OpenSky

What OpenSky does

OpenSky Policy Institute is a Lincoln, Nebraska-based nonprofit 501(c)(3) think tank founded in 2011 that produces nonpartisan, data-driven policy research on state fiscal issues — primarily tax, budget, education, health, and economic opportunity — exclusively for the state of Nebraska. Its core product suite comprises original policy research and analysis, educational primers (covering Medicaid, property taxes, the state budget, K-12 education funding, and SNAP), interactive Legislative District Profiles for all 49 Nebraska legislative districts compiled from census data, interactive School District Profiles visualizing federal/state/local education investments, and a bill tracking tool powered by the FastDemocracy platform for monitoring Nebraska Legislature activity. The OpenSkyLIGHTS newsletter, blog, op-eds, and active social media presence (X, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube) extend distribution, supplemented by an annual Policy Symposium and podcast appearances. A staff of approximately 11 is led by Executive Director Rebecca Firestone with a Research Director, Outreach & Engagement Director, Communications Director, and supporting policy analysts and operations staff.

The organization operates a community-led go-to-market model targeting Nebraska state legislators and policymakers, state and local media, Nebraska residents, and a coalition of roughly ten nonprofit advocacy partners. All research products and digital tools are distributed free of charge via the openskypolicy.org website and email newsletter. Operating geographies are strictly limited to Nebraska — there is no commercial geographic expansion, no parent organization, and no subsidiaries. Funding flows from individual donations and grants; financial figures are not publicly disclosed. OpenSky sits inside the State Priorities Partnership national network of 40+ state policy nonprofits and maintains core partnerships with the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, and State Revenue Alliance, providing national research backstop while remaining a single-state operator.

Commercially, OpenSky is not a venture-backed or equity-funded enterprise — it is a mission-driven policy organization with no funding rounds, no M&A history, no patents, and no AI/ML capability claims. Its competitive position rests on 15 years of brand trust as Nebraska's nonpartisan fiscal policy voice, proprietary census-derived district data products that are non-trivial to replicate, and deep coalition ties across the state's civic ecosystem.

Name

OpenSky

Legal name

OpenSky Policy Institute

Website

https://openskypolicy.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

OpenSky Policy Institute is a Nebraska-focused, nonpartisan nonprofit think tank founded in 2011 that produces policy research, educational primers, bill tracking tools, and census-based district profiles on state budget, tax, education, and health issues for legislators, media, and citizens.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Policy Research Services

NAICS

Public Finance Activities (921130), Administration of Education Programs (923110)

SIC

Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700)

akta.pro primary industry

Think Tanks, Policy Research & Public Policy Institutes (BPAGAFAO)

akta.pro secondary industries

Education Policy Research Institutes & Think Tanks (EDADADAA), Education Economics, Finance & Funding Policy Research (EDADADAE)

Keywords

• Policy research
• Fiscal policy analysis
• Budget analysis
• Legislative tracking
• Nonprofit think tank

Headquarters

HQ city

Lincoln

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Donations: OpenSky accepts donations from individuals and organizations to support their policy research work

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

OpenSky Policy Institute is a nonpartisan, nonprofit policy research think tank that produces data-driven research and analysis on Nebraska state fiscal policy, including tax, budget, education, health, and economic opportunity issues. The organization delivers educational primers, legislative district and school district profiles, bill tracking tools, and ongoing news and analysis content to inform policymakers, media, and the public.

Product overview

OpenSky Policy Institute is a nonpartisan policy research think tank offering a suite of research and analysis products focused on Nebraska fiscal policy. The core offering consists of policy research and analysis, supported by educational primers on key topics (Medicaid, Budget, Property Taxes, Education, SNAP), legislative district profiles, school district profiles, bill tracking tools, and a news/media platform including the OpenSkyLIGHTS newsletter. All products work together to provide policymakers, media, and citizens with credible, data-driven insights to inform fiscal policy decisions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Policy Research & Analysis Nonpartisan policy research and analysis focused on tax and budget policy, education, health, and economic opportunity in Nebraska, using data and evidence to inform recommendations.
• Primers & Publications Educational primers providing overviews of policy issues including Medicaid, Property Taxes, State Budget & Taxes, Education, and SNAP.
• Bill Tracking (FastDemocracy) Online bill tracking platform providing access to policy proposals under consideration by the Nebraska Legislature, covering areas including State Budget & Taxes, Education, Health, and Economic Opportunity.
• Legislative District Profiles Fact sheets compiled from census data showing diversity among Nebraska's 49 legislative districts, including information on income, housing, race and ethnicity, and educational attainment.
• School District Profiles Interactive profiles of Nebraska's public school districts compiled to help taxpayers understand education funding, including federal/state/local investments and demographics.
• News & Media OpenSky's news platform featuring blog posts, news releases, op-eds, and media coverage of policy research and analysis.
• OpenSkyLIGHTS Newsletter Regular newsletter and blog series providing focused analysis on Nebraska fiscal policy, budget updates, and state legislative developments.

Named customers8 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Center on Budget and Policy PrioritiescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerA nonpartisan research and policy institute that advances federal and state policies to help build a nation where everyone has the resources they need to thrive and share in the nation's prosperity
• Coalition for a Strong NebraskacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWorks within its network of nonprofits to create an environment in which the lives of people experiencing poverty may be improved through public policy solutions
• Institute on Taxation and Economic PolicycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerA nonprofit, nonpartisan tax policy organization that regularly produces research and analyses on federal and state tax policy issues
• Nebraska Civic Engagement TableminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWorks to strengthen power in politically marginalized or disenfranchised communities, making sure that voices can be and are heard
• Nonprofit Association of the MidlandsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBy connecting organizations with information, education, advocacy and collaboration, helps members focus their energy on the people and communities they serve
• Panhandle PartnershipminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerA membership-based organization that serves as a catalyst for collaboration in the development of opportunities for enhancing family and community life in Western Nebraska
• PEER (Public Education for Everyone)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerA national network of community leaders focused on reinvestment in public education, works with partners to advance innovative solutions for equity and education rights
• State Priorities PartnershipcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerA network of more than 40 independent, nonprofit research and policy organizations that works to advance policies that give more people the opportunity to prosper
• State Revenue AlliancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerA network of state-based community, labor and policy advocates that works to ensure states fully fund communities and that corporations and individuals pay what they owe
• We Care for KidsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWorks to ensure that all Nebraska families have access to quality early childhood education for their children

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Michigan League for Public Policy: A Michigan-based nonprofit policy organization producing research and analysis on state budget, tax, and economic issues — a near-identical operational template to OpenSky's Nebraska work.
• California Budget & Policy Center: An independent policy analysis nonprofit focused on California state budget, tax, and economic issues affecting low- and middle-income Californians — same nonprofit, nonpartisan, state-fiscal-policy model at larger scale.
• Minnesota Budget Project: A Minnesota-based independent nonprofit research arm of the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits that produces budget and tax analysis to advance economic opportunity — the closest 1:1 functional mirror of OpenSky's Nebraska model.
• Colorado Fiscal Institute: An independent nonprofit providing nonpartisan analysis of Colorado state fiscal policy, tax, and budget issues affecting low- and middle-income families — directly comparable in scope, mission, and donor-funded operating model.
• Alabama Arise: A statewide nonprofit coalition in Alabama that conducts policy analysis on state budget, tax, and poverty issues — comparable donor-funded, nonpartisan, state-level advocacy-research model.
• Kansas Policy Institute: An independent Kansas-based nonprofit think tank producing research on state fiscal policy, education funding, and economic issues — directly comparable state-level policy research model, although ideologically distinct.

Regional players

• Center for Nebraska: An independent Nebraska nonprofit that produces policy research and civic journalism on state issues — shares OpenSky's Nebraska-only geographic scope and nonpartisan research positioning.
• Platte Institute for Economic Research: A Nebraska-based free-market oriented policy research organization focused on state tax, budget, and economic issues — operates in the same geography and topic space as OpenSky, though with an opposing ideological lens, making it the closest in-state peer.

Broad incumbents

• Center on Budget and Policy Priorities: A national nonpartisan research and policy institute that works on federal and state fiscal policy affecting low-income households — a core OpenSky strategic partner and the apex organization of the State Priorities Partnership network.
• Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy: A national nonprofit, nonpartisan tax policy organization producing research on federal and state tax issues — an OpenSky partner whose state-level deliverables overlap heavily with OpenSky's tax and budget primers.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/OpenSky_Policy
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@openskyaccount3150
• Facebookm.facebook.com/OpenSkyPolicyInstitute
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/opensky-policy
• Instagraminstagram.com/opensky_policy

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles20 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 OpenSky