Open Knowledge Foundation
Our Vision
As a team, we promote open knowledge and access because we believe these principles have the potential to deliver far-reaching societal benefits. Read more about our vision.
‘Open knowledge’ is any content, information or data that people are free to use, re-use and redistribute — without any legal, technological or social restriction. We detail exactly what openness entails in the Open Knowledge Definition. The main principles are:
- Free and open access to the material
- Freedom to redistribute the material
- Freedom to reuse the material
- No restriction of the above based on who someone is (e.g. their nationality) or their field of endeavour (e.g. commercial or non-commercial)
What is the Open Knowledge Foundation?
The Open Knowledge Foundation (OKFN) is a not-for-profit organization founded in 2004 which is dedicated to promoting open knowledge in all its forms. We build tools, projects and communities with a network of international leaders in this field.
The Foundation’s activities are organized around individual working groups, regional communities and projects, each focused on a different aspect of open knowledge, but united by a common set of concerns, and a common set of traditions in both etiquette and process. These are explained in more is detail on the governance page, but are in general focused on the principles of open discussion, meritocracy and tolerance.
Who are you?
We’re a collaborative effort primarily run by volunteers led by a core team who report to the Board. This is supplemented by the expertise of a distinguished Advisory Board.
One of our major functions is acting as a hub for work on open knowledge, drawing together representatives from across the knowledge society – from academics, public servants and entrepreneurs to data experts, archivists and web developers.
What do you do?
The Open Knowledge Foundation team work in a variety of areas, including:
- Promoting the idea of open knowledge, both what it is, and why is it a good idea.
- Running open knowledge events, such as OKCon and OGDCamp.
- Working on open knowledge projects, such as Open Economics and Open Shakespeare
- Providing infrastructure, and potentially a home, for open knowledge projects, communities and resources. For example, we run the KnowledgeForge service and Comprehensive Knowledge Archive Network.
- Enriching regional open knowledge communities around the world, from local groups to official OKFN Chapters.
- Acting at UK, European and international levels on open knowledge issues.
- Promoting various research activities and publications – Research wiki
What is your legal status?
The Open Knowledge Foundation Limited is a not-for-profit organization. It is incorporated in England & Wales as a company limited by guarantee with company number 05133759. The registered office is 37 Panton Street, Cambridge, CB2 1HL and it is to this address that all correspondence should be addressed.
The Foundation is registered with the UK ICO and is on the Data Protection Register under the terms of the Data Protection Act 1998. We are also registered for VAT in the United Kingdom with number 984 4049 89.
