Why public interest technology must rethink the talent pipeline By Jenn Noinaj, Beeck Center Fellow Right now, in response to the systemic vulnerabilities uncovered by the COVID-19 pandemic, the movement to apply technology for the greater good is gaining more momentum both in terms of investment and interest from talent…

Three models for shifting decision-making to communities and entrepreneurs — This is the third in a series. Read Part 1 and Part 2 By Ben Wrobel and Meg Massey Getting to a 100% mission-aligned portfolio is the holy grail for most impact investors. The Heron Foundation set that ambitious goal in 1996, and spent twenty years getting there. …

Imagining a world where 10% of grant dollars are allocated by people outside foundations, not paid staff — By Ben Wrobel and Meg Massey This is the second in a series. Read Part 1 and Part 3 This July, philanthropist MacKenzie Scott posted a widely-analyzed Medium article sharing her plan to give away more than a billion dollars. What made her gift remarkable wasn’t the dollar amount; billion-dollar…

This is the first of a series. Read Part 2 and Part 3 September 16, 2020 — By Andrea McGrath, Saumya Shruti, Shaily Acharya When Diana Samarasan set out to create the Disability Rights Fund in 2008, she had limited experience in grantmaking and funding. As an activist for the…

As our nation is reckoning with a poorly managed pandemic, we’re also grappling with 16 million people unemployed, estimates as high as 54 million people facing hunger, and another 40 million at risk of being evicted. The systems that were supposed to help people when they need it are overwhelmed…

By Katya Abazajian A pandemic may seem like the worst time to fix slow-changing, infrastructural data challenges, but there is no better time to begin correcting systems that just aren’t working. Chief Data Officers (CDOs) manage critical data infrastructure that helps states innovate and make data-driven policy decisions. Earlier this…

By Sonal Shah + Hollie Russon Gilman To achieve greater equity, we first need to build trust between people and institutions, both public and private. Trust is low. While growing inequity (not just inequality) contributes to the lack of trust, shifting that requires new mechanisms to communicate, collaborate and make…

November 27, 2017 | By Christopher Wilson I recently joined a convening of chief data officers from across different parts of the US government (federal; state; and local). The event brought together an an earnest group of like minded data evangelists, all dedicated to making their own institution more data-driven…

November 13, 2017 | By Hollie Russon Gilman The following three-part series reflects initial conversations with data experts including Chief Data Officers across varying levels of government to discuss the next steps and opportunities on how data can improve government performance, drive effective policy, and deliver results. Through these conversations…