The Purpose
For years, Jen Pahlka has written on how to improve Government’s ability to deliver. She uses State Capacity to define what good government looks like: hiring and firing the right people, updating old procedure, investing in technology, and instituting test and learn systems to drive outcomes.
I love her work. It has informed and inspired me. But operationalizing her theories has proved difficult (and Pahlka has delivered a massive step forward here with her new Recoding America Fund).
There are many thought pieces that detail why State Capacity is tough to deliver; very few help interested parties understand: what can I help with, how can I get involved, and who else is thinking about the same things?
My Contribution
There is a real ecosystem of people and organizations — some inside government, most outside it — already working on exactly the problems Pahlka describes. Founders building tools agencies actually need. Fellowships placing technologists where they’re missing. Researchers documenting and benchmarking results. Funders backing the work.
But this ecosystem has never been treated like one. My research revealed targeted resources, but no shared directory; no common language; no helpful landscape overview for newcomers.
The capital is there. The talent is there. The connective tissue is not.
The State Capacity Ecosystem v1 (225 orgs)
Civil Society
Research (42) — Think tanks, university centers, and independent research institutions producing knowledge on government performance, digital governance, and state capacity.
Fellowships (22) — Programs that place a person inside a government team, spanning early-career pipelines, mid-career rotations, and legislative placements.
Community (21) — Volunteer civic tech groups, practitioner peer networks, and member-driven communities connecting people working at the intersection of technology and government.
Advocacy (17) — Organizations pushing for government modernization, tech talent pipeline development, and stronger public interest technology policy.
Training (6) — Programs that upskill government staff or practitioners already in the field.
Government
Government (38) — Federal, state, and city digital services offices, innovation labs, and technology transformation teams operating inside government.
Capital
Philanthropy (32) — Foundations, funder collaboratives, and pooled vehicles whose primary activity is grantmaking in support of government effectiveness and public interest technology.
Investor (14) — VCs, PE firms, family offices, and impact funds with an explicit and demonstrated focus on government technology that builds capacity.
Industry
GovTech (18) — Mission-oriented technology companies whose primary customer is government and whose product increases operating capacity rather than substituting for it.
Digital Services & Consulting (15) — Mission-locked organizations whose output lands inside government: human-centered delivery, technical assistance, and process redesign.
What the map is for
This is a multi-modal information marketplace that acts as State Capacity’s connective tissue. A few examples.
You work inside government and you’ve identified a real problem. You need to figure out which startups sell into your tier of government, which digital services firms can help you implement, whether a fellowship might embed someone on your team for a year to help, and who has already tried a version of this.
You’re a founder building for government. You need the investors who actually understand government sales cycles, the communities where your future champions hang out, the state and city teams most likely to pilot something new, and the fellowships that might become your talent pipeline.
You’re a technologist looking for your next role in this space. You need to identify digital services firms that are hiring, state and city innovation teams that are growing, fellowships for experienced operators, and advocacy organizations that need your expertise.
All in one place for the first time.
The call to action
Browse the full database: Review it. Filter it. Find your organization. Find one to partner with.
Improve the map: If an organization should be on the map and isn’t, request to add it. If I made a mistake or you have further thoughts, post a comment.
Where this could go
This is version one.
The next layers are individual contacts, live problem statements, and profiles of people looking for their next role.
Perhaps in tandem with events to unlock information flow: VC + Advocacy sponsored AI-hackathon nights, with a Training partner facilitating and a Fellowship organization on the hunt for new talent.
A full-fledged community-driven resource focused on unlocking State Capacity delivery. But it only happens if the community helps deliver.
Let me know your thoughts.
Interesting....my gut says this could be very useful as a job ecosystem - gives the parties mentioned here and incentive to keep it current
wow!