We are developing a roadmap to launch the Community Data Trust and Knowledge Lab to better share data among partners and ensure that research points to solutions that support just neighborhoods. We aim to strengthen Chicagoland’s data ecosystem by:

• Collecting data by nurturing long-term data sharing partnerships with other nonprofits, community organizations and government
• Curating and protecting datasets that might otherwise be vulnerable to removal
• Standing up a co-governance structure where a multi-sector board makes decisions around data use and data sharing oriented toward community benefit
• Creating an accessible, trustworthy data hub that allows users to combine data sources, develop a more nuanced understanding of issues and build capacity to point to new solutions.

Center for Neighborhood Technology will work with longstanding partners to develop this new structure—including frontline environmental justice organizations, regional planning and policy advocacy organizations, elected and appointed officials, and researchers.

Community Data Trust: building a future  for community-centered data

A data trust is a legal structure, governed by community, government and non-profit board members, committed to increasing community access to data that affects their lives and fostering research that deepens our understanding of neighborhood issues. Like a land trust that stewards land on behalf of local communities, our data trust will hold data sets.

Across the United States, initiatives like the Charlotte Regional Data Trust and the Virginia Commonwealth Data Trust have created trust through common rules for data security, privacy and confidentiality, reduced costs by centralizing data storage, and supported new ways to leverage data. We’re excited to lead this work in Chicago.

This initiative is a work in progress! We are working with partners to scope this initiative and will be launching our pilot in 2026. If you’re interested in learning more or participating, please get in touch.

Questions?