The National Academy of Public Administration (NAPA) recently announced a new guide that offers “practical strategies for building and sustaining integrated data systems,” according to a release. 

The document, titled  A Field Guide for Financing Public Sector Integrated Data Systems and Evaluation, was supported by a grant from the Data Funders Collaborative, a partnership of philanthropies that work together to support “learning, discovery and action focused on the ethical collection, protection and use of data.”

Outgoing NAPA President and CEO Terry Gerton explained in the release, “Integrated data systems allow governments to make informed decisions that improve people’s lives. This guide provides a comprehensive roadmap for financing these systems, offering insights into allowable funding methods and how best to allocate resources across complex programs. We’re proud to provide this resource to leaders across the country.”

The timing couldn’t be better. As Kathy Stack, Senior Policy Fellow at Yale’s Tobin Center for Economic Policy, explains, “OMB’s recent grants guidance update . . . explicitly states grant recipients, including state and local governments, can pool grant dollars to invest in integrated data systems and evidence building, generally. But it’s easier said than done, thus the field guide.”

Adds Stack, “Governments at every level are grappling with the challenge of delivering programs efficiently while ensuring impactful outcomes. Central to addressing this challenge is robust data infrastructure coupled with evaluation capacity. The recently drafted Field Guide – produced by myself, Pari Sabety, and Mary Ellen Wiggins –offers a comprehensive roadmap to overcome these hurdles.” 

As the Guide states, “While some jurisdictions have found a way, robust IDS [Integrated Data Systems] and analytic capacity are not the norm for states, localities, tribes, and territories. A key reason has been a lack of clarity and incentives around the ability to use federal funds. As a result, too many elected leaders and the public lack data-driven insights on program outcomes and how to improve them.”

Included in the Guide are: 

• A step-by-step approach to using federal, state, and local resources to support data system development, operation, and maintenance.

• Real-world examples from leading state and local governments that demonstrate effective financing and system-building methods.

• Tips on preparing for and passing audits of integrated data system costs, ensuring transparency and compliance.

Over $1.2 trillion in federal funds are allocated annually to state, local, tribal and territorial governments, and with a portion of that cash available to jurisdictions that want to leverage these funds to build integrated data systems that drive positive outcomes for the public, the Field Guide is a must read.

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