Data Coalition and Data Foundation Announce Merger to Accelerate Growth of National Data Community

WASHINGTON, D.C. –– The Data Coalition and the Data Foundation announce a merger agreement to align efforts and missions for further advancing and promoting effective use of government data in 2021. The Data Coalition will be integrated into the Data Foundation, while continuing to pursue its core policy and legislative objectives. 

The Data Coalition is a 50-member business association that advocates for effective government data policy, while building and maintaining a community of interested organizations. Founded in 2012, the members of the Data Coalition include data analytics firms, management consultancies, start-ups, and nonprofits, all of which share a vision for effective use of data in society.

“The Data Coalition is a strong community to support our government’s use of data. With incredible successes since its inception, the Data Coalition will continue to promote a growing data community and advocate for responsible data policy in our country,” said Jeff Press, who was recently named Chair of the Data Coalition’s Advisory Board for 2021.

The Data Foundation is a national non-profit that improves government and society by promoting the use of data to inform public policymaking. In 2020, the Data Foundation announced major philanthropic contributions to support projects such as the COVID Impact Survey, the Policing in America Survey, research on data sharing, chief data officers, and data governance.

“The new partnership between these two organizations presents a compelling opportunity to more effectively educate, influence, and advocate for data-related needs in this country,” said incoming Chair of the Data Foundation Board of Directors, Dean Ritz. “The timing is right, with recently-enacted federal laws that promote open data and evidence-based policymaking, new data leaders across federal agencies, and emerging opportunities for modernizing our data infrastructure, the Data Foundation board wholeheartedly welcomes the Data Coalition as we jointly pursue an equitable, data-informed society.”

The merger has been approved by each non-profit’s board of directors and will take effect at the close of the fourth quarter of 2020.