Digital Public Goods Alliance

What Digital Public Goods Alliance does

The Digital Public Goods Alliance (DPGA) is a multi-stakeholder initiative founded in 2019 that operates the world's primary registry and certification framework for digital public goods (DPGs) — open-source software, open data, open AI systems, and open content collections that adhere to nine indicators in the DPG Standard and aim to advance the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Operated by a small, remote Secretariat of 11–50 staff led by CEO Liv Marte Nordhaug, DPGA runs the DPG Registry (243 verified entries), a web-based Nominations Portal (app.digitalpublicgoods.net), a public DPG API, and curated vertical Collections including the DPGs for Climate Action set co-stewarded with the UNFCCC Technology Mechanism. Membership comprises 54 governments, multilateral organizations, and international NGOs — including BMZ, UNDP, UNESCO, UNFCCC, Wikimedia Foundation, Mozilla, Co-Develop, and Open Cities Lab — each committing activities tracked on the DPGA Roadmap. The 50-in-5 campaign, co-led with Co-Develop, targets helping 50 countries design and scale digital public infrastructure components within five years.

DPGA monetizes exclusively through non-commercial means: there is no per-seat or transactional pricing. Funding flows from member contributions and partner grants (BMZ and UNDP have been documented board funders since 2021/2022), with recent onboardings expanding the donor base. Distribution is via self-serve nomination and discovery on the Registry/Portal, direct outreach for membership, and curated Collections co-stewarded with anchor partners. Customers in the traditional sense are segmented into governments adopting DPGs for digital transformation and DPI, multilaterals coordinating cross-border digital cooperation, technology creators seeking DPG recognition and visibility, and donors/development agencies investing in vetted open-source infrastructure.

The go-to-market is community-led: members commit to Roadmap activities that both advance their own priorities and strengthen the DPG ecosystem, and DPGA convenes annual members meetings, Communities of Practice (AI with UNICEF, Food Security with FAO/Norad, GovStack), and presence at forums such as UN General Assembly, IGF, and COP30 to sustain the network. Underlying technology includes a nine-indicator DPG Standard, a nominations workflow with public GitHub-backed submissions, and a public API for programmatic registry access.

Name

Digital Public Goods Alliance

Legal name

Digital Public Goods Alliance

Website

https://digitalpublicgoods.net

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Digital Public Goods Alliance (DPGA) is a non-profit multi-stakeholder initiative that operates the DPG Registry, DPG Standard, and membership program to certify and curate open-source digital solutions for the UN Sustainable Development Goals, serving 54 governments, multilaterals, and international organizations globally.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Digital public goods coordination and certification

NAICS

Business Associations (81391), Business, Professional, Labor, Political, and Similar Organizations (8139), Computing Infrastructure Providers, Data Processing, Web Hosting, and Related Services (518)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Miscellaneous Business Services (7380), Services-Computer Processing & Data Preparation (7374)

akta.pro primary industry

Digital Development & ICT4D / GovTech Technical Assistance (BPADAEAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Digital Policy, Data Governance & Cybersecurity Standards Cooperation (BPADANAH), Standards, Registries & Interoperability Services (EIDR/ISAN, CPE, DDEX) (MPAHALAO), Data, Surveillance & Digital Public Goods Partnerships for Global Health (HLAJAOAN)

Keywords

• Digital public goods
• Open source verification
• Digital public infrastructure
• Open source standards
• Digital cooperation

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Membership Contributions: The DPGA operates as a multi-stakeholder initiative where members (governments, multilaterals, international organisations) join and commit activities to advance the digital public goods ecosystem. Revenue is derived from membership contributions and partner funding.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Digital Public Goods Alliance operates a curated registry and assessment standard for open-source digital solutions (software, data, AI systems, and content collections) that qualify as digital public goods. It provides the DPG Standard (a set of nine compliance indicators), the DPG Registry (a searchable directory of 243 verified solutions), the Nominations Portal (a submission and tracking platform), the DPG API (programmatic registry access), and curated DPG Collections such as the DPGs for Climate Action Collection. All services are delivered to governments, multilaterals, and international organizations through a membership-based, non-commercial model.

Product overview

The Digital Public Goods Alliance operates a portfolio of coordination and discovery products centered on digital public goods—open-source software, open data, open AI systems, and open content that adhere to the DPG Standard and help attain the Sustainable Development Goals. The core offering is the DPG Registry (https://www.digitalpublicgoods.net/registry/), a searchable directory of 243 verified digital public goods, supported by the DPGA Application Portal (https://app.digitalpublicgoods.net/) for submitting and managing nominations against the DPG Standard. The DPG Standard itself defines nine compliance indicators, operationalized through the Submission Guide and Application Toolkit. The DPG Roadmap coordinates member activities; DPGs Decoded provides advocacy materials; and the DPG API (on GitHub) enables programmatic registry access. The 50-in-5 Campaign is a joint initiative with Co-Develop to scale digital public infrastructure across 50 countries. All offerings function as an ecosystem of interdependent tools rather than a single monolithic product.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• DPG Registry A searchable directory of 243 verified digital public goods—open-source software, open data, open AI systems, and open content collections that meet the DPG Standard—serving as the primary discovery platform for governments and organizations seeking trusted open-source solutions.
• DPGA Application Portal (Nominations Portal) A web-based platform for submitting, tracking, and managing digital public good nominations against the DPG Standard; applicants receive a dashboard to monitor application status, respond to reviewer clarifications, and interact with the DPGA technical team throughout the review process.
• DPG Standard A set of nine indicators (SDG Relevance, Open Licensing, Clear Ownership, Platform Independence, Documentation, Mechanism for Extracting Data, Privacy & Applicable Laws, Standards & Best Practices, Do No Harm by Design) used to determine whether open-source solutions qualify as digital public goods.
• DPG API An API maintained by the DPGA on GitHub that allows programmatic fetching of data for all approved digital public goods on the DPG Registry.
• DPGs for Climate Action Collection A curated collection of digital public goods that support climate mitigation and adaptation efforts, co-stewarded with the Climate Technology Centre and Network (CTCN) and UNFCCC Technology Executive Committee, designed to help governments identify relevant DPGs for climate action.

Quantifiable outcome

• 220+ digital public goods verified and listed on the DPG Registry
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered supporting, core and important.

• Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA)supportingGTM or Marketing Partner · 19 June 2026KOICA is hosting the UNFCCC Technology Mechanism's AI for Climate Action (AICA) Award 2026. As part of this partnership, DPGA Secretariat provides training on digital public goods to semifinalists of the competition.
• Enterprise NeurosystemsupportingImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 19 June 2026Enterprise Neurosystem provides pitch coaching to finalists of the UNFCCC Technology Mechanism's AI for Climate Action (AICA) Award 2026. The award recognises open-source AI solutions for climate action in LDCs and SIDS.
• UN Climate Change (UNFCCC)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 June 2026UN Climate Change joined the DPGA in June 2026 as part of the UNFCCC Technology Mechanism. They will advance open, accessible, and interoperable digital solutions for climate action, support the DPGs for Climate Action Collection, and help connect governments, technology providers, and innovators through initiatives like #AI4ClimateAction. UN Climate Change membership focuses on 13 activities spanning Policy & Advocacy, Training & Development, and Technical work.
• Climate Technology Centre and Network (CTCN)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 June 2026CTCN joined the DPGA in June 2026 as the operational arm of the UNFCCC Technology Mechanism. They co-steward the DPGs for Climate Action Collection and connect developing countries with global experts and solution providers for climate technology deployment. CTCN membership includes 24 Policy & Advocacy activities and technical assistance programmes.
• Wikimedia FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 13 May 2026Wikimedia Foundation joined the DPGA in May 2026. Wikipedia and Wikidata were verified as DPGs in 2025. Activities include strengthening Wikimedia Cloud Services (scalability, security, usability, innovation) and advancing advocacy for open knowledge infrastructure, open-source approaches, and responsible public-interest AI. Wikimedia Foundation is undertaking 12 activities on the Roadmap.
• Open Cities LabimportantStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 April 2026Open Cities Lab joined the DPGA in April 2026 during the African Urban Forum. They advance African-led DPI adoption, support local governments in sustainable DPG adoption, and develop open-source civic infrastructure. Activities span policy and advocacy, capacity building, and technical implementation across Africa.
• UNESCOimportantStrategic or Co-development Partner · 8 April 2026UNESCO joined the DPGA in April 2026. They contribute five Open Solutions to the roadmap: Open Educational Resources (OER), Open Access, Open Data, and Free and Open Source Software (FOSS). Activities focus on expanding access to knowledge as a public good, supporting equitable participation, and enabling reuse of educational and scientific resources.
• Co-DevelopcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 26 November 2025Co-Develop joined the DPGA in November 2025 during the Annual Members Meeting in Brasília. They co-lead the 50-in-5 campaign, accelerate DPG adoption with solutions like MOSIP, Mojaloop, Mifos, OpenCRVS, champion the DPI Safeguards Framework, and identify domain-specific DPGs. Co-Develop's Roadmap includes 14 Technical activities and 2 Policy & Advocacy activities.
• MozillacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 12 November 2025Mozilla joined the DPGA in November 2025. Their work includes promoting DPGs in the open-source ecosystem, advancing digital commons through Common Voice (recognised as DPG), Firefox, and Thunderbird, and backing open-source AI through Mozilla.ai and Mozilla Ventures. Mozilla's Roadmap includes 23 activities spanning Technical and Policy & Advocacy work.
• Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO)importantStrategic or Co-development Partner · 7 December 2022FAO co-chairs the Food Security Community of Practice with Norad, exploring how DPGs can help farmers access reliable, data-driven advisory services. FAO contributes solutions like the Crop Calendar and WaPOR portal, and the Advisory Key Messages API from the FAO Digital Services Portfolio.
• Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (Norad)importantStrategic or Co-development Partner · 7 December 2022Norad co-chairs the Food Security Community of Practice with FAO, exploring digital public goods that provide real-time, actionable advice for farmers to support agricultural activities and climate adaptation.
• German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 September 2021BMZ joined the DPGA Board in September 2021. They provide country-level technical support for health-related DPGs, drive coordination in the GovStack Community of Practice, and directly fund and manage DPGs. BMZ has 23 activities on the Roadmap spanning Technical and Policy & Advocacy work. Member since September 2021.
• United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 September 2021UNDP joined the DPGA Board in September 2021. They lead inclusive digital transformation by identifying transformative DPGs from their network, providing thought leadership on accelerating inclusive DPGs, and empowering their global network of staff across 170 countries to catalyse DPG deployment.
• UNICEFcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019UNICEF co-hosts the AI Community of Practice with the DPGA Secretariat and was instrumental in developing the DPG Standard. UNICEF has supported DPG development since the concept's inception and continues to provide thought leadership and technical expertise on DPG assessment and adoption.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Linux Foundation: The Linux Foundation stewards a large portfolio of open-source projects, many of which are candidates for DPG status. It shares the convening, governance, and standardisation role for open-source projects, though with a stronger vendor-neutral industry focus.
• Co-Develop: Co-Develop is a global non-profit accelerating digital public infrastructure in developing countries and co-leads the 50-in-5 Campaign with DPGA. Both organisations focus on DPI adoption, share several member organisations (e.g., BMZ, Norad), and operate complementary country-engagement programmes.
• Open Knowledge Foundation: The Open Knowledge Foundation promotes open data and open government worldwide, overlapping directly with the DPGA's 'open data' pillar and DPG Registry. Both organisations advocate for open licensing, open standards, and adoption by governments.
• GovStack: GovStack is a multi-stakeholder initiative building reusable, interoperable digital public infrastructure components. It shares DPGA's DPI focus, has overlapping members (e.g., BMZ, ITU, GIZ), and complements the DPG Standard with implementation blueprints.
• Open Data Institute (ODI): The ODI builds an open, trustworthy data ecosystem and advises governments on data infrastructure. It overlaps directly with DPGA's open data and standards work and serves comparable public-sector and civil-society audiences.
• Mozilla Foundation: Mozilla is both a DPGA member and a parallel steward of open-source public-interest technology, including Common Voice (a verified DPG), Firefox, and Mozilla.ai. It shares DPGA's open-source and digital commons mission and operates a comparable global advocacy function.
• Open Government Partnership: OGP is a multilateral initiative promoting government transparency, accountability, and citizen participation. It overlaps with DPGA on open data and digital governance and engages similar government stakeholders across 70+ countries.
• Creative Commons: Creative Commons licenses underpin the 'Open Licensing' indicator of the DPG Standard and CC is a frequently cited DPG itself. The two organisations share a mission to enable legal frameworks for sharing open knowledge and content.
• Open Source Initiative (OSI): OSI maintains the canonical Open Source Definition and is actively extending its review process to open-source AI systems. Like the DPGA, OSI operates as a standards body for openness and influences how governments and enterprises evaluate open technology.

Broad incumbents

• UN Foundation: The UN Foundation is a larger, well-resourced convener for UN-aligned initiatives, including digital cooperation programmes. It engages many of the same multilateral partners as DPGA (UNDP, UNICEF, UNESCO) and represents a higher-budget, broader-mandate analogue.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• GitHubgithub.com/DPGAlliance
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/dpgalliance
• Xx.com/dpgalliance

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Digital Public Goods Alliance