Good Data Grants

 
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    CFDA#

    None     		 

    Funder Type

    Private Foundation

    IT Classification

    B - Readily funds technology as part of an award

    Authority

    Markets for Good

    Summary

    Markets for Good's Good Data Grants program focuses on the role of digital data and infrastructure to improve decision-making in philanthropy (particularly individual giving) and in the social sector writ large. Markets for Good is launching two new grant programs focused on the role of digital data and infrastructure to improve decision-making in philanthropy (particularly individual giving) and in the social sector writ large. Grants will be awarded for two types of projects: scholarly research and practical innovations. The funder aims to support research, prototypes, and shared learning that can help donors and social sector organizations use digital data safely, ethically, and effectively to improve their work.

    This is the first year of this program, and the funder intends to run at least two more cycles of grants in future years. They are committed to supporting cohorts of grantees and connecting them to the broader Markets for Good and Digital Civil Society Lab communities. They also hope that the availability of these funds will help spark other funding in this area and inform the field of new ideas and efforts focused on using digital data well. Toward that end, all applicants, regardless of whether they are selected for a grant or not, will have the opportunity to opt in to share their contact information and ideas as part of a map” of the field, which the funder will build on over time and make publicly available for anyone's use.

     

    History of Funding

    Information on the first cohort of awarded projects is available here: https://marketsforgood.org/good-data-grants-first-cohort-of-grantees-announced/

    Additional Information

    Research grants might include topics like the following (please note: this is only a partial list of ideas to prime your thinking):

    • Evaluate the potential applications/benefits of data standards within a specific segment (e.g. homelessness, legal services, community health, etc.) of social sector work
    • What is the current practice for sharing data from crowdfunding platforms, what do they report and when, and what accountability practices/data access policies would best serve the public interest?
    • What legal and technical strategies exist for making algorithmically-informed decisions accountable to the public or beyond the walls of individual institutions? What examples exist of good practice and what are the benefits/limitations to these practices?
    • Conduct a market landscape of data collection tools that are privacy preserving and assess the strengths and weaknesses of different approaches
    • Research and design practices for algorithmic transparency or community-based governance and oversight of data assets

    Potential topics for innovation grants include (please note: this is only a partial list of ideas to prime your thinking):

    • Development and/or field testing of tools that teach others in civil society to better use data or that create and implement shared data standards
    • Conduct experiments on donors' use of digital data as a decision factor in their giving
    • Prototype a weighted index that draws together multiple types of private resources being used for public benefit, including impact investing, charitable giving, political contributions, and consumer spending
    • Prototype an evaluation using propensity testing and a data repository and share cautions, successes, and lessons learned
    • Develop an industry-informed standard for public reporting of data from crowdfunding platforms
    • Develop a shared repository and system for committing/forking civil society data governance policies (e.g. using digitalIMPACT.io or github)
    • Create, prototype, and report on resources to improve digital data literacy among nonprofits and donors

    Contacts

    Laura Seaman

    Laura Seaman

    ,
     

  • Eligibility Details

    Research grants will be made to faculty or graduate students at accredited universities in the United States. An affiliation with Stanford is preferred, but not required. Transnational research teams must apply for funding to a U.S.-based university. Priority will be given to research projects with either a demonstrated commitment to practical applications in the social sector or those that clearly articulate a plan to turn their research into practical knowledge.

    Innovation Grants will be made to 501(c)(3) organizations in the United States or transnational/cross-sector teams that include a 501(c)(3) that can serve as the grant recipient and fiscal manager. Priority for these grants will be to teams that include more than one organization and that have a clear plan for sharing what they learn or produce.

    Deadline Details

    The deadline to apply was September 30, 2016. The next Good Data Grants cycle will open in Spring 2017. Similar timelines are expected annually.

    Award Details

    A total funding pool of $200,000. The funder anticipates making between 5 and 15 grants, although number and size will depend on the applicant pool. Grants are for one year, beginning late Fall 2016 and ending Fall 2017. Funds will be disbursed in two tranches, with half of the funds being transferred to grantees at the beginning of the grant period, in Fall 2016, and the other half being transferred halfway through the one-year grant period, in approximately May 2017. 

    Related Webcasts Use the links below to view the recorded playback of these webcasts


    • NSF Funding for Campus Cyberinfrastructure in Higher Education - Sponsored by NetApp - Playback Available
    • Funding High Performance Computing in Support of University Research – Sponsored by NetApp - Playback Available
    • Getting A Virtualization Project Funded - Sponsored by NetApp - Playback Available

 

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