Technology has the potential to massively change the way citizens interact with government and each other, serving to strengthen communities and governance. People, organizations and government have begun to leverage technology to inform and encourage civic engagement, from simplifying voter registration to hosting virtual government town halls to launching crowdfunding campaigns supporting civic assets. This growing cluster of activity has become known as “civic tech.” This report summarizes insights with the intention of advancing the field-wide conversations about sustainability of the civic tech sector. Knight Foundation and The Rita Allen Foundation commissioned this research to develop a more nuanced understanding of civic tech business models, aiming for the findings to be instructive for start-ups and funders, and for the report to promote a more sophisticated discussion about business models. The report is available for download here.
Source: Knight Foundation