An Open-Knowledge Foundation is any community of scientific effort—whether in research, education, software/tool development, or support—that believes in and acts upon the principles of Open-Collaboration. Such a foundation admires decentralization and non-authoritative structures, working towards creating a truly inclusive, participatory, and sustainable ecosystem for knowledge.
It rejects the monopolization of science and education by centralized authorities, instead fostering environments where ideas, data, and tools are freely accessible, improvable, and reproducible. Its mission is not merely to publish or share but to empower individuals and communities to actively shape, verify, and extend the collective body of knowledge.
An Open-Knowledge Foundation stands on the conviction that intellectual progress emerges not from gate-keeping but from transparent cooperation, interoperability, and trust-less validation. By aligning with principles of openness, it ensures that every contributor—independent researcher, student, or institution—retains equal footing in shaping the evolution of knowledge.
Ultimately, such a foundation is not an organization in the conventional sense, but a living network of collaboration, where knowledge is border-less, iterative, and permanently open to refinement.
This repository provides template documentation for establishing a new Open-Knowledge foundation. The --foundation name-- itself is built upon this repository, adopting its core principles and mission as guiding elements in its decisions and long-term vision.
- Familiarity with the Open-Knowledge Initiative
- Basic understanding of git and GitHub for forking, pulling, and pushing this repository
- Commitment to Open-Knowledge core principles
- Fork this repository and name it
initiativein the organizations GitHub/GitLab - Clone your fork (
git clone https://github.com/<yourfoundation-org>/initiative) - Follow customization guide (SETUP_GUIDE.md)
Your Open-Knowledge implementation should maintain compatibility with the Open-Knowledge Initiative framework:
- Core Principles Alignment - Adhere to fundamental OKF values
- Governance Standards - Implement transparent, community-driven decisions
- Network Participation - Engage with broader OKF community
- Quality Assurance - Maintain high standards for knowledge work
Once established, register your foundation with the network:
- Complete implementation following this template
- Validate compliance with OKF Initiative standards
- Submit registration to Open Knowledge Foundation
- Participate in coordination with other foundations
- [Open-Knowledge Foundation]
- Foundation Wiki - Comprehensive guides
- Network Coordination
- Setup Guide - Detailed implementation instructions
- Community Discussions
- Network Mentorship
Help improve this template:
- Report issues with template usage
- Submit improvements and additions
- Share successful customization patterns
- Contribute examples and case studies
This template is provided under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Your foundation implementation can choose its own license while maintaining compatibility with Open-Knowledge Foundation Initiative standards.