Overview

Information is the currency of democracy, yet in our Information Age, the average citizen is deeply disconnected from civic life. Governments spend tens of billions each year on information management, but much of that data is locked away in proprietary systems. Newspapers once fed civic engagement, but mainstream journalism is crumbling. And cities sharing the same challenges — from education to transportation — are stuck finding solutions on their own, often the aid of peer and citizen expertise.

Our Mission

OpenPlans is a non-profit technology organization focused on civic engagement and open government. We use journalism and open source software to turn data into accessible, useful information. This work engages the average person in shaping their community.

Openness is at the core of all of our work: open data, open source software, and open lines of communication. Our approach to technology mirrors our approach to social change. All of our software is open source. We believe that technology can transform city functions — like urban planning and transportation — and we believe that openness contributes to good government.

Based in New York, OpenPlans is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit with a team of 50 software developers, designers, policy experts, educators, and journalists. We were founded in 1999 by technology and finance entrepreneur Mark Gorton.

We are looking for partners to:

* Give individuals better ways to shape their communities

* Develop software that is a true public resource

* Facilitate openness and transparency in government

Our Business Model

In an age of dot-coms, OpenPlans is a ‘dot-org’: a non-profit building civic-minded software. By incorporating as a non-profit, we are able to pursue projects of great public value, addressing needs the market passes by.

We draw on philanthropic and public agency investment to seed and steward open source software projects. We foster a community around each project to ensure reliability, security, usability, and use-driven software development.

Our civic goals and business strategy are objectively aligned. As each software platform matures, we develop products and consulting services that follow from the software’s demonstrated value to users, not proprietary licensing fees. The result is software as public resource: freely available technology that liberates data and empowers people.

The revenue from these software projects are reinvested in new and related open source software and in our string of impact journalism projects: Streetsblog, Streetfilms, and GothamSchools. As a result, self-sustaining software businesses become a vector for creating a more open and engaged society.

We partner with forward-thinking organizations and public agencies on software development and technology strategy. A significant portion of our philanthropic support comes from our founder. We have also received important support from Transportation For America, the Wallace Global Fund, the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, the Surdna Foundation and private donors.

We are seeking the support of like-minded foundations, public agencies, and individuals. Our unique business model means that your philanthropic investment today will be leveraged for compounding social dividends.

To learn more about how your support can make a lasting impact, please contact Beverly Blake, Director of Development at bblake@openplans.org.

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