Data

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Governance is key.

In recent years, data has been identified as an asset that should be leveraged to improve decision making. To achieve this, though, strong data governance is key, and roles like the chief data officer (CDO) are leading organizations to leverage their data effectively. Robust data governance, data sharing, and open data practices can not only improve government service delivery, but also government transparency and resident trust.

Establishing data governance and sharing programs can require legal agreements—including abiding by privacy laws—to ensure that data is used appropriately and securely, as well as technical infrastructure. However, careful planning can create wins for governments and residents.

On this page, you will find resources to unlock the benefits of data governance, examples from state and federal projects that deploy data sharing and open data, and inspiration to get started.

Data Governance

1 Resource(s)

Data Sharing

48 Resource(s)

Open Data

0 Resource(s)

How to Get Started

We recommend these resources as a starting place for using data in the delivery of government services.

Data

A Quick Guide to Data Equity: CDO Insights Brief

Guide with insights from state Chief Data Officers on how to drive data equity initiatives.

Beeck Center for Social Impact + Innovation
2023

Data

Using Data to Advance Digital Skills: A State Playbook

To assist states in closing digital skill gaps and preparing for digital equity planning, this brief offers key questions and resources for state leaders to consider.

National Governors Association (NGA)
2022

Data

State Data Maturity Assessment

This assessment aims to help states gain a comprehensive understanding of their successes and shortcomings in their data strategies and enhance their strategic and tactical plans.

Beeck Center for Social Impact + Innovation
2024

Data for Public Benefits

Data

Better Data Sharing for Benefits Delivery

This policy brief outlines how improved data sharing between federal agencies, state and local governments, and institutions can leverage existing data from other benefits programs to streamline eligibility processes and benefits uptake for the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) and other programs.

New America
2022

Data

Data Sharing to Build Effective and Efficient Benefits Systems: A Playbook for State and Local Agencies

This playbook is designed to help government and other key sectors use data sharing to illuminate who is not accessing benefits, connect under-enrolled populations to vital assistance, and make the benefits system more efficient for agencies and participants alike. It is a step-by-step guide to conducting smooth and efficient data sharing projects that are permissible and secure.

Benefits Data Trust
2023

Policy

Strengthening Analytics in Government Agencies: A Toolkit for Sustainable Data Use

This toolkit offers strategies and tools to help agencies build the culture and infrastructure needed to apply data analysis routinely, effectively, and accurately – referred to in this publication as “sustainable data use.” It covers a variety of subjects – from staffing and technology to collaboration and funding – that can impact the longevity of analytics work in the public sector.

MDRC
2023

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Data

The Five Phases of Successful Data Analytics: TANF Data Collaborative Pilot Resources Toolkit

This toolkit provides individuals and organizations with guidance, drawn from learning and experience, on how to use administrative and other data to inform program improvements. It collects concrete strategies and practitioner-tested tools designed to advance these efforts. These materials were developed in pilot projects with local Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) agencies as part of the TANF Data Collaborative (TDC).
- Actionable Intelligence for Social Policy (AISP)
- 2024
Policy

Building and Sustaining Data Analytics Capacity: The TANF Data Collaborative Pilot Initiative Final Report

In 2017, the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) under the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services began the TANF Data Innovation (TDI) project. Its goal was to expand TANF agencies use of TANF administrative and employment data to improve program services and outcomes for families with low incomes. This report focuses on the TANF Data Collaborative (TDC) component of the TDI. TDC provided technical assistance (TA) and learning opportunities to two groups: all TANF agencies serving families on or eligible for TANF, and a select few agencies chosen for the TDC Pilot Initiative.
- MDRC
- 2024
Data

State Data Maturity Assessment

This assessment aims to help states gain a comprehensive understanding of their successes and shortcomings in their data strategies and enhance their strategic and tactical plans.
- Beeck Center for Social Impact + Innovation
- 2024
Data

Using Data to Advance Digital Skills: A State Playbook

To assist states in closing digital skill gaps and preparing for digital equity planning, this brief offers key questions and resources for state leaders to consider.
- National Governors Association (NGA)
- 2022
Accessibility

State of California Innovation Hub

A collection of resources from the California Office of Data & Innovation to support government service delivery in the State.
- California Office of Data and Innovation (ODI)
Data

Transforming Administrative Data into a Resource for Evidence Building

This brief describes TDI’s efforts to transform federal TANF and employment data into an integrated resource for program management and evidence building. This challenging project required the resolution of multiple technical, legal, and data security issues. Lessons learned may be useful for audiences interested in unlocking the potential of administrative data, including members of federal and state agencies, researchers, and advocates of evidence-informed policymaking.
- MDRC
- 2024
Data

SNAP Community Characteristics Dashboard Congressional District Explorer

This exploratory tool was built to share information about SNAP participation, income, and household demographics within each congressional district. Users may select their own district, along with any other district of interest, and can compare two districts at once within a given state.
- U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)
- 2024
Management

Data Literacy Within State Government: Building a Knowledgeable Workforce That Knows How to Use Data for Better Decisions

The National Association of State Chief Information Officers (NASCIO) convened a panel of state chief data officers who shared their approaches and experiences with data literacy. The panel provides recommendations for establishing a state-level data literacy program, ensuring that employees understand how to use data effectively for better decision-making.
- National Association of State Chief Information Officers (NASCIO)
- 2024
Human-Centered Design

Digital Services Playbook

The Digital Services Playbook by the U.S. Digital Service outlines 13 essential principles for effective digital projects. The 13 key "plays" are drawn from successful practices from the private and public sectors. The playbook aims to help government agencies create user-centric, efficient digital services that meet citizens' needs and enhance overall delivery.
- U.S. Digital Service (USDS)

Data

NCDHHS: Cross-Enrollment in SNAP, WIC, and Medicaid

In this presentation, team members from the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services provide an overview of the implementation process for cross enrollment with SNAP, WIC, and Medicaid in North Carolina.
- North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services
- 2023
Data

Expanding TANF Program Insights: A Toolkit for State and Local Agencies on How to Access, Link, and Analyze Unemployment Insurance Wage Data

This toolkit is designed to assist state and local TANF agencies in accessing, linking, and analyzing employment data from unemployment insurance (UI) systems. The toolkit provides practical guidance on using UI wage data for program monitoring, reporting, and evaluation, and it may be valuable for other human services agencies and policymakers interested in improving workforce outcomes. The report highlights four key sections, covering the purpose of the toolkit, challenges in accessing UI wage data, methods for linking data sources, and instructions for preparing data for analysis. Additionally, an accompanying GitHub repository offers open-source code and resources for data processing and analysis. This toolkit serves as a starting point for TANF leaders who want to access and analyze UI wage data and offers the essential building blocks you will need to get started on your data analysis journey.
- MDRC
- 2023
Data

Ex Parte Options and Recommendations for the non-MAGI Medicaid Population to Reduce Churn

As a part of Benefit Data Trust (BDT)’s Medicaid Churn Learning Collaborative, BDT has created a memo describing policy options and state examples for Medicaid administrators to reduce churn for non-MAGI Medicaid enrollees when the federal public health emergency ends.
- Benefits Data Trust
- 2022
Data

Transforming Administrative Data into a Resource for Evidence Building

This brief describes TDI’s efforts to transform federal TANF and employment data into an integrated resource for program management and evidence building. This challenging project required the resolution of multiple technical, legal, and data security issues. Lessons learned may be useful for audiences interested in unlocking the potential of administrative data, including members of federal and state agencies, researchers, and advocates of evidence-informed policymaking.
- MDRC
- 2024
Data

New Mexico’s Coordinating SNAP & Nutrition Support Impact Report

The New Mexico Human Services Department and Department of Health, as part of the Coordinating SNAP & Nutrition Supports program, leveraged data sharing to align SNAP, Medicaid, TANF, and WIC. Their new online interface automates the referral process, making it easier for families to access the nutrition and economic supports they are eligible for.
- American Public Human Services Association (APHSA)
- 2023
Data

CSNS New Jersey: Sharing Nutrition Program Data to Raise WIC Enrollment

This report outlines how the New Jersey Department of Human Services’ Division of Family Development (DFD) and the Department of Health (NJDOH) are increasing SNAP & WIC co-enrollment through data sharing, outreach, and systems integration.
- American Public Human Services Association (APHSA)
- 2021
Data

Data Coordination at SNAP and Medicaid Agencies: A National Landscape Analysis

Benefits Data Trust (BDT), in collaboration with the Center for Health Care Strategies (CHCS), conducted a nationwide analysis of how states coordinate across Medicaid and SNAP programs to streamline access to benefits. Between June and August of 2022, BDT and CHCS collected 114 survey responses from Medicaid and SNAP programs in 46 states and the District of Columbia.
- Center for Health Care Strategies
- 2023
Policy

Strengthening Analytics in Government Agencies: A Toolkit for Sustainable Data Use

This toolkit offers strategies and tools to help agencies build the culture and infrastructure needed to apply data analysis routinely, effectively, and accurately – referred to in this publication as “sustainable data use.” It covers a variety of subjects – from staffing and technology to collaboration and funding – that can impact the longevity of analytics work in the public sector.
- MDRC
- 2023
Data

CSNS Kansas: Forming Connections Between SNAP and WIC to Tackle Food Insecurity

Together, the Kansas Department for Children and Families (DCF) and Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) are working to design and build a sustainable process to improve cross-enrollment for families eligible for both the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC). This report outlines how Kansas will integrate data matches between SNAP and WIC—as well as targeted outreach— within the ongoing business processes of the agencies to help streamline the experience of accessing nutrition supports for clients. These functions will contribute to the agencies’ shared goal of reducing rates of food insecurity in Kansas.
- American Public Human Services Association (APHSA)
- 2021

Governance is key.

Subtopics

Data Governance

Data Sharing

Open Data

How to Get Started

Data for Public Benefits

Discover All of Our Data Resources