Two NNIP Partners Awarded RWJF Grants from the Local Data for Equitable Communities Program
Two member organizations of the National Neighborhood Indicators Partnership (NNIP) received grants in July 2025 through the Local Data for Equitable Communities program. The program is a collaboration between the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) and the Urban Institute that helps nonprofits use data to catalyze local action, address inequities, and ensure all residents can live their healthiest lives.
Each of the program’s grantee organizations receive a $50,000 grant to lead a local project focused on improving conditions in their communities, such as housing quality, access to healthy food, access to public transit, climate risks, and environmental justice. Grantees will also receive technical assistance, supported by the Urban Institute, and will have opportunities to learn from their peers.
All projects reflect the belief that place matters, community members hold deep insight, and local data can be used to shape effective policies, attract funding, and address structural conditions. These values are reflected in the two NNIP partners’ projects.
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CT Data Collaborative’s project seeks to expand youth access to sports and recreational activities in Hartford, Connecticut. Youth will map the sports programs and recreational facilities and conduct a survey and focus groups to learn whether current programs meet community needs. The City of Hartford’s newly established Department of Sports and Recreation will use the findings to inform its investments in youth recreation opportunities and to demonstrate the need for additional resources.
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Community Information Now’s project will elevate the understanding of the patterns of tax foreclosures and their drivers to reduce foreclosures and prevent displacement in Bexar County, Texas. They will analyze five years of local property tax foreclosure auction listings and conduct focus groups to understand causes and potential preventative measures. The City of San Antonio Neighborhood and Housing Services Department will use the data to guide actions related to tax foreclosure in its Strategic Housing Implementation Plan.
The Urban Institute has coordinated NNIP for almost 30 years. With partner organizations in 31 cities, NNIP helps local communities use data to shape strategies and investments so that all neighborhoods are places where people can thrive. Urban’s work with NNIP inspired this grant program’s creation.
We hope these projects will inspire other communities, funders, and policymakers to invest in local capacities to use data and tap into community wisdom to drive change.