Data has the power to define and redefine narratives, especially for marginalized communities. When these communities lack access and have limited capacity with data, it diminishes their agency and policymaking power.
This work has evolved over two phases with multiple stakeholder roundtables of data experts, community-based organizations, researchers, government, and city officials to provide a new perspective on community-engaged data work. Through these in-depth conversations and research, we seek to reimagine the data ecosystem with a more sustainable, equitable, and participatory approach to advance evidence-based policymaking through community engagement.
The Equitable Community Data Pathways project conducted five roundtables in 2025, which included data experts, representatives of national and local non-profit organizations, and city government officials.This culminated in a convening in October 2025 with our stakeholders to facilitate conversation between collaborators and funding agencies, creating new opportunities for open dialogue and shared learning. The workshop allowed participants from diverse backgrounds and communities to strategize and contextualize barriers, solutions, and the feasibility of community-centered data governance.
Support for this project is provided by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The findings, interpretations, and conclusions from this project are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation or other funders. Brookings is committed to quality, independence, and impact in all of its work.