mySociety, Ltd.

mySociety, Ltd. make websites that empower citizens worldwide. mySociety is a not-for-profit social enterprise, based in the UK and working internationally. They build online technologies that give people the power to get things changed, and they share these technologies so that they can be used anywhere. They believe that strong democratic accountability and a thriving civil society are vital to their common welfare, and that these only survive when people engage with government and communities. Theywork with online technologies because the internet can lower the barriers to taking the first civic or democratic steps in a citizen’s life, and it can do so at scale. In three connected areas of civic life: -Their Democracy tools make parliaments more transparent and accountable -Their Freedom of Information platform holds governments to account -Their Better Cities technology helps local authorities and empowers their citizens They work with partner groups to help them build effective civic websites through the implementation of their tools and software. They ensure their projects are having real impact through a rigorous programme of research that they also share with civic tech practitioners worldwide, providing global leadership and inspiration in their sector. And they also provide Software as a Service Their work is partially supported by providing services to local government and other organisations that can benefit from their experience in civic technologies. How did it all begin? mySociety began life when a small group of coders got together to discuss a shared interest. They wanted to explore the potential of the internet to give everyone easier access to the political process. That was way back in 1996. Since then, they have been rather busy, growing into a fully-fledged international organisation along the way. These days, they put out annual reports so you can see what they have been up to: here’s the Year In Review for 2014, for 2015 and 2016. Where mySociety’s funding comes from mySociety’s work is funded by a variety of means: grants from charitable foundations, donations from private individuals, and commercial income from its trading subsidiary.