The National Neighborhood Indicators Partnership (NNIP) is a learning network, coordinated by the Urban Institute, that connects independent partner organizations in more than 30 cities.
Our Mission:
To ensure all communities have access to data and the skills to use information to advance equity and well-being across neighborhoods.
Our Vision:
A future where people use data to increase racial and economic equity and well-being in their communities.
Our Work:
Using their local expertise and data, our partners connect residents, nonprofits, government, and other stakeholders to build a shared understanding of community issues and develop solutions together. To better serve our communities, we:
- Strengthen the ability of local organizations to expand the use of data.
- Learn about innovative methods and practices from one another and outside experts.
- Elevate insights and innovations from our communities to share with local and national audiences.
Our Beliefs:
- The places where people live affect their health, security, education, and economic success. We can only make progress toward equity and well-being if we understand how these issues intersect and vary across neighborhoods and among different groups of people.
- With data and the skills to use them, people can identify strengths; uncover problems; and change policies, programs, and investments to better meet the needs of all residents.
- Good data doesn’t just happen. Data must be collected, cleaned, analyzed, and shared—all of which takes time, trust, expertise, knowledge of the community, and a diversity of perspectives.
- Organizations that reflect the diversity in their communities and are inclusive of all people produce higher-quality analysis and stronger collaborations.
- Democratizing data means including people and communities who have been marginalized so they can better advocate for themselves.
Our History
NNIP was formed in 1996 as a peer learning network by six local organizations that a saw a need for neighborhood-level data to inform local decisionmaking. Creation of this capacity, which did not exist in any U.S. city at the time, represented an important technical and institutional breakthrough. The founding organizations believed that by democratizing information, they could give residents and community organizations a stronger voice in improving their neighborhoods. G. Thomas (Tom) Kingsley directed the network from its founding until 2012. Under Tom's leadership, NNIP grew to more than 30 partners and became a space for its partners to debate ideas, share lessons, and lift up solutions. Tom passed away in 2018, but through NNIP, he left a lasting legacy that benefits urban areas across the country.