Director’s Update: One Year In

On January 20th, we wrote a joint blog post with Technologists for Public Good and We the Builders highlighting the impact of the Trump administration’s first year on public interest technology. The numbers that we’re looking at are striking, as hundreds of digital service experts were kicked out of government alongside nearly 300,000 federal employees. The United State Digital Service was transformed into the United States Department of Government Efficiency Service (DOGE). DOGE was then subsequently responsible for not only dissolving civic tech teams across government, but the dissolution of entire departments and agencies such as USAID. 18F was dissolved after 10 years of helping governments purchase, build and improve their technology through a focus on human centered design, agile and open source practices.

It’s been rough, but now is not the time for doomerism. We’ve seen an uptick in states and cities expanding their digital service roles and we saw an uptick in volunteer civic engagement across the board. We’re finding that civic technology volunteering these days looks less like building an app and looks more like grunt work. This could be helping a street level non-profit with their spreadsheets or teaching immigration attorneys the basics of cybersecurity.

For 2026, the three priorities that our three organizations identified were investing in the people behind the work, fighting the unethical uses of technology, and preparing to rebuild. The fundamental question facing civic tech in 2026 isn’t technical—it’s political and moral: Who should technology serve?

I hope you’ll join us in helping to answer that question.

Network Roundup

Here are some quick notes about what’s been happening in the network!

Florida Community Innovation Seeks Coordinator

Do you love using your organizational and project management skills for good? Florida Community Innovation Foundation could use your help! Specifically, their executive director, Caroline Nickerson, PhD could use support coordinating with both community partners and student teams to keep civic tech projects on track. Some of these projects include: FCI’s public affairs efforts, the Florida Resource Map, and more. Please email [email protected] if you’re interested!

Open Source San José Supports Mapping Initiatives

Every other week, Open Source San José partners with Bay Area OpenStreetMappers to host South Bay Map Night, a welcoming gathering of OpenStreetMap enthusiasts from across San José and the South Bay. Participants share tagging tips, plan new mapping projects, and connect around all things OpenStreetMap, including occasional explorations of OpenHistoricalMap. Interested parties are encouraged to join no matter the skill level, with more information available on the South Bay OSM homepage.

Chi Hack Night Hosted Civic Tech Leaders

A recent panel discussion, hosted by Chi Hack Night, brought together Reilly Martin (Technologists for the Public Good), Kate Green (We the Builders), and Christopher Whitaker (Alliance of Civic Technologists) to reflect on how recent policy changes, personnel shifts, and evolving uses of technology are shaping the civic tech landscape. The conversation centered on transparency, human-centered government, and the ethical responsibilities facing technologists today. Watch the full discussion, now available to watch on YouTube.

Upcoming Events

Civic tech events happening across the nation, from January 20th to February 5th!

ACT Winter Town Hall - 2026

We’re excited to invite you to our first town hall of 2026, happening Thursday, January 22, 2025 at 6:00 PM PT / 9:00 PM ET! This event will be a fantastic opportunity to discuss the future of civic technology, share your ideas, and build relationships with like-minded individuals looking to drive positive change. Don’t miss out on this chance to connect, learn, and contribute to the future of our communities. Mark your calendars and use this link to join the day of—we can’t wait to see you there!

Network Events

Events hosted by organizations officially part of the Alliance.

This month’s events were assembled by Brianda Hernandez.

Beyond ACT

Events from groups that aren’t officially a part of the Alliance of Civic Technologists network.

Want to be included? Add your event, by filling out our Newsletter Submission form.

Stay in Touch

Interested in chatting with the community, in real time? Join our public Discord server!

Does your local civic tech organization have a story to tell? Want to be featured in our next newsletter? Reach out to us at [email protected]