The Nielsen Foundation has committed $250,000 in grants to build data capacity and strengthen the programs of five diverse-led organizations advancing economic mobility and well-being in historically underserved communities across the United States. 

Through the 2021 Data for Good grants program, the Nielsen Foundation is funding creative projects to build monitoring, evaluation and learning capacity and strengthen programs of the following organizations:

• Aurora-St Anthony Neighborhood Development Corporation: To strengthen monitoring, evaluation and learning systems and upgrade technology, as the organization builds economic, housing and commercial development programs for local households and business owners in St. Paul, Minnesota.
• Inclusive Action for the City: To strengthen organizational capacity and improve monitoring, evaluation and learning systems to better support their work to build strong, local economies in Los Angeles County by uplifting low-income, underserved entrepreneurs in urban communities.
• Native American Community Development Institute (NACDI): To develop a Culturally Responsive Indigenous Evaluation model for NACDI programs in the Midwest, as part of their work to build community-led efforts and economic opportunities for Native people.
• RespectAbility: To support focus group discussions and reporting to inform future programs and advocacy efforts for people with disabilities, toward their mission of fighting stigmas and advancing opportunities.
• Young, Black & Giving Back Institute: To support their inaugural Benchmark Fundraising Report on Black-led and Black-benefiting nonprofit organizations, working to close the racial funding and capacity building gaps in philanthropy.

The Nielsen Foundation has invited applications for Data for Good grants since 2017, to support projects by nonprofit organizations that use data in innovative ways and help bridge divides to catalyze long-term change. Recognizing the serious systemic inequities and racial disparities in today’s philanthropic funding environment, this year’s Data for Good grants program focused on smaller, diverse-led organizations to help build their capacity and support their work to use data to inform decision-making, improve their programs and expand their support and impact.

“We’ve heard from many nonprofit organizations that they are increasingly expected to use data and research to assess and communicate their effectiveness to donors, but that there’s a gap in funding to be able to build or expand those systems to measure outcomes and impact—especially for diverse-led organizations,”  said Andrea Bertels, President and Executive Director, Grantmaking, Nielsen Foundation. “We are honored to be able to direct this year’s Data for Good grants to support an exceptional cohort of nonprofit organizations to help build and strengthen their data-driven capacity.”

The Nielsen Foundation, a private foundation originally funded by Nielsen, a global data and analytics company, envisions a more equitable world where everyone counts and everyone has opportunities to succeed. Its mission supports organizations that give voice and opportunities to historically under-represented groups and communities. Grants from the Nielsen Foundation encourage educational access and persistence, promote economic mobility and well-being, and advance representation in media and technology.