We let you know a few weeks ago that we were beginning a new effort to improve open data across mid-size American cities. Today, we’re so happy to be able to tell you more about what we’re doing.
Sunlight is proud to announce that we’ve joined a collaboration called the What Works Cities initiative, a three-year, nationwide program to accelerate the use of data and evidence in American cities. The initiative aims to help local governments make better use of the data they create in order to engage the public, make government more effective and improve people’s lives. Funded by Bloomberg Philanthropies, What Works Cities will provide the resources of five different data-focused organizations to mid-sized cities with populations that range from 100,000 to 1 million.
Sunlight’s role in the program is to provide support for cities who are interested in creating or improving open data policies, while our partners at Behavioral Insights, Harvard University, Johns Hopkins University and Results for America will help cities get the most from their data by using it to improve city decision-making. This partnership represents a valuable new step in our effort to encourage as many governments as possible to make their public data open and accessible.