Giving Compass' Take:

• Bloomberg Philanthropies, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and Ballmer Group announced a $12 million project that will invest in better data systems for local governments to increase economic mobility. 

• How is this type of philanthropy an example of collective impact? What are the challenges that might come with this approach? 

• Read about the relationship between cities, data, and the future workforce. 

Bloomberg Philanthropies, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and Ballmer Group announced  a new $12 million project that will help communities analyze economic mobility in American cities and develop interventions that can increase residents’ economic progress. The project will work to identify barriers to economic mobility, understand the impact of potential interventions, and share what works.

“Today, economic mobility is top-of-mind for city leaders around the country,” said Patti Harris, CEO of Bloomberg Philanthropies. “Through this new partnership, we will follow the data to help communities develop approaches that have the potential to increase opportunity and improve residents’ lives.”

Ten American cities will work closely with a team of advisors from What Works Cities, a Bloomberg Philanthropies initiative that helps cities confront urgent challenges through data and evidence-based decision-making.

The project will engage local leaders and residents to build on best practices in data-driven governance to help cities measure the scope of the issue and then develop, test, and share evidence-based approaches to increasing economic mobility for residents.

“Currently, it’s hard to understand the impact of government spending on the lives of individuals and communities. Concern over lack of real-time data on what works and what doesn’t is raised in nearly every meeting we attend with elected and agency officials, philanthropies, grantees, and other community leaders. We believe that access to data and skilled analyses by decision makers are crucial to help improve economic opportunity in the United States, and we are proud to partner on this initiative,” said Jeff Edmondson, Executive Director of Community Mobilization at Ballmer Group.

Read the full article about increasing economic mobility in local communities at Bloomberg Philanthropies