The Data Center is housed within the
Nonprofit Center of
Milwaukee (NPCM), which is an association of nonprofit organizations in the
Southeastern Wisconsin region. The NPCM is committed to the empowerment of nonprofit
organizations through community-based decision-making, leadership development,
effective management, resource sharing, and other collaborative
efforts. To achieve these goals, the NPCM offers an array of programs,
conferences, consultations, and services to meet the needs of nonprofits. The
Data Center is one of those programs.
The Data Center is a technical resources that produces data, maps, reports,
and analyzes to allow organizations to better plan and develop programs that
address the problems of Milwaukee neighborhoods.
The primary objectives of the Data Center are:
- Data Clearinghouse - To collect and organize the full spectrum of information valuable to
understanding Milwaukee neighborhoods. This includes collaborating with others to build
a "virtual clearinghouse" of Milwaukee data.
- Service - To satisfy the needs of organizations serving Milwaukee neighborhoods with customized
analysis, data, and GIS (Geographic Information Systems).
- Capacity Building - To increase local organizations' and residents' capacity to effectively
use information - including the information they collect.
- Technology - To expand citizen access to information by the use of technology.
The program offers GIS and data "decision-support" services to local nonprofit organizations in the Milwaukee region. The program acts as a distribution source for U.S. Census information and collaborates with the City of Milwaukee, the University of Wisconsin and Milwaukee Public Schools.
Analytical projects at the Nonprofit Center have included collaboration with local organizations assessing issues in community health, crime, housing, education, racial and population trends and community asset networks.
National Projects
- Part of a 9 city project funded by the Annie E. Casey Foundation to support data-driven policy advocacy around children?s issues to strengthen and expand policy advocacy on behalf of disadvantaged children and families in low-income urban neighborhoods.
- Part of a 4 city project funded by the Brookings Foundation Urban Markets Initiative to develop decision support tools for those developing housing in central city neighborhoods.
- Part of a 12 city project funded by the Department of Justice and the Annie E. Casey Foundation to organize, analyze and distribute Re-entry data.
- One of 29 cities in the National Neighborhood Indicators Partnership organized through the Urban Institute.
- One of 10 cities providing data, evaluation and decision support to a comprehensive community initiative model - Making Connections Milwaukee - sponsored by the Annie E. Casey Foundation
- One of 3 cities participating in the COMPASS program - a Department of Justice program demonstrating how community data can be used collaboratively to address issues of safety and community stability. (Locally, this project was led by the City of Milwaukee and involved UWM as well as the Nonprofit Center. This project has now ended, but collaborations continue.)
Local Partnerships
- Founded and provided leadership to the Milwaukee Data Consortium - building local capacity to measure indicators of change in Milwaukee.
- Mapping and data processing services for the City of Milwaukee Health Department.
- Services to coalitions such as STOPP (Predatory Lending), Brighter Futures, United Way planning, etc.
- Support of the planning and program implementation needs of Community Development Block Grant Agencies through a contingency account that can be used by 90 community agencies.
- Services to more than 60 agencies per year - many on a fee-for-service basis.
Capacity
- Since 1992, a neighborhood data clearinghouse with one of the most comprehensive and detailed time series in the country.
- Use of sophisticated GIS, database and publishing software - with customized templates to allow rapid production of custom material.
Services
- Address matching (geo-coding) to allow address-based files to be mapped.
- Customized map production.
- Use of analytical mapping procedures to assess patterns in data.
- Development of stable indicators to monitor neighborhood impacts and trends.
- Neighborhood profiles - comprehensive descriptions of neighborhood assets and challenges.
Services are fee-based, but are subsidized for many organizations by
support of the City of Milwaukee's Community Development Block Grant
program and the A.E. Casey Foundation.
For more information contact:
Todd Clausen, Data Center Coordinator - 414.344.3933 x140 -
tclausen@nonprofitcentermilwaukee.org
Dr. Michael Barndt, Data Center Analyst - 414.344.3933 x141 -
mbarndt@nonprofitcentermilwaukee.org
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