We’re a grassroots collective committed to building technology with, not just for, our communities.
Each year, we host Civic Tech Camp - a collaborative space where students, mentors, and community members co-create solutions to real-world challenges. We unite a dynamic community of researchers, designers, engineers, and emerging technologists who are passionate about building Open Source tools that serves the public interest.
Why we exist: A Tech Coalition for Social Good
What we’re building
We believe tech should be open, inclusive, and accessible to everyone. Over the years, the Civic Tech Camp team gathered together mentors, industry partners, and fellows to test different approaches to project work: design challenges, mini workshops, and prototypes. Here are some highlights:
Chatbot Training Wiki: A training course syllabus for beginners in conversational design. This is used as a companion site for the NYC 311 chatbot building workshop. Students learn to design a chatbot service from research to deployment using our playbook.
Bridge Labs Chatbot Project: Co-designed with UC San Diego academic researchers, Bridge Labs is a conversational AI platform that supports families of children with Autism.
Open Source Component Library: Geared for builders needing a robust frontend toolkit, software designers and developers leverage the Equity-UI component library to build MVP civic tech projects.
Seedscore: Accountable Tech Index: An impact assessment tool tracker that empowers builders to track tradeoffs against accountable design principles and measure their ecological footprint when building with AI-enabled platforms
Prototype fund for Civic Tech Projects
In 2025, with generous support from Perforce, Inc. and The Tides Foundation, we’ve supported 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 CTC Fellows, giving them full access to the sprint experience, mentorship and showcase opportunities with our University partners.
