We define our theme of “open gov” (short for open government) as a broad field of work that is based on 3 shared values: Transparency, Accountability, and Civic Participation. We exist to support a network of global changemakers working to make governments work better for people and promote civic engagement in a wide variety of ways all over the world. This can include but is not limited to working on topics like anti-corruption, sustainable development, open data, investigative journalism, and more, through policy research and advocacy, media and communications, and in other ways. To learn more, watch our former director talk about the story of our space.

We’re glad you asked! First and foremost, Open Gov Hub is a dynamic meeting place. We bring together people with common values to share resources and work together. We were also the world’s first innovation hub to focus on this theme. We define a hub as having 2 components:

1) a physical place where people gather to share ideas and resources (for many years we were an in-person only community, but now we serve as both a physical and virtual hub as well!), and

2) curated activities and programs to help maximize the likelihood of beneficial collaborations.

We are not a start-up incubator. The Hub does not directly invest in its member organizations with the goal of grow their work, and almost all our of members are nonprofits/NGOs, not businesses. Rather, the Hub seeks to be an ongoing resource center (including world-class, mission-driven coworking space) and supportive professional network - uniting both small and larger organizations to work on an overarching mission.

No, Open Gov Hub is a nonprofit initiative (501c3) and is not affiliated with any government entity. In addition, all of our members are non-governmental organizations at this time. They are civil society organizations who work outside of government, but often in collaboration with reformers within government, in order to help make governments work better for their people.

Open Gov Hub is not an independent legal entity, but rather an initiative of our parent organization, Global Integrity. We are managed by Global Integrity, in partnership with Development Gateway. These two nonprofits share the Hub’s financial and legal obligations, while Global Integrity serves as the lead day-to-day operator of the Hub. The Hub’s strategy is integrated into Global Integrity’s overall strategy, and Hub staff are part of the broader Global Integrity team. Hub Management is comprised of leadership from Open Gov Hub, Global Integrity, and Development Gateway.

Open Gov Hub provides its members with access to a wide range of shared professional resources - including but not limited to our world-class coworking and meeting space in Washington, D.C., plus in-person and virtual professional development and back-office support, to help members be more efficient. We also provide members with near-daily curated events and programs to learn from each other and work together, to help us all be more effective and enhance our individual and collective social impact.

NOTE: Please note that all memberships are paid. We operate as a nonprofit social enterprise. We are not subsidized by donors or grants but instead cover our operating costs through paid services (primarily membership fees and space rentals). Although all members pay for the support they get from the Hub, we are able to offer excellent value and high-quality services (that would be impossible for small nonprofits to access on their own) through of our model of pooled resources.

Thanks so much for your interest in becoming a member! As a nonprofit ourselves, our application process helps ensure that our member network has shared values and thus meaningful opportunities to work together. Applications are reviewed by our Member Council, a group of leading ambassadors in our network. You can expect to hear back from us about 1 week after applying.

Our 20,000 square foot space is a fully open floor plan. This is a reflection of our value of transparency, and it has worked very well for us over the last 10 years. Because our space also has such an incomparably high number of meeting/collaboration spaces to compliment the open desks (with 35 collaboration spaces and 178 desks, we have 1 meeting space for every 5 desks!). We’ve learned over the years that this open space design is far more likely to promote connections and collaborations between organizations. It is for all these reasons that we do not have private offices at this time.

Yes! Our beautiful, modern, colorful facility is available for short-term (hourly or daily) rentals, including our Event Space, Conference Rooms, Media Lab and Private Terrace. Learn more.

Thanks! We love what you’re doing too (probably :D). A great starting point to get connected to our world-changing network is by participating in an event. We are also always looking for partners! Please:

Subscribe to our Monthly Newsletter (to receive event invites, job notices, think pieces, and more)

Follow us on Twitter (our #1 public communication channel), plus LinkedIn, Youtube, and Instagram

Consider Becoming a Member!

And contact us at info@opengovhub.org with your questions or ideas on how to partner!

We are incredibly proud to have not only retained our 60+ member organizations, but actually grew during the pandemic. In addition to our network’s collective COVID policy advocacy (helping ensure that governments responsibly respond to the pandemic), we’ve implemented several new permanent health and safety measures, a phased back to office plan, and added virtual member benefits - all making us very well-positioned to help organizations optimize for hybrid work.