What Publicspaces does

PublicSpaces is a Dutch non-profit foundation (Stichting PublicSpaces), founded in 2018 and headquartered in Hilversum with a postal address in Amsterdam, that operates a coalition of public-sector organizations advocating for digital sovereignty and public values in technology procurement. The coalition comprised 26 partners as of October 2023, including public broadcasters, municipalities (notably Gemeente Amsterdam), libraries (Koninklijke Bibliotheek, OCLC), museums, higher-education institutions, and healthcare associations (De Nieuwe ggz), collectively reaching more than 70% of the Dutch population. Its core products and methodologies include the Digitale Spoelkeuken supplier-assessment framework, the Digitale Hersenspoeling workshop series, the Waardenwoordenboek public-values vocabulary, PubHubs (a federated social-media platform built on the open-source Mastodon, Matrix, and PeerTube stacks), and Proof of Provenance tooling for content authenticity.

The foundation's revenue model is grant- and donation-driven rather than transactional: a disclosed three-year grant from the Adessium Foundation underwrites core operations, supplemented by ANBI-eligible individual donations, modest merchandise sales (tote bags, T-shirts), and cost-recovery fees for the annual PublicSpaces Conference. The organization is led by director Jantien Borsboom (appointed January 2024, succeeding Wouter Tebbens) and operates with a small named team of approximately seven staff and contributors. PublicSpaces does not sell software licenses or services to partners; rather, coalition members commit to shared standards and open-source tooling as part of a collective advocacy and infrastructure model aimed at reducing public-sector dependence on Big Tech vendors.

Name

Publicspaces

Legal name

Stichting PublicSpaces

Website

https://publicspaces.net

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

PublicSpaces is a Dutch non-profit foundation running a coalition of 26 public-sector organizations that develops open-source digital-sovereignty tooling and procurement standards to help Dutch broadcasters, municipalities, libraries, and healthcare bodies reduce dependence on Big Tech vendors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Digital Sovereignty Coalition Services

NAICS

Human Rights Organizations (813311), Social Advocacy Organizations (8133), Media Streaming Distribution Services, Social Networks, and Other Media Networks and Content Providers (51621)

akta.pro primary industry

Media Freedom, Access to Information & Digital Rights (BPADAGAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Public Communications, Transparency & Open Government (BPAIAAAH), Community Hosting & Membership Platforms (MPACAJAF), Digital Archives, Libraries & Institutional Access Platforms (MPAJAMAJ)

Keywords

• Digital sovereignty coalition
• Public value technology
• Open-source infrastructure
• Privacy-by-design services
• Public sector digital advocacy

Headquarters

HQ city

Klein Amsterdam

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Donations: One-time and recurring donations from individuals and organizations, processed via the PublicSpaces webshop. Donations are the primary funding mechanism for the organization's mission.
2. Donations from foundations: Multi-year donations from private foundations such as Adessium Foundation, which provided three years of funding to finance core activities including the Waardenwoordenboek, Spoelkeuken development, the badge/keurmerk system, and community building.
3. Conference ticket sales: Ticket sales for the annual PublicSpaces Conferentie. Tickets are sold at early-bird and regular prices via the Pretix ticketing server. Proceeds are classified as cost contributions for the non-profit event, not commercial revenue.
4. Merchandise sales: Sale of branded merchandise including T-shirts (men's and women's fits) at €25, and tote bags at €5, via the WooCommerce webshop. Prices include VAT.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

PublicSpaces (Stichting PublicSpaces) is a Dutch coalition and non-profit foundation that convenes public organisations to advocate for and adopt digital infrastructure aligned with public values, reducing dependence on Big Tech platforms. It delivers an annual conference, runs assessment and workshop methodologies (Digitale Spoelkeuken, Digitale Hersenspoeling), coordinates projects such as PubHubs and Proof of Provenance, and operates a self-hosted stack of open-source community services (Matrix chat, Mastodon, PeerTube, newsletter, ticketing, webshop).

Product overview

PublicSpaces is a Dutch coalition network of public organizations advocating for an internet based on public values. The organization offers annual conferences, workshops (Digitale Hersenspoeling), assessment tools (Digitale Spoelkeuken), and hosts various digital services including a PeerTube video platform, Mastodon server, and Matrix chat. Key projects include PubHubs (community network platform) and Proof of Provenance (disinformation prevention system). The network operates multiple digital platforms for its community and provides a monthly newsletter, knowledge resources, and an online webshop for merchandise.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• De Digitale Spoelkeuken: A methodology/workshop to help organisations audit their software and digital tool choices against public values.
• De Digitale Hersenspoeling
• PubHubs
• PublicSpaces Badges / Keurmerk
• PublicSpaces Video (PeerTube)
• PublicSpaces Social (Mastodon)
• PublicSpaces Matrix / Element
• PublicSpaces Nieuwsbrief (Listmonk)
• PublicSpaces Conferentie
• Digital Independence Day
• Data Morgana
• Proof of Provenance

Products and services

• PublicSpaces Conferentie Annual flagship conference bringing together public organisations, technologists, developers, and policymakers to discuss technology for democracy and public values. Features keynotes, panels, workshops, and a Bazaar exhibition of public-value-driven tools. Tickets sold via Pretix ticketing.
• De Digitale Hersenspoeling Workshop Workshop format using card-based questions (inspired by Brian Eno's Oblique Strategies) to help teams and organisations critically reflect on the software and services they use, prompting conversation about the values embedded in technology choices.
• De Digitale Spoelkeuken (The Digital Powerwash) Methodology and questionnaire tool that helps organisations assess the ethical implications and public-values alignment of their software and digital service usage. Organisations earn a PublicSpaces badge (keurmerk) upon completion.
• PubHubs Decentralised Dutch community network based on public values, where public organisations can operate digital hubs for interaction and communication with their audiences. Hubs can interconnect to form a federated digital network, including healthcare use cases for verified anonymous chat.
• Proof of Provenance Coalition project and system that binds online content to verifiable authorship and certified attributes (e.g., age, profession) without revealing full identity, helping prevent disinformation and fake news while preserving user anonymity. Inspired by IRMA from Stichting Privacy by Design.
• PeerTube Video Platform Self-hosted PeerTube fediverse video hosting platform operated by PublicSpaces for community video publishing and sharing.
• Mastodon Server Self-hosted Mastodon fediverse microblogging server operated by PublicSpaces for decentralised social networking.
• Matrix / Element Chat Self-hosted Matrix chat server with Element client for community chat groups and collaborative messaging, operated by PublicSpaces.
• PublicSpaces Webshop (Merchandise & Donations) Online webshop selling branded merchandise (T-shirts at €25 for men's and women's fits, tote bags at €5) and accepting one-time donations from supporters. Powered by WooCommerce; prices include VAT.

Quantifiable outcome

• Dutch parliament passed a motion with overwhelming majority for all ministries to join PublicSpaces (November 2022)
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Waag FuturelabcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 3 April 2025Waag Futurelab is a co-organizer of the annual PublicSpaces Conferentie and a key strategic partner in joint research and advocacy. The two organizations collaborate on events, policy letters to the Dutch government, research initiatives (e.g., immersive experiences study), and the shared mission of digital sovereignty and public values in technology.
• Gemeente AmsterdamcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 February 2023Gemeente Amsterdam (Municipality of Amsterdam) joined PublicSpaces as a partner committed to achieving digital independence by 2030. The municipality passed a unanimous motion to reduce dependence on Big Tech in public services and is working with PublicSpaces on the transition toward a digitally sovereign local government.
• CultuurconnectminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCultuurconnect, a Flemish cultural organization stimulating digital innovation in libraries and cultural venues, participated in the Digitale Spoelkeuken and the Hersenspoeling workshop, and collaborated with PublicSpaces on the Librecast project funded by the European Cultural Foundation.
• VilansminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerVilans (Dutch knowledge center for long-term care) facilitated a partner transition meeting for PublicSpaces and has been involved in the Digitale Hersenspoeling workshop, helping public sector organizations reflect on software choices and their impact.
• PublicroamminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed as a co-signatory on the letter to the Dutch Parliament's Commission for Digital Affairs, advocating for support of the alternative digital sector. Publicroam provides public-value-driven roaming solutions.
• meemoominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFlemish media institute that, together with Cultuurconnect and publiq, underwent the Digitale Spoelkeuken assessment and participated in PublicSpaces' Brainwash workshop in the context of the Librecast project.
• publiqminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFlemish organization that, together with Cultuurconnect and meemoo, underwent the Digitale Spoelkeuken and participated in the Brainwash workshop as part of the Librecast project funded by the European Cultural Foundation.
• BelastingdienstminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Dutch Tax Office (Belastingdienst) is piloting Mastodon for open communication and is cited as an example of a public organization taking steps toward digital independence, in partnership with PublicSpaces' advocacy work.
• Koninklijke Bibliotheek (KB)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe National Library of the Netherlands is a member of the PublicSpaces coalition and is working on digital independence, including migrating publications from SlideShare to Zenodo and Wikimedia Commons.
• Beeld & GeluidminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMediamuseum Beeld & Geluid is a PeerTube pioneer and coalition partner, providing video hosting infrastructure aligned with public values and serving as a case study for the adoption of fediverse video platforms.
• NPOminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Dutch public broadcasting organization (NOS) is a member of the PublicSpaces coalition and part of the Proof of Provenance consortium working on combating disinformation through verifiable authorship.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• Publicroam: Dutch public-value roaming service and PublicSpaces coalition-adjacent partner. Operates in the same alternative digital infrastructure space but on connectivity rather than coalition/advocacy.
• PreColix: Dutch open-source data visualisation provider and co-signatory on PublicSpaces' advocacy letters. Comparable as a fair-tech infrastructure supplier but narrower in scope.
• Greenhost: Sustainability-focused Dutch hosting provider that powers PublicSpaces' main WordPress site and partners in policy advocacy. Comparable as a values-driven infrastructure provider but smaller and specialised in hosting rather than coalition building.
• Open Future Foundation: European think tank advocating for open, decentralized digital ecosystems. Comparable as a digital-sovereignty advocate in Europe but narrower policy-oriented focus versus PublicSpaces' coalition and tooling model.

Broad incumbents

• Open Knowledge Foundation: International non-profit promoting open knowledge and open-source tools. Comparable as an advocate for open alternatives to closed platforms, though with a broader data/knowledge focus rather than Dutch public-sector digital sovereignty.
• Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF): International non-profit defending civil liberties in the digital world. Larger incumbent in digital rights with overlapping policy advocacy work but US-based and broader scope than the Dutch public-sector coalition focus.
• Mozilla Foundation: Global non-profit foundation promoting an open, accessible internet through advocacy, grants, and product initiatives. Larger incumbent covering similar digital-sovereignty and fair-tech themes but with global scope and a much broader portfolio.

Direct peers

• Bits of Freedom: Dutch non-profit advocating for digital rights, privacy, and open internet. Operates in the same Dutch public-interest tech ecosystem and overlaps on policy advocacy, coalition mobilisation, and public-values agenda-setting.
• Waag Futurelab: Amsterdam-based research and advocacy lab co-organising the PublicSpaces Conferentie and collaborating on PubHubs, Proof of Provenance, and Dutch parliamentary advocacy. Operates the same fair-tech and digital-sovereignty mission space as PublicSpaces.
• New Public: Coalition and field-builder supporting public-interest digital platforms, co-launcher of the Open Social Awards with PublicSpaces and Waag Futurelab. Directly comparable mission around alternative, public-values-driven social platforms.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• GitHubgitlab.com/publicspaces
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/publicspacesonline

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 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 Publicspaces