[Call for Organisations] Join a pilot to try AI that helps you fix, clean, and understand your data

In March 2025, the Open Knowledge Foundation (OKFN) welcomed a group of inspiring organisations into the first pilot cohort for the Open Data Editor (ODE): a new open-source desktop tool designed to help non-technical users explore, clean, and prepare spreadsheet data — no coding required.

These organisations, including advocacy groups, and civil society actors, have been testing how ODE can make their data work more efficient, accurate, and impactful. You can read about their stories here and watch this short video to see how ODE helped one of them uncover data issues that would otherwise have gone unnoticed.

Now, we are opening up a second round of pilot participation, and this time we are testing the integration of responsible AI tools.

✨ What Is the Open Data Editor?

The Open Data Editor (ODE) is built for people who work with data but don’t know how to code. Whether you’re a social worker managing aid distribution, a public official tracking budgets, or a researcher collecting survey data, ODE helps you detect and correct common issues in your tables — fast and simple.

📉 Check errors in community-collected data.
🏛 Spot anomalies in public spending spreadsheets.
👩🏾‍💻 Clean datasets before analysis, publication, or reporting.

No code. No scripts. Just simple tools in a user-friendly interface.

🌍 Who Should Apply

We are inviting three to five new organisations from around the world to take part in this three-month funded pilot, running from July to September 2025.

We are looking for organisations that already use spreadsheets to manage, report on, or publish data, and are curious about how AI could support this work. If you are interested in exploring AI tools that are ethical, transparent, and non-extractive — and want to play a role in shaping what responsible, human-centred AI looks like for data —, we would love to work with you.

We’re especially keen to work with:

Civil society organisations, grassroots collectives, or small newsrooms working with public interest data.
Public institutions, NGOs, or research teams where non-technical staff are responsible for handling data.
Organisations that already collect or use spreadsheets and want to enhance the quality and reliability of that data

🤖 What is New for the Next Round of Pilots?

This cohort will collaborate in the development and testing of new AI-powered features powered by offline, open-source AI models designed to help people work with data while keeping privacy, transparency, and human oversight at the core.

💡 What You’ll Do

Participants in the second cohort will:

Integrate ODE + AI features into your daily workflow (e.g., checking field survey data or public budget spreadsheets).
Test and share feedback on usability, trust, and relevance of AI features
Participate in short bi-weekly check-ins and a community of practice
Report challenges and suggestions to help improve the tool for others like you.
Write a case study and share your experience publicly.

💰 What You’ll Get

Each selected organisation will receive:

Up to USD 5,000 in funding.
Training and mentorship from the OKFN team.
Visibility and community through Open Knowledge events and networks.
A chance to shape an open, ethical alternative to cloud-based AI tools

📅 Key Dates

Deadline to apply: 13 June 2025
Notifications: Rolling, until 15 June 2025
Inception meeting: Last week of June (23-27)
Pilot period: 1 July – 30 September 2025

Apply Here

🔍 Need More Info?

Reach out to us at info@okfn.org with any questions.

Join us for this exciting opportunity to co-create and refine the Open Data Editor, while streamlining your internal work and increasing your social impact with ethical AI!