Summer 2026 · www.opengovhub.org · info@opengovhub.org · (202) 847-5513
Can you believe we are already halfway through 2026? It is the perfect moment to pause, celebrate the incredible progress our member organizations have made, and channel that momentum into the rest of the year.
In a time when civic spaces around the world are increasingly being challenged, the Open Gov Hub remains a vital, resilient sanctuary. We are proud to provide an affordable, collaborative home for organizations dedicated to transparency, accountability, and civic engagement. Here, we don't just share desks; we protect and strengthen our collective mission.
In this mid-year update, we are excited to highlight some of our recent events, welcome our newest member organizations, and celebrate the active members who keep the energy high in our space. We are also thrilled to share updates on our rapidly growing fellowship partnerships, which are bringing dynamic new perspectives and talents to our community.
Grab a coffee, dive in, and see what we've been building together!
Accountability Lab continues implementing its 2023–2026 strategy while making its 2025 global and country annual reports publicly available. It received new philanthropic support in 2026, including a grant from the David and Lucile Packard Foundation to support planning and delivery of a capacity resource hub convening. The most recent comprehensive organization-wide report available is its 2025 Global Annual Report, released in June 2026. It expanded its global network supporting active citizens, responsible leaders, and accountable institutions across Africa, Asia, and the Americas. Continued implementation of flagship accountability programs, including: Accountability Incubator, Integrity Icon, Voice2Rep, Civic Action Teams, and related governance initiatives.
CAIDP published the 2026 CAIDP Index: AI and Democratic Values. This is a major multi-volume assessment of national AI policies and practices around the world, providing a comparative framework for evaluating AI governance against democratic values and human rights principles. They convened the 2026 AI and Democratic Values Roundtable in Washington, D.C., bringing together policymakers, academics, civil society leaders, and technology experts to discuss democratic governance of AI, civil rights, national security, and state AI legislation. They also recognized global AI policy leadership through its 2026 AI Policy Leader Awards, honoring influential leaders advancing responsible AI governance and accountability.
Connect Humanity has been named as an Emerging Impact Manager in the ImpactAssets 50® (IA 50). This recognizes them as one of the world's leading Impact Managers. Connect Humanity has been awarded a grant from the U.S. Department of the Treasury's CDFI Fund to support its journey to become a Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI). This award helps prepare for CDFI certification. When Connect Humanity is certified, it will become the first CDFI in the nation dedicated to the digital needs of rural and low-income Americans, helping communities access affordable capital to build internet networks and expand digital inclusion in rural and underserved areas.
Center for Progressive Reform launched and expanded the “Tracking Trump 2.0” initiative, providing analysis and public resources to monitor federal actions affecting environmental protection, climate policy, public health safeguards, worker protections, and democratic governance. They continued to develop and maintain the Project 2025 Executive Action Tracker in collaboration with Governing for Impact, documenting the implementation of Project 2025 recommendations across federal agencies and making the information accessible to policymakers, advocates, journalists, and the public. CPR created the “Unmasking DOGE” legal accountability tool, cataloging legal concerns, litigation, and policy implications related to the administration's Department of Government Efficiency initiative.
In 2026, Development Gateway released its new Strategic Plan (FY 2026–2028), setting the direction for the next phase of its work. They focused on resilient and locally owned digital systems, with an emphasis on country data sovereignty and interoperability, a strong push for responsible use of AI in development systems, and expansion of the “human-centered” digital public infrastructure model. DG advanced its work on AI in global development, testing AI tools in controlled “sandbox” environments, promoting “frugal AI” (low-cost, high-impact AI models for developing countries), ensuring AI systems remain transparent, efficient, and locally usable, and advising governments on safe AI adoption in public systems.
The Data Foundation hosted the 2026 Data Summit, bringing together researchers, policymakers, federal leaders, and industry experts to examine how high-quality public data supports fraud prevention, public health, environmental resilience, economic competitiveness, and evidence-based policymaking. They convened national conversations on federal data policy, including the implementation of the Foundations for Evidence-Based Policymaking Act, the modernization of government statistics, artificial intelligence, privacy, and data governance, through conferences, webinars, and working groups. They advanced their evidence-based policymaking initiatives by continuing research and public engagement to improve government data infrastructure.
The FACT Coalition appointed Zorka Milin and Erica Hanichak as co-directors following the departure of Executive Director Ian Gary. FACT successfully advocated for preserving the Corporate Transparency Act (CTA) amid legislative and legal challenges, including welcoming a federal appeals court decision upholding the law and actively opposing proposals that would weaken beneficial ownership reporting requirements. They conducted research exposing offshore tax avoidance: FACT analyzed newly required corporate tax disclosures and reported that dozens of large U.S. corporations reduced their tax liabilities by billions of dollars through the use of tax havens. The coalition used these findings to advocate for stronger corporate tax transparency and reforms.
The Free Information Group leadership was recognized in national FOIA transparency honors. In 2026, Ginger Quintero-McCall, co-founder of the Free Information Group, was inducted into the 2026 National FOIA Hall of Fame. She was recognized for her long-standing work in government transparency and public records access. Through their work, the Free Information Group has accomplished these feats in 2026 by improving access to emergency response and public records systems, supporting transparency work in agencies such as FEMA, FCC, and the Department of Labor, and advancing tools and practices used in public information disclosure and civic data access.
In early 2026, OpenSecrets (with the Campaign Legal Center) achieved a major legal win: a U.S. District Court ruled that the Federal Election Commission (FEC) failed to enforce transparency rules for large political party donations. The case focused on “special purpose accounts” that allow very large contributions to political parties. The ruling pushed forward stronger requirements for donor disclosure and campaign finance transparency. They also continued expansion of money-in-politics data tools, updated datasets tracking campaign contributions, lobbying, and revolving-door employment, and enhanced tools for journalists and researchers covering the 2026 election cycle.
Open Contracting Partnership continued advancing its 2024–2030 strategy, implementing its vision to improve US $2 trillion in public procurement spending by 2030, enabling 1 billion people to benefit from fairer, more sustainable procurement. They released the Annual Report 2025, highlighting progress in anti-corruption reforms, sustainable procurement, digital procurement transformation, more inclusive public purchasing, and support for governments implementing open contracting reforms. They played a key role in promoting transparent and accountable procurement for reconstruction through participation in the Ukraine Recovery Conference 2026 and by publishing updates on transforming public investment in infrastructure.
Notably, SRCD hosted a Congressional briefing and Hill Day activities, bringing developmental scientists to Washington, DC, to meet with 13 congressional offices and brief policymakers on emerging issues such as artificial intelligence and child development. Globally, SRCD is preparing for a Special Topic Meeting in Utrecht, The Netherlands, which accepted 183 presentations from researchers worldwide and provided 36 travel awards supporting early-career and international participation. SRCD successfully transitioned its journals to Oxford University Press, enhancing global dissemination and long-term sustainability. SRCD research and members were featured across major outlets including CBS Radio, Medscape, Education Week, Today's Parent, VICE, and Your Tango.
In 2026, PEN America intensified its national campaign against censorship in schools. They documented about 23,000 book bans in U.S. public schools since 2021. Book bans continued the escalation of nonfiction and social-issue books targeting LGBTQ+ themes, race, activism, and health education. They expanded legal advocacy efforts, including lawsuits challenging school district book removals. At the 62nd PEN America Literary Awards in March 2026, winners were honored across fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and translation. Key winners included Peter Beinart (Being Jewish After the Destruction of Gaza), Jamaica Kincaid (essay collection recognition), and Aracelis Girmay (poetry), with nearly $350,000 in literary prizes.
The Spora Network partnered with Strada Education Foundation to advance educational access and opportunity initiatives. They invested $2,500 to establish Physics, Biology, and Chemistry laboratories at their pilot school, Akoore Secondary School, in Southwest Nigeria. The network installed 4 new bathrooms and provided clean, portable water at Methodist Primary School, added solar-powered lighting at pilot schools to improve safety and accessibility for teachers after school hours, and distributed 50 pairs of desks and chairs to improve classroom learning conditions. They also conducted needs assessments across additional public schools to identify future education and infrastructure projects.
The Youth Café convened with a variety of organizations and development partners to launch the Youth Green Manifesto, a framework aimed at placing young people at the center of Kenya's climate action agenda and environmental governance. They launched the Africa-Europe Youth Academy in May 2026, and signed a partnership agreement for the Africa-Europe Youth Academy (AEYA), supported by the European Union and implemented by Expertise France. The initiative will strengthen youth-led organizations across 11 countries in Central, East, and Southern Africa. The Youth Café also co-developed the Youth Innovation Playbook in May 2026 in collaboration with the Africa–Europe Innovation Platform (AEIP), a practical resource designed to help young innovators and entrepreneurs across Africa and Europe.
A comprehensive review of AI policies and practices worldwide. It provides a comparative assessment of national AI governance approaches, tracks global progress and emerging trends, and evaluates the alignment of AI policies with democratic values. The index is designed as a resource for policymakers, researchers, civil society organizations, and others working on responsible AI governance.
Highlights how open contracting approaches are transforming public procurement around the world by combining open data, digital tools, and collaboration among governments, civil society, businesses, and communities. The report showcases OCP's global impact, partnerships, program achievements, financial transparency, and efforts to make public spending more open, fair, effective, and responsive to people's needs.
Outlines the organization's vision and priorities for advancing country-owned, resilient, and interoperable digital systems that support better public services and data-driven decision-making. The plan responds to major shifts in global development, technology, and geopolitics by focusing on locally owned digital foundations, responsible innovation, and sustainable approaches to digital transformation.
PEN America's seventh annual assessment of writers imprisoned or detained around the world because of their writing, expression, or identity as writers. The report documents global threats to literary and creative expression, tracks cases of writers at risk, and examines patterns of censorship, repression, and retaliation against writers, journalists, scholars, and public commentators.
The Project On Government Oversight (POGO) 2025 Impact Report highlights the organization's efforts and achievements in strengthening government accountability, transparency, and oversight. The report showcases POGO's investigative work, policy advocacy, public education, and partnerships aimed at exposing corruption, waste, abuse of power, and threats to democratic institutions while advancing reforms that make government more effective and accountable to the public.
Published in 2026, the report highlights the role of the Trust, Accountability, and Inclusion Collaborative as a platform for funder learning, collaboration, and collective action to advance participatory governance. It examines how TAI and its members responded to challenges facing democracy, civic space, accountability, and inclusive governance in 2025 while supporting more effective and equitable philanthropy.
An annual, nonpartisan data report that examines the financial position, performance metrics, and risk factors of the U.S. government. Modeled after the Form 10-K reports required of publicly traded companies by the Securities and Exchange Commission, the report provides taxpayers with a comprehensive view of federal, state, and local government operations using publicly available government data.
These are just a few of the events that the Open Gov Hub has hosted in the first half of the year. These events are focused on promoting and ensuring transparency, accountability, and civic engagement.
A lunch-and-learn hybrid event that focused on why traditional M&E struggles when outcomes emerge over time, what “complexity-aware” means in day-to-day reality, and how CAM complements existing results frameworks.
An evening book talk and reception with speaker Glen Galaich, CEO of the Stupski Foundation, focused on his book “Control: Why Big Givings Fall Short.” The event looked at why philanthropy fails in modern times because of overly wealthy donors who have non-democratic control over charitable funds.
A lunch-and-learn meant to help people understand their organization, trust their work, and take meaningful action online. Presented by Carlos Avendaño, a YLAI fellow, and Becky Baik, an OGH intern, it helped people identify their goals, audience mapping, user journeys, discoverability, website experience, accessibility, content priorities, and tracking improvements.
Breakfast in the Hub for hubbers to enjoy, along with a meditation and sound bath with Rooting by Nina to help relax and keep your mind off the work week.
Allows new members to become familiar with the area and the other members of the Hub, with some socializing and networking about what different hubbers can do with each other.
Held in the Hub cafe, with different kinds of peanut butters and jellies along with different kinds of bread, including gluten-free options. Hubbers are also encouraged to bring their PB&J supplies. An easy time to ask Hub staff questions while enjoying some lunch.
A hybrid event where speakers introduce themselves and the projects they are currently working on, and how their professional experience may be impacted by these new projects and their work for the Open Gov Hub. These events typically occur every month.
Our Mardi Gras event was accompanied by a king cake, as a social event in the cafe. If you happened to get the slice of cake with the baby in it, you received a prize from the Open Gov Hub.
A meditation and sound bath event hosted by Rooting by Nina to help give hubbers a nervous system reset, through breathwork, gentle movements, and sound healing.
Community Day is a day full of networking events. In 2026, we hosted two Community Days: the first on February 4th and the second on June 11th.
The first event of the day: our interns from all over the world shared their hometown breakfasts with the rest of the Hub. This turned out to be a great way for different members of the Hub to connect with the interns and get a little taste of their country.
A Lunch and Learn with Jeanne Belmonte about her book Peace of Mind at Work Guidebook. Hubbers got to enjoy Jeanne's presentation, learning how to better strategically handle perceived offences in the workplace while not letting it hinder their own well-being, while enjoying some tasty pizza.
After a relaxing meditation with Rooting by Nina, Hub members participated in meditation exercises while being immersed in a sound bath. Participants focused on how they felt before and after the meditation session. Using a sound bath and breathing exercises contributed to a calming mood.
Hubbers enjoyed good conversations with each other while eating some delicious ice cream. This event was put together by Nyle and was sponsored by Collective Mind and Ice Cream Jubilee. A nice way to socialize and network in a calm and collaborative setting.
To end the day, Hubbers wound down at a cocktail hour sponsored by Ocean Solutions and listened to the Intern Geopolitical Lightning Talks. Interns from our internship partner CIEE provided insight and new perspectives from their home countries. Filip, one of the CIEE interns, planned and organized this event.
Convenes Africans from the continent to create a system that nurtures entrepreneurial spirit. The global African diaspora is meant to forge partnerships. They facilitate knowledge exchange, generate social impact, and foster human capital development.
Seeks to create transformative solutions to global challenges through inclusive diplomacy, ethical governance, and resilient development. Empowers changemakers, leaders, and institutions to engage strategically across divides. They are dedicated to fostering peace, stability, and justice through strategic engagement.
Works on financing the internet access communities need to expand opportunity and improve lives, rewiring the financial logic of a market that has failed many vulnerable populations. They finance community-led solutions where traditional models and public funding alone aren't enough.
Makes government data easier to access and understand. They turn public data into public knowledge. Their focus on data transparency gives the public the tools to make informed decisions.
Its mission is to build a better government and a stronger democracy. Works to build public appreciation for civil servants and effective government. They advocate for, manage, and advance initiatives and reforms that seek to transform the way the government works.
Focused on eradicating poverty and providing essential services in vulnerable communities. They strive to meet the basic needs of affected populations worldwide, progressing towards the Sustainable Development Goals across four main impact areas: food security and livelihoods, health and wellbeing, education and training, and water, sanitation, and hygiene.
Our partnership between the Open Gov Hub U.S. and Open Gov Hub Albania continues to grow. U.S. Hub Director Anthony Rodriguez and Albania Hub Director Edison Frangu led a delegation of Albanian judges to New York City, where they met with judges and attorneys, toured courtrooms, and engaged in a rich exchange of ideas that benefited both the Albanian and U.S. judicial communities. A few more highlights of our expanded partnership:
Thanks to the support of our partners, these international exchanges are helping strengthen democratic institutions and build lasting relationships that will positively impact all Hub communities and networks.
Interested in helping with our partnership in Albania, including helping expand our coworking and meeting space there? Contact us here!
Open Gov Hub proudly partners with TFAS to provide students with meaningful internship opportunities in Washington, D.C. Through this partnership, emerging leaders gain practical experience in the governance and international development space while supporting Open Gov Hub's collaborative mission and global community.
A nonprofit that connects international students with internships in the United States and provides ongoing support throughout their experience. Through this partnership, interns gain hands-on exposure to the nonprofit and governance sector in Washington, D.C.
A collaboration between IREX and the U.S. Department of State that builds skills and leadership capacity for the next generation of civic leaders through professional development and exchange opportunities.
A leadership and entrepreneurship exchange program sponsored by the U.S. Department of State. It is designed for emerging entrepreneurs from Latin America, the Caribbean, and Canada to strengthen business skills, build professional networks, and collaborate with U.S. organizations.
A nonprofit organization that works to improve development outcomes by using data, digital tools, and evidence-based solutions. Through this partnership, they collaborate within the shared Open Gov Hub ecosystem to advance transparency, data-driven decision-making, and global development impact.
A local printing service provider that supports the Hub community with high-quality printing and production services, helping member organizations bring their communications and materials to life.
An organization focused on advancing ocean conservation and sustainable marine practices. Through this partnership, they contribute to collaborative efforts within the Hub's network to support environmental sustainability and global ocean health.
Provides a central location that supports a vibrant ecosystem of organizations working in governance, transparency, and social impact in Washington, D.C., and fosters collaboration within the shared workspace community.
Partnered with the Open Gov Hub to promote health and wellness through meditation and sound baths. The focus of her sessions is to help you relax and get your mind off of your work week and obligations. Exercises include breathwork, gentle yoga, sound baths, and reflective journaling. Check out Rooting By Nina's social media and rejuvenating sessions.
Ice Cream Jubilee was gracious enough to sponsor Open Gov Hub's Ice Cream Social during our Community Day. They helped us promote networking and interesting conversations over some good ice cream!
For more information on our mission, our space, or our members, please go directly to our website or visit one of the links below.