Starting up in Oregon, USA
Civic Software Foundation
Civic Software Foundation is a nonprofit organization founded in 2013 with the mission of creating and supporting technology and practices for the next collaborative technology systems. Building from principles of ethical data use and societal impact, CIVIC brings forward innovative team models and sustainable approaches to handling data infrastructure to produce competitive industry software that reinforce equity and democratic values.
In CIVIC’s applied work, it uses and teaches Context-Aware Systems principles, which represents an actionable methodology for addressing systemic barriers to common issues of embedded bias, data provenance, and governance structures. These processes are highly participatory in nature and build beyond the first wave of open data and “civic tech” culture to create context that allows for iterative and reflexive systems while improving requirements for technical validation, citizen privacy, and audit-ability of data sources, analytics, visualisation and de-colonial AI futures.
CIVIC operates a variety of programs and initiatives designed to empower individuals and organisations to become more active and effective participants in civic life. These include:
Civic labs: CIVIC hosts a series of "labs" that bring together community members, entrepreneurs, and policymakers to explore new ideas and solutions to civic challenges.
Community engagement: CIVIC provides a range of resources and support to help community organisations and residents become more engaged in civic life. This includes training programs, workshops, and access to funding and other resources.
Policy and advocacy: CIVIC works with government officials and policymakers to advocate for policies that promote equity, inclusion, and economic opportunity in Atlanta.
CIVIC plays an important role in fostering innovation and collaboration in the civic sector in Atlanta. The organisation's focus on bringing together diverse stakeholders to work towards common goals has helped to create a more vibrant and inclusive civic ecosystem in the city.
Project Model at a Glance:
CIVIC’s Programme Areas
CIVIC only accepts projects which are aligned with their organisational mission to serve diverse and equitable constituencies, and where the ownership of technology remains open-source or in the custodianship of the public sector. We specifically adapt industry-standard practices to build value in the public interest and deliver competitive software that stands in contrast to dominant models of extraction and or venture-backed economies of scale.
Projects:
CIVIC Platform (CIVIC): CIVIC Platform is a custom open source developer environment and modular component ecosystem we built to support continuity, scaled collaboration, and long term maintenance of our technology infrastructure, where the “bottom line” serves people, not profit.
Context-Aware Systems Modules (CIVIC): CIVIC defines “Context-Aware Systems” as a field of research and applied practice that considers how infrastructure can contain and evolve situated knowledge. CAS provides an actionable and collaborative methodology combining rigorous data science standards with anthropological frameworks to guide ethical practices and build valuable data infrastructure.
Immigrant and refugee ecosystem mapping (CIVIC): This project mapped programs and services being offered to Immigrant and Refugee communities and created context around gaps between what was recorded in the data and the lived experience from these communities. The project activities and context that was created informed a set of recommendations for the government to better serve the Immigrant and Refugee constituents and their communities, as well as increase the impact of the programs.
Location
Washington D.C., USA
Position
Independent not-for-profit
Size of team
5-10
Geographical area covered
Global
Website
civicsoftwarefoundation.org