---
title: Ethelo
type: platform
status: active
country: CA
website: https://ethelo.com
logo: /assets/org-logos/ethelo.png
contact:
  checked: 2026-08-01
  form: https://ethelo.com
  note: Click the 'Contact Us' button near the top-right to open the contact form
    popup (Elementor)
  source: https://ethelo.com
summary: A Canadian collective intelligence platform used by 100+ municipalities and
  the Government of Canada — surfaces the least polarising, most broadly supported
  outcomes from large group consultations.
concepts:
- democracy-tools
- e-government
- direct-democracy
- participatory-budgeting
- consensus-mapping
- collective-intelligence
location:
  latitude: 49.2827
  longitude: -123.1207
  name: Vancouver, Canada
  precision: city
rss_feed: https://ethelo.com/feed
events:
- date: '2011-01-01'
  title: Founded in Vancouver as a social enterprise
  url: https://www.mcconnellfoundation.ca/funding-database/ethelo/
  quote: Founded in 2011, Ethelo is dedicated to advancing new forms of democracy
    using internet technology.
  note: The McConnell Foundation's grant profile records Ethelo's founding in 2011
    as two entities — the technology company Ethelo Decisions and the non-profit society
    Ethelo Democracy.
  proof_level: high
  url_checked: '2026-08-14'
- date: '2019-05-15'
  title: Acquired Citizen Budget, Canada's leading municipal budget consultation tool
  url: https://opennorth.ca/resources/citizen-budget/
  quote: Ethelo and Open North are excited to announce the acquisition by Ethelo of
    “Citizen Budget”- Canada’s leading municipal budget consultation tool.
  note: Ethelo acquired Citizen Budget, launched by Open North in 2011 and used by
    over 100 Canadian municipalities for public budget engagement, integrating it
    with its participatory decision-making platform.
  proof_level: high
  url_checked: '2026-08-14'
- date: '2025-03-01'
  title: Selected to power California's Engaged California digital democracy initiative
  url: https://ethelo.com/case-study/engaged-california-program/
  quote: Engaged California is a first-in-the-nation digital democracy initiative
    launched by the State of California to improve public engagement, rebuild trust,
    and integrate lived experience directly into government decision-making.
  note: Ethelo was selected after a global search to power the State of California's
    Engaged California program; its first engagement, the LA Wildfire Recovery exercise,
    ran from March to May 2025.
  proof_level: high
  url_checked: '2026-08-14'
activity:
  dod:
    checked: 2026-07-05
    date: 2026-07-05
    note: Site confirmed active and current, case studies and contact functionality
      operational
  rss:
    checked: 2026-08-17
    date: 2026-03-30
    note: 'Latest post: Engaged California Program'
    url: https://ethelo.com/case-study/engaged-california-program/
last_checked: '2026-07-05'
---

Ethelo is a Vancouver-based collective intelligence and digital engagement platform designed for governments and organisations running public consultations. Rather than simple majority polling, Ethelo uses preference aggregation algorithms to identify options with the broadest support across different stakeholder groups — the approach is designed to minimise polarisation rather than simply count the loudest majority.

The platform is proprietary and primarily used by Canadian public sector clients. Over 100 Canadian municipalities use Ethelo's **Citizen Budget** tool for participatory budgeting, and the Government of Canada is among its largest clients. The organisation is also developing AI integration into its decision-support engine.

## Links

- Website: [ethelo.com](https://ethelo.com)

## See also

- [E-Government](../concepts/e-government.md)
- [Consensus Mapping](../concepts/consensus-mapping.md)
- [Direct Democracy](../concepts/direct-democracy.md)
- [Collective Intelligence](../concepts/collective-intelligence.md)