How to get involved in civic tech in San Francisco – for technologists, data scientists, designers, and more.
Use SF OS to:
Start hacking on a listed project idea — just leave a comment so collaborators, advisors, or end-users can get in touch.
Join an ongoing project — message the project lead shown on the card.
Recruit a team — leave a note on the project with your skills + a public contact.
Comment on ideas to refine them or offer suggestions.
Browse the library of pain-points & proposals; add your expertise in the comments.
Help refine policy ideas for how the City could leverage technology better. If a proposal inspires you, advocate for it: e-mail your supervisor or the contact shown.
Ways to plug in beyond SF OS:
SF Civic Tech Meetup — weekly hack-night (formerly the Code for America SF chapter).
Civlab.org — builds civic tech projects and runs “How SF Government Actually Works.”
Hackathons — watch Devpost for social good hackathons; Gray Area and SF10x have hosted Civic Tech hackathons.
National orgs: Code for America, U.S. Digital Response (standby roster for crisis tech support).
Work with SF Government directly:
Corporate volunteering: Civic Bridge (pro-bono sprint on government challenges), opportunities from the Partnership for San Francisco (launching 2025).
Fellowships: FUSE Corps Executive Fellowship (1-year for experienced executives).
Jobs: City tech careers portal (SF Careers), TechToGov transition guide.
Contracts & procurement: SF City Partner, Technology Marketplace, SFMTA bids, SFPUC bids, Public Works Bid Opportunities.
Respond to government RFIs on tech issues — share ideas and perspectives even if you don’t submit a full proposal.
Civic Tech job boards:
Tech Jobs for Good
Responsible Tech Board (All Tech Is Human)
Further resources:
SF govt agencies: Mayor’s Office for Innovation + i-team, Digital and Data Services.
SF data sources: DataSF (~400 datasets), SF GovGraph.
Civic tech field guide — a global resource list.
Emerging pilots: 2025 Gen-AI Copilot sandbox.
Know another opportunity or resource? Leave a comment here.
For Government
How to use this platform:
Post your ideas. These can be detailed project specifications of civic tech projects you’d like volunteers to build, or broader “problem areas” for others to explore. Posting with a government email allows your idea to be tagged as official, and ideally you’ll leave a contact to advise the project.
Comment and advise volunteer technologists. Browse ongoing projects and help ensure volunteer work aligns with real-world needs and impact.
Browse the library of policy ideas. Items tagged “policy” suggest government actions to better leverage technology and support the civic-tech community. These are based on SF civic tech expertise and examples of successful initiatives worldwide.
What kind of ideas might you post?
Browse the library for inspiration. Some high-level principles:
Government efficiency & effectiveness: What tech could make your work more efficient? Civic hackers may prototype and deliver solutions directly, or help explore concepts that can later be formally procured.
Resident-facing tools: Many civic tech projects are designed for residents, not government. You have valuable insight into what would help the public: apps, websites, visualizations, or tools to understand issues, provide input, or navigate services and regulations.
For Residents & Civic Orgs
What are the tech tools, apps, data analyses, or platforms you wish existed for you, your neighbors, or your local government?
If you work on a civic challenge, what parts of your work could the right tech make easier or more effective?
How you can use SF OS:
Submit a project: If you know of a tech solution you want built, add it to the library.
Get inspired: Browse the SF OS library of project ideas to see what’s possible.
Submit a problem area: If you don’t have a clear solution but know an area that could benefit from technology, post it as a “problem area” for discussion.
Engage with the library: Upvote ideas to show hackers what you’d like to see built. Comment if you’d personally benefit, if you have suggestions for improvement, or if you see a better approach.
Be an advisor: Sign up as a potential advisor if you have direct experience with the issue or would be a likely user of the project. You don’t need tech skills — your perspective is valuable. Just leave a comment with your contact info and the perspective you can offer.