Open Future Foundation
Open Future Foundation is a Dutch non-profit policy foundation (est. 2020, Amsterdam) that researches and advocates on Digital Commons, Public AI, copyright, and digital sovereignty for EU institutions, civil society, cultural heritage institutions, and open source communities, funded through grants and operating the CommonsDB rights registry.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2020
- HeadquartersAmsterdam, Netherlands
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Open Future Foundation does
Open Future Foundation is a Dutch non-profit foundation established in 2020 and headquartered in Amsterdam, operating as a policy research and advocacy organization rather than a product company. Its mission is to shape European digital sovereignty policy around Digital Commons, Public AI, copyright infrastructure, and sustainable information ecosystems, working in close coordination with EU institutions (European Commission, Parliament, AI Act Advisory Forum), civil society networks (EDRi, Digital Public Goods Alliance, Wikimedia Europe), cultural heritage institutions (Europeana, European Libraries), and research funders (Bertelsmann Stiftung, NGI Commons Consortium). The organization is structured around five work areas: Copyright Infrastructure, Public AI, Public Digital Infrastructure, Steering AI Investment, and Sustainable Information Ecosystem.
The foundation's primary technical output is the CommonsDB initiative — a prototype registry of public domain and openly licensed works, paired with the CommonsDB Explorer tool that retrieves rights information via content fingerprinting. By early 2026, CommonsDB Explorer had ingested over 700,000 rights declarations from data partners. The foundation's broader output consists of white papers, policy briefs, and analyses (notably the 2025 Public AI white paper with Bertelsmann Stiftung, the "Paradox of Open" essay, and the NOODL report on equitable data licensing), all distributed under Creative Commons Attribution License. It also maintains a research feed, a Mastodon account on the EU policy social instance eupolicy.social, a LinkedIn presence, and a Bluesky profile, with content syndicated via RSS.
The business model is foundation grant-funded rather than commercial. Open Future sustains operations through EU program funding, project-based grants, and support from private foundations (including Collaborative AI for the Steering AI Investment work area), and does not sell products or services. Leadership comprises a small specialist bench: Paul Keller (Policy Director, IETF AI Preferences editor), Zuzanna Warso (Director of Research, AI Act Advisory Forum representative), Aditya Singh and Jan Krewer (Senior Policy Analysts on NGI Commons), Mila T Samdub (Research Fellow), and co-founder Alek Tarkowski (Director of Openness; Wikimedia Europe Board director).
Open Future Foundation firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Open Future Foundation
- Legal name
- Open Future Foundation
- Website
- https://openfuture.eu
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2020
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Open Future Foundation is a Dutch non-profit policy foundation (est. 2020, Amsterdam) that researches and advocates on Digital Commons, Public AI, copyright, and digital sovereignty for EU institutions, civil society, cultural heritage institutions, and open source communities, funded through grants and operating the CommonsDB rights registry.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Open Future Foundation industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Digital Policy Advocacy
- NAICS
- Social Advocacy Organizations (8133), Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Human Rights Organizations (813311)
- SIC
- Miscellaneous Publishing (2741), International Affairs (9721)
- akta.pro primary industry
- International Grantmaking & Development Foundations (BPAGAKAH)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- OER Licensing, Rights & Open Policy Support (Creative Commons) (EDAGAJAO), Developer & Open-Source Communities (MPACAJAK)
Keywords
Where Open Future Foundation is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Amsterdam
- HQ country
- Netherlands
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Open Future Foundation business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Foundation grants and institutional funding: As a foundation, Open Future operates primarily through grants, institutional funding, and project-based support from EU programs and private foundations to sustain policy research and advocacy activities.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels7 records
Open Future Foundation product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Open Future Foundation is a European policy research and advocacy foundation that produces publications, policy briefs, white papers, and analysis on Digital Commons, Public AI, copyright infrastructure, and EU digital sovereignty. It builds coalitions with EU institutions, civil society, and open source communities to shape digital policy. Its only operational software offering is the CommonsDB prototype registry and the CommonsDB Explorer tool, which together enable verification of rights status for digital works through content fingerprinting, ingesting rights declarations from multiple data partners.
Product overview
Open Future Foundation is a policy research and advocacy organization focused on Digital Commons, Public AI, Public Digital Infrastructure, and Copyright Infrastructure. The organization produces publications, policy briefs, white papers, and analysis on digital sovereignty and open technology. Its primary product offering is the CommonsDB initiative, which includes the CommonsDB registry (a prototype registry of public domain and openly licensed works) and the CommonsDB Explorer tool for querying rights information via content fingerprinting. The organization's work is organized around five areas: Copyright Infrastructure, Public AI, Public Digital Infrastructure, Steering AI Investment, and Sustainable Information Ecosystem.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- CommonsDB
Quantifiable outcome
- The organization has shaped EU policy debates on Public AI and Digital Commons, with their white paper on Public AI gaining traction across EU institutions.
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Open Future Foundation
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Open Future Foundation technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Open Future Foundation partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core, key and secondary.
- NGI Commons ConsortiumcoreOpen Future serves as policy lead for the NGI Commons consortium, developing strategic agenda for Digital Commons policies in the context of EU's multiannual financial framework. The organization publishes policy research and coordinates with open source communities across Europe.
- Bertelsmann StiftungcoreCollaborative partnership on Public AI white paper, developed together with Bertelsmann Stiftung. This publication made the case for treating AI as public digital infrastructure and gained significant traction across EU institutions, shaping European policy debates on public investment in AI.
- EuropeanakeyJoint publication on publishing cultural heritage data in the age of AI, proposing a conditional access framework for GLAM institutions. Open Future was commissioned to write an early concept note on AI, cultural heritage, and the public interest that fed into Europeana's white paper on Public AI.
- Digital Commons EDIC (DC EDIC)keyCollaboration with DC EDIC and German Sovereign Tech Agency on piloting open source maintenance approaches. The organization argues DC EDIC needs the mandate and resources to match its potential as an anchor for Digital Commons stewardship in Europe.
- Digital Public Goods AlliancesecondaryOpen Future joined the Digital Public Goods Alliance as a global steward of digital public goods. The DPGA mission aligns closely with their goals of cultivating Digital Commons and building Digital Public Space.
- EDRi (European Digital Rights)keyFull member of EDRi, strengthening connections between Digital Rights and Access to Knowledge movements. EDRi membership is a crucial element of their strategy to forge alliances across the digital rights community.
- Wikimedia EuropesecondaryAlek Tarkowski, one of Open Future's founders, was elected to the Board of Directors at Wikimedia Europe, strengthening collaboration between organizations advancing digital commons and free knowledge initiatives.
- IETF (AI Preferences Working Group)keyPaul Keller, Policy Director, appointed as editor of the IETF working group draft on machine-readable AI preferences. This ensures EU civil society has a voice in standardization processes otherwise dominated by large technology and publishing interests.
- European Libraries (major European libraries)keyCollaborative exploratory work on a European Books Data Commons with major European libraries. This library-governed infrastructure aims to provide centralized access to digitized books for AI training while strengthening digital sovereignty.
- CommonsDB Data PartnerskeyThe CommonsDB project, launched by Open Future, involves multiple data partners contributing rights declarations. By early 2026, the system had ingested over 700,000 rights declarations from data partners for the CommonsDB Explorer tool.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Open Future Foundation competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Creative Commons: The global non-profit stewarding Creative Commons licenses and open copyright infrastructure; Open Future publishes under CC BY 4.0 and works on adjacent copyright and AI rights issues. Highly comparable mission and policy-advocacy playbook.
- Internet Society: Global non-profit focused on an open, accessible internet and standards-based internet governance. Overlaps with Open Future on open infrastructure, standards influence (IETF), and policy advocacy for an open internet.
- Center for Democracy & Technology: US- and Brussels-based digital rights think tank producing policy analysis and engaging EU/US regulators on AI and platform policy. Closely comparable as a policy research organization operating in digital rights and AI governance.
- Access Now: International digital rights NGO that advocates at EU institutions and global venues on AI, privacy, and platform regulation; directly comparable advocacy model, policy publications cadence, and coalition building.
- Electronic Frontier Foundation: Long-standing digital civil liberties organization that litigates, advocates, and publishes on open internet, copyright, and AI rights. Strong overlap on copyright infrastructure (CommonsDB-like rights work) and Creative Commons-style licensing advocacy.
- Stiftung Neue Verantwortung: German tech policy think tank publishing rigorous analysis on AI, platform regulation, and digital infrastructure; directly comparable as a small EU policy research foundation with similar non-profit funding model.
- Open Knowledge Foundation: A UK-based non-profit advocating for open knowledge and open data, with direct overlap on Digital Commons policy, Creative Commons licensing, and EU-level open data advocacy. Closely comparable in mission, size, and policy research model.
- Wikimedia Europe: European association advancing free knowledge and open content; Open Future co-founder Alek Tarkowski sits on its board. Same European digital commons space, same coalition-based operating model.
- Commons Network: A European think tank focused on digital commons, public infrastructure, and EU digital policy - virtually identical framing to Open Future. Operates at similar scale with comparable civil society coalition approach in Brussels.
Broad incumbents
- Mozilla Foundation: A significantly larger global non-profit advancing a healthy internet, open source, trustworthy AI, and digital inclusion. Overlaps on internet health, open source sustainability, and AI/commons advocacy but operates at much larger scale and resource base.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks7 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Open Future Foundation social profiles
Digital presenceOpen Future Foundation financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Open Future Foundation leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles7 records
Open Future Foundation funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
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Open Future Foundation M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
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Frequently asked questions about Open Future Foundation
What does Open Future Foundation do?
Open Future Foundation is a European policy research and advocacy foundation that produces publications, policy briefs, white papers, and analysis on Digital Commons, Public AI, copyright infrastructure, and EU digital sovereignty. It builds coalitions with EU institutions, civil society, and open source communities to shape digital policy. Its only operational software offering is the CommonsDB prototype registry and the CommonsDB Explorer tool, which together enable verification of rights status for digital works through content fingerprinting, ingesting rights declarations from multiple data partners.
Is Open Future Foundation a public or private company?
Open Future Foundation is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Open Future Foundation founded?
Open Future Foundation was founded in 2020. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Open Future Foundation based?
Open Future Foundation is headquartered in Amsterdam, Netherlands, in the Europe region.
How does Open Future Foundation make money?
One revenue line is on record: foundation grants and institutional funding.
Who are Open Future Foundation's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Creative Commons, Internet Society, Center for Democracy & Technology, Access Now, Electronic Frontier Foundation, Stiftung Neue Verantwortung, Open Knowledge Foundation, Wikimedia Europe and Commons Network. Mozilla Foundation is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does Open Future Foundation have an API?
No public API is recorded for Open Future Foundation.
What industry is Open Future Foundation in?
Open Future Foundation's product category is Digital Policy Advocacy. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAGAKAH, International Grantmaking & Development Foundations, with a secondary code of EDAGAJAO, OER Licensing, Rights & Open Policy Support (Creative Commons). Its NAICS code is 8133 and its SIC code is 2741.