What is the Raia Institute?
The Raia Institute is UWAZI's research and civic data access initiative. We focus on making civic intelligence accessible to communities, researchers, and public institutions through open research, partnerships, and data infrastructure for public benefit.
Named after the Swahili word for "citizen," the Raia Institute is committed to expanding civic data access, conducting community-centered research, and building partnerships that strengthen the civic intelligence ecosystem.
What We Do
Building civic intelligence infrastructure for public benefit
Community Research Initiatives
Conduct research that centers community voices and needs. We partner with community organizations to design research that serves public interest and informs better policy outcomes.
Civic Data Accessibility
Build infrastructure and tools that make civic data more accessible to communities, researchers, and civic organizations. We believe civic data should serve the public, not gatekeepers.
Partnerships with Universities, Nonprofits, and Cities
Collaborate with academic institutions, civic organizations, and local governments to expand civic intelligence research, data sharing, and technology access.
Research Focus Areas
Civic intelligence research across critical public sectors
Research on voter engagement, civic literacy, and democratic participation to inform better election systems and civic education.
Community health research focused on equity, access, and the social factors that shape public health outcomes.
Research on housing data, displacement, and policy interventions to support equitable development and affordability.
Research on ethical AI deployment in public systems, algorithmic accountability, and community data governance.
Civic Co-Labs
Community-powered research labs where lived experience, data, and policy meet.
Civic Co-Labs are Raia Institute's collaborative research environments designed to bring residents, researchers, technologists, nonprofits, and public institutions into the same room—physically and digitally.
Each Co-Lab centers on a real civic challenge such as public health access, housing stability, transportation, public safety, or civic participation. Together, participants co-design research questions, contribute community data, analyze outcomes, and translate findings into policy-ready insights.
Rather than extracting data from communities, Civic Co-Labs are built on shared ownership, transparency, and feedback. The result is research that reflects lived reality and policy solutions that are grounded, measurable, and actionable.
What Civic Co-Labs Enable:
- •Community-driven data collection and surveys
- •Participatory research and listening sessions
- •Cross-sector collaboration between residents and institutions
- •Policy modeling and scenario testing
- •Open, non-partisan insights that inform local, state, and federal decision-making
Civic Co-Labs serve as the foundation for ethical civic intelligence—ensuring community voice is embedded at every stage of research, analysis, and policy transformation.
Partnership Opportunities
Collaborate with the Raia Institute to advance civic intelligence research
Partner with the Raia Institute on research projects, provide students with civic intelligence internships, and access civic data for academic study.
Work with the Raia Institute to conduct community-centered research, access civic data, and build capacity for data-driven advocacy.
Partner with cities and government agencies to improve civic data accessibility, conduct policy research, and develop civic intelligence tools.
Partner with the Raia Institute
Whether you're a researcher, nonprofit, or public institution, we'd love to explore collaboration opportunities.