Highlighted Project: Data for Change

Building Community Data Capacity 

Data is essential to shaping policies, systems, and programs that work for communities. Yet, community-based organizations often face barriers and capacity challenges around using data to measure, strengthen and report on their initiatives. And the capacity to use data for change efforts has traditionally been concentrated among institutions in positions of power and privilege. 

CORE’s Data for Change program responds to these challenges by partnering with community-based organizations to grow their capacity to use data to address local needs and to support and sustain promising programs. 

Since the 2021 launch of Data for Change in partnership with Providence Community Health Investment, CORE has worked with a variety of partners focused on areas ranging from food insecurity to housing to community organizing. These organizations’ experiences and expertise inform both ongoing Data for Change efforts and CORE’s other community-based work.  

How it Works  

  • Convenings: Participants attend cohort convenings to learn about data strategy and data justice frameworks, elevate promising practices from the cohort, surface challenges, share ideas, and discuss strategies with other local organizations. 
  • Technical Assistance (TA) & Coaching Sessions: CORE TA coaches help participants identify data needs and develop a work plan with clear goals to strengthen equitable data practices and overall data capacity. 
  • Evaluation activities: Participants complete assessment/reflection activities to help guide the program’s future success. 
  • Additional support: Participating organizations may be eligible for stipend funds to support participation in the cohort. 

Testimonials

“Data for Change has helped us to think about evaluation in new ways, how we want to measure our work over the long term and take the time to really define what health means to us and our community.” - Participant 

“The fact that I have access to [CORE staff] who are skilled in their ability to figure out what my needs are when I try to explain what I want to learn … This enables me to truly work on this project differently.”

"I like to listen to everybody brainstorm. We might be different [organizations], but we are faced with a lot of the same things that other groups are dealing with. Hearing how they are dealing with it opens us to do more and different things with our program." – Participant 

“[Data for Change] helped push us into a space that’s often neglected. We are so busy doing work, looking ahead, and responding that we deprioritize reflection and assessment. I am excited to have more tools and more language that help us know we are doing the work in the way we intended” – Participant 

Additional resources & links 

CORE contributors 

Lizzie Fussell

Partners & Funders 

Contact 

For more information, contact us at core@providence.org

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