US Data Capacity Accelerator

Developing data talent with a focus on financial inclusion

Chief Data and Technology Officer Uyi Stewart speaks at the annual Academic Data Science Alliance (ADSA) meeting in 2023.

With generous support from Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth, data.org’s US Financial Inclusion Accelerator focuses on advancing data for social impact curricula, with an emphasis on financial inclusion to address systemic issues of inequity. data.org partnered with UChicago to identify seven additional partners to drive this work forward. The consortium includes historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs), minority-serving institutions (MSIs), Hispanic-serving institutions (HSIs), and community colleges. These leading institutions represent different geographies and populations across the US and share both a vision and a strong track record in developing highly qualified students, with priority focus on women and minorities for careers in data or STEAM fields.

The Accelerator’s core activities include co-creating an open playbook on data for social impact curriculum, launching modular data for social impact programs across all eight institutions in the accelerator, creating experiential learning partnerships with local social impact organizations, and developing an implementation plan to expand the partner network to include 50 new institutions. The grant period for the US Data Capacity Accelerator concludes in December 2023. However, data.org is committed to long-term partnerships beyond funding periods, staying connected to all grantees and helping them grow and network.

By the Numbers

Nearly 6 million people in the US are unbanked
Globally, 197 million fewer women than men own mobile phones, key to accessing digital financial services
Climate-vulnerable economies estimated that 98% of their nearly 1.5 billion citizens lack financial protection