Post From Network Commons
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The live conversation, which aired on February 26, 2026, brought together practitioners who are putting community-led data strategies into practice. At a moment when large federal datasets are increasingly uncertain, the discussion highlighted why locally grounded data matters more than ever. Community-owned data can foster trust, deepen inclusion, and support decision-making that reflects lived experience and local priorities.
Attendees gained insights into how organizations across the country are reclaiming data as a resource for community power. Speakers shared examples of how community feedback and neighborhood-level data are shaping more responsive programs and services, and why community-led data approaches are essential for advancing equity, trust, and accountability.
Watch the recording:
From the Ground Up: Community-Led Data in Practice — A Two-Pager Resource
This two-pager captures insights from the Network Commons conversation, which focused on how community-led data approaches can shift power, strengthen trust, and inform more responsive programs and services. The resource is designed to support practitioners in understanding how data grounded in lived experience and local priorities can shape more equitable and effective decision-making.
Click here to download the two-pager
Featured Speakers:
D. Rashaan Gilmore, Founder and President/CEO, BlaqOut
Lakota Vogel, Executive Director, Four Bands Community Fund
Kathryn Pettit, Senior Fellow, Housing and Communities Division, Urban Institute
Moderators:
Ruth Thomas-Squance, Co-Executive Director, Build Healthy Places Network
Ashley Hernandez, Research and Product Manager, Build Healthy Places Network
Learn more
Check out the resources shared during this webinar!
BHPN Publications:
Urban Institute Resources:
Blaqout Resources:
Four Band Community Fund Resources: