Why we exist: A Tech Coalition for Social Good

We’re a grassroots collective committed to building technology with, not just for, our communities. As innovation accelerates, we believe it’s our shared responsibility to ensure tech remains open, inclusive, and accessible to all.

How We Show Up: Building Together, Year After Year

Each year, we host Open Sprints: Civic Tech Camp—a collaborative space where students, mentors, and community members co-create solutions to real-world challenges. These sprints are more than events; they’re launchpads for funded projects that advance social good.

We unite a dynamic community of researchers, designers, engineers, and emerging technologists who are passionate about building Open Source Software (OSS) that serves the public interest.

What we’re building

Our projects will focus on building something that makes a tangible impact:

  • Equitable Maps Project: Designing tools to create more accessible and inclusive maps that serve communities.

  • Hiring Culture Research: Researching ways to improve the job-seeking experience through inclusive hiring practices.

  • The Bridge Labs Project: GenAI Conversational platform to support families of children with Autism.

  • Open Source Component Library: Building frontend design system components. This is geared for builders needing a day one frontedntoolkit as they set up MVP civic tech projects.

Prototype fund for Civic Tech Projects

In 2025, with generous support from Perforce, Inc. and The Tides Foundation, we’re excited to support early-stage open-source projects that need research or technical support to move forward.

Here’s how we support selected projects:

  • Stipends for Cohort Captains who guide teams through key challenges and ensure steady progress.

  • Coverage of prototype costs, including monthly subscriptions for essential web services.

  • Incentives for industry mentors who dedicate a minimum of 8 hours to support each project.

  • Free admission for up to 15 Hackathon Fellows, giving them full access to the sprint experience, mentorship and showcase opportunities with our University partners.

Our Vision: Community Engagement through Open Source Civic Tech Projects

Our vision is to build a thriving ecosystem where aspiring technologists can upskill, collaborate, and make meaningful contributions to civic technology.

We believe civic tech should be inclusive, accessible, and community-driven. That’s why we’re working to:

  1. Build a Cross-Sector Tech Coalition Through our partner network—including universities, tech bootcamps, meetups, and mission-aligned companies—we’re creating pathways for new technologists to engage in Public Interest Technology. Our goal is to make civic tech participation a normal part of tech career development.

  2. Create Long-Term Impact Through Open Source Open Sprints goes beyond short-term events by supporting open-source teams and maintaining projects that benefit the public. We evaluate all proposals using three pillars—Community-Driven Tech, Skills-Building, and Social Good—to ensure each project creates lasting value. Full criteria here.

  3. Promote Participatory Design with Local Impact We champion participatory, grassroots-led projects like The Equitable Mapping Project, partnering with groups such as Data + Women and Superbloom Design. By tapping into public datasets like NYC Open Data, we help transform information into tools that support equity and local well-being.

Community Partners

  • Femmecubator Project

    Femmecubator is 501c3 fiscally sponsored project by Aspiration. Femmecubator's mission is to elevate careers of women of color in tech through mentorship and community.

    In 2024, Femmecubator hosted its first flagship program, Open Sprints, where technologists are guided by industry experts to collaborate on Civic Tech Open Source Projects.

    Check out Femmecubator

  • Superbloom

    Superbloom leverages design as a transformative practice to shift power in the tech ecosystem. We apply a critical lens to technology development, and view design as an intervention opportunity to center people and their needs. We collaborate closely with others in the space to grow the community focused on shaping our collective online future. Our vision is a world where everyone has the knowledge, network, and digital tools needed to enrich their lives.

    Check out Superbloom

  • Data + Women NYC

    Data+Women NYC aims to recognize and support women in the data community. Our quarterly meetings provide opportunities to connect with others over a shared love of data and a mission of uplifting members of the data community. We welcome perspectives from all roles and levels of expertise, and people of any gender identity are invited to participate!

    Check out Data + Women NYC

What is the Equitable Technology Policy Framework?

Our initiative prioritizes 3 of the 9 policy areas within the Equitable Tech Policy Framework drafted by the Kapor Foundation. It focuses on creating fair and inclusive policies within the technology sector. It aims to address systemic inequalities by advocating for policies that promote diversity, equity, and inclusion in tech-related fields.

    • Invest in new models of inclusive tech workforce development, including new models for upskilling, reskilling, and hiring

    • Combat the harmful consequences of artificial intelligence and autonomous systems, and create standards for the future development and deployment of artificial intelligence systems

  • Increase deployment of capital to diverse startup entrepreneurs.