Become a Partner
The Strategic Data Project welcomes education and nonprofit organizations committed to using evidence for change. We look for partners who value a culture of rigorous data use and have an ambitious project in mind for program participants. For the fellowship program, we typically work with 25 – 30 partners for each two-year cohort.
Download the SDP Partnership Overview Start the Partnership Application
Partner Benefits
Build your team's data capacity.
Partners hire data fellows recruited and screened by Harvard researchers for the two-year program, or they enroll one or more of their own employees as agency fellows to receive tools and training to support the organization.
Carry out a High Impact Project.
Advised by renowned faculty and mentors, fellows carry out a transformative data project to advance a critical initiative for partners. This work results in action-oriented insights to aid policymakers in decision-making.
Access Leaders and Experts.
At multiple in-person workshops, partners and fellows have access to a growing network of education leaders, data strategists, and researchers who exchange best practices, rigorous findings, statistical code, and ideas.
Pathways to Becoming a Partner
Data fellows are recruited by SDP via a competitive nationwide search. They are matched to SDP partner organizations where they are hired as full-time, paid, agency employees for two years and participate in SDP workshop and activities. They bring impressive credentials in statistics, data management, and research methods to the projects commissioned by your organization.
An SDP Agency Fellow is a rising star within your organization with analytic chops, high-quality written and verbal communication skills, and the passion and drive to be a changemaker within education. Agency Fellows remain as full-time employees at partner organizations and participate in all SDP workshops and activities, alongside Data Fellows.
SDP hopes to support your organization in growing its leadership and technical capacity to do ambitious data work. There are three ways to develop a team or group of data leaders. Partners are welcome to enroll and/or hire multiple fellows at their agency, funders are welcome to sponsor multiple fellows at their grantee sites, and organizations can send teams to the weeklong training SDP hosts every summer. SDP can also deliver a custom training for your group.