Data Justice Project
Creating Community Governance
Data Justice for Pittsburgh’s Black Neighborhoods is a project led by the Black Equity Coalition (BEC), in partnership with the City of Pittsburgh, that aims to build decision-making power for Black residents. This project will engage with those that have been impacted by residential segregation and disinvestment, by creating public processes and power over data as it is used, governed, and disseminated in the City of Pittsburgh.
Pittsburgh is one of four cities in the U.S. selected in the Modern Anti-racist Data Ecosystems (MADE) for Health Justice initiative. The de Beaumont Foundation sponsored the BEC’s work to assist in accelerating the development of health-focused local data ecosystems that center principles of anti-racism, equity, justice, and community power.
The project will consist of two components:
Community Data Justice Collaborative
The Community Data Justice Collaborative is a group of residents who will engage in decisions that the City of Pittsburgh makes about data, technology, and policies that will serve as the foundation of the City’s emerging data governance process. The BEC will engage the Community Data Justice Collaborative and city data stewards in participatory activities to find agreement around how the city uses data and technology.
Neighborhood Power Building
The BEC will work with a neighborhood project partner to recruit 10-12 residents in a single selected neighborhood for a series of workshops connecting topics on health equity and use of data for building power and advocacy. The residents will emerge with a Health Improvement Plan that will be implemented upon with the partners of the MADE for Data Justice project.
Data Justice Project Partners
The Black Equity Coalition (BEC) was created by community leaders in Pittsburgh in 2020 to address racial disparities in the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond.
Creating Community Governance
The Community Data Justice Collaborative will assemble people excluded from decisions – that is, historically marginalized individuals who have been impacted by policies but had no say in those decisions – about data into a cohort. The BEC will engage the Community Data Justice Collaborative and City of Pittsburgh data stewards in participatory activities to find consensus around how the City uses data and technology.
TIMELINE
- Application/nominations released: August 7, 2024
- Virtual Information Sessions: August 23 12-12:45pm EST, September 13 12-12:45pm EST
- Applications due: September 30, 2024 11:59pm EST
- Selection period (with potential conversations): September 30-October 17, 2024
- Selected applicant notified by: October 18, 2024
Neighborhood Power Building
The MADE Project of the BEC will work with and fund a neighborhood partner to recruit 10-12 residents to engage with a series of monthly workshops on the use of data to drive health equity goals for building power and advocacy. The project will take place October 2024-July 2026. Workshops include artistic engagement and presentations from relevant health equity organizations, and participants will receive gift cards for their time.
TIMELINE
- Information Session 1 (Virtual): July 12, 2024 12 – 1:30 pm EST
- Information Session 2 (In-person): July 29, 2024 2:30 – 4pm
- Applications will be released August 1, 2024
- Applications due: September 5, 2024 11:59pm EST
- Applications will be selected on: September 26, 2024
Questions
Please submit questions to the BEC by contacting info@blackequitypgh.org. Questions submitted by August 15, 2024 will be answered, consolidated, and released in the form of a FAQ page August 22, 2024.
Questions & Answers
Creating Community Governance
Questions have not been received yet for the Community Data Justice Collaborative.
Questions & Answers
Neighborhood Power Building
In the event that a neighborhood is selected and multiple applicant organizations work primarily within the selected neighborhood, the BEC will initiate a process to understand the willingness of applicant organizations to work collaboratively and split the funding accordingly. The BEC has a preference for working with a lead partner organization.
Community partners will be considered on the basis of their history of working within a neighborhood and demonstrated experience in relationship, trust building, and consideration of community engagements. Communications, community organizing, and an understanding of important neighborhood context are additional forms of expertise we would expect out of a community partner.
Yes, total funding is $24-30k, but awarded in the amount of $12-15k annually by yearly contract.
Honorariums for participants will be $45 gift cards awarded for each monthly workshop.
This is budgeted at 12 participants receiving no more than $550 a year for the equivalent of 12 half-day workshops
The Neighborhood Power Building initiative is geographically focused on one Pittsburgh neighborhood. Organizations are welcome to apply with different goals and topics that take place within an eligible Pittsburgh neighborhood.
The Data Justice Project’s Community Data Justice Collaborative is accepting nominations soon and we want to prioritize Black queer representation. The collaborative will play an important role in decisions that the City of Pittsburgh makes about data. Please stay in contact for more details on nominating members of the Community Data Justice Collaborative.
The BEC wants to ensure an equitable process where all eligible neighborhood organizations get a chance to participate. Furthermore, the BEC does not otherwise know the needs and interests of neighborhood
organizations in the initiative without soliciting applications and interest.
The BEC asks for one lead organization to submit the application on behalf of the group of organizations working together, and to determine how recruitment and funds might be split among organizations.
Yes, the Neighborhood Power Building initiative will be working closely with the Planning department on interaction elements and feedback from the initiative into the Comprehensive Plan.
Neighborhood Power Building initiative may not be able to address every topic, but will work with the Neighborhood Partner Organization to address the top priority topics of the neighborhood.
Participants should be 18 or above, though if youth participation is a crucial component, the BEC can work with the Neighborhood Partner Organization further to arrange youth participation.
If the Neighborhood Power Building initiative residents and Neighborhood Partner Organization decide to collect additional data in the form of observational or population surveys, or scientific testing, the BEC Data Justice Working Group will provide technical assistance and discuss data collection methods.
The budget plan is not required in the application, but after being selected, we will ask for a budget plan from the Neighborhood Partner Organization.
