Data Foundation

By Sonia Wang, Senior Director, Center for Climate and Environmental Data, Data Foundation The Data Foundation launched the Climate Data Collaborative in September 2024. Pictured from left to right are Nick Hart, David J. Hayes, Jason Burnett, Sonia Wang, Ashley Nelle-Davis, and Ryan Alexander.

By Sonia Wang, Senior Director, Center for Climate and Environmental Data, Data Foundation Changes in federal priorities are reshaping climate and environmental data work in the United States and more organizations and initiatives than ever are focused on the importance of data. On the outside, it may look like the field is becoming increasingly crowded.

By Annique Garnier, Senior Analyst with the Center for Data Policy at the Data Foundation This month, the federal statistical system reached a milestone in making confidential datasets more accessible for researchers. The new Standard Application Process (SAP) Portal is now live at sap.nsf.gov. The new portal replaced the legacy ResearchDataGov.org, which closed permanently on June 16 of this year. The data catalog, the participating agencies, and the application itself are all unchanged.

On June 17, 2026, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the GREAT Act's designated standard-setting agency, together with the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB), released Grants Standard Data Elements v3.0. The new version adds standardized data elements and an information-collection specification for the Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) stage of the grants lifecycle.

Key Takeaways The Core Challenge: Policymakers need data from many sources to answer critical questions, but fundamental barriers prevent effective data sharing. Organizations lose control when they share data copies, and information about the quality of the data gets lost when data is combined. Start with Questions, Not Data: Too often we answer whatever questions available data can address.

As changes in climate and extreme weather events exacerbate physical asset and financial risks, climate data has become increasingly important for accurate risk assessment. However, another variable raises concerns – traditional sources of long-term observational climate data.

As part of ongoing monitoring of the changes to America's evidence infrastructure, the Data Foundation has identified several critical developments since our previous reports.

Nearly a decade ago, Congress passed legislation to significantly improve federal reporting of spending information and provide greater transparency to the American public about how taxpayer dollars are used.

This hybrid event, which is part of the White House Year of Evidence for Action, will bridge theory, practice, and forward thinking about the next steps in the evidence movement. Join the discussion virtually or in-person with the Data Foundation, co-hosted with the White House’s Office of Science and Technology Policy in collaboration with the Office of Management and Budget, on October 18, 2022, in considering the use of evidence for the Year of Evidence for Action and beyond.

Nick Hart, Ph.D., President & CEO, Data Foundation Fellow, Bipartisan Policy Center Former Policy and Research Director, U.S. Commission on Evidence-Based Policymaking Sara Stefanik, Research Fellow, Data Foundation, Director of Research and Evaluation, Pittsburgh Public Schools Former Policy and Research Analyst, U.S. Commission on Evidence-Based Policymaking In 2017, the U.S. Commission on Evidence-Based Policymaking (Evidence Commission) issued a report to Congress and the President with...