The Public Lab nonprofit is happy to announce that it has received support from the Rita Allen Foundation and the Betsy and Jesse Fink Foundation to advance work in the Northeast region of the United States.

These new partnerships will support scaling operations, specifically in the Northeast, including funding dedicated to outreach staff and concurrent growth of core staff and operations to ensure that resources (workshops, websites, hardware) scale with the community. Funding from the Rita Allen and Betsy and Jesse Fink Foundations will support workshops on hardware and software development and use, community organizing, and advocacy; development of toolkit guides, tutorials, and curriculum; and implementation of local research projects in the Northeast. By scaling-up one of Public Lab’s most active regions, Public Lab aims to dramatically increase its ability to empower communities to create good data through a DIY, open source ethos and leverage the power of bottom-up, small data aggregation.

In partnership with the Rita Allen and Betsy and Jesse Fink Foundations, Public Lab will reach new communities and launch new research sites in the Northeast, as well as support ongoing work at existing sites. Public Lab’s projects in the Northeast represent a community that has grown to be robust and diverse while achieving excellent results through a combination of dedicated staff time, highly active volunteer Organizers, and organic growth through word of mouth and media attention. Based on lessons learned and identification of best practices, Public Lab will use the Northeast as a pilot case for scaling up other important Public Lab sites over the next several years.