools and engaging local brigades; directly comparable in mission of using technology and open data for public good, and an explicit affiliate of Smart Chicago's civic-tech ecosystem.

Emerging players

• Benefits Data Trust: Nonprofit using data and technology to connect people to public benefits and improve digital access, aligning with Smart Chicago's digital-inclusion and social-good mission.
• mySidewalk: Provides community data analytics and visualization for cities and public-health agencies, comparable to the Chicago Health Atlas's community resource and health-data mapping.
• DataMade: Chicago civic-technology studio building open-data applications for governments and nonprofits, closely paralleling Smart Chicago's open-data product work.
• mRelief: Chicago-born civic-tech nonprofit building digital tools that connect underserved residents to public benefits; shares Smart Chicago's focus on digital access for marginalized communities.

Broad incumbents

• OpenGov: GovTech platform serving public-sector agencies with data, budgeting, and transparency tools; overlaps on civic/open-data enablement though as a commercial vendor rather than a grant-funded collaborative.

Others

• NTEN: Nonprofit technology network advancing digital inclusion and technology capacity in the social sector; a thematic collaborator (Digital Inclusion Fellowship) rather than a direct competitor.
• Bloomberg Center for Cities / Bloomberg Associates: Philanthropy-backed initiative helping cities adopt data-driven governance and smart-city innovation; adjacent to Smart Chicago's urban-innovation and civic-data mission at a larger, funder scale.

Regional players

• Civic Consulting Alliance: Chicago-based nonprofit convening business, government, and civic partners on public problems; shares Smart Chicago's cross-sector collaborative model in the same city.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/smartchicago
• Facebookfacebook.com/smartchicago
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-partnership-for-new-communities

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 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 Smart Chicago Collaborative