Hartford Data Collaborative
Connecting Hartford's data to improve lives and strengthen communities
“Building a complex data puzzle together, ethically and permissibly.”
The Hartford Data Collaborative (HDC) is a network of Hartford area non-profit organizations, government agencies, and philanthropic partners that facilitates data sharing and data integration among its partners.
Data integrated through HDC provide community and government organizations with a more holistic view of individuals, families, and households in Hartford.
The Hartford Data Collaborative was formed in 2019 and is managed by staff from the Connecticut Data Collaborative, with input from community stakeholders.
How does HDC work?
HDC wants to use data to answer big questions about how to improve the lives of Hartford area residents. Traditionally, information about residents—where they live, their enrollment in childcare centers, school, or workforce training programs, and what happens to them after they graduate or leave these programs—is collected by different agencies and stored in different data systems.
What types of data are shared through HDC?
Administrative data, the data agencies routinely collect about their operations, including client or participant demographics, program participation, and services provided.
How does HDC protect individual data?
HDC provides clear rules for the storage and use of data to protect the safety and privacy of the individuals served. HDC has a 3-tiered governance structure, a rigorous review process, and a legal framework to ensure all data sharing efforts protect individuals’ privacy and confidentiality while benefiting the Hartford Community.
Contact Us
-
Contact Kate for questions about:
State agency relationships
Public & philanthropic support for HDC
The Greater Hartford Re-Entry Welcome Center and its evaluation
Hartford Youth Researchers
HDC Committees and Governance Structure
HDC Project Ideas
-
Contact Geethika for questions about:
Hartford Opportunity Youth project
Hartford Student Internship Project
Hartford Unity Project
North Hartford Ascend Pipeline Project
Data capacity building opportunities
Nonprofit partnerships
HDC Data Reporting
HDC Data Dictionary
-
The Re-Entry Welcome Center (RWC) opened in 2018 with a mission to welcome individuals returning home with support, resources, and referrals. HDC's data integration work supports the evaluation of the first three years of the Center, to assess what is working well and to what extent participant outcomes are achieved.
-
UNITY programs are funded by the City of Hartford to engage children and youth after the COVID-19 pandemic. All providers that receive over $5,000 in City funds are required to join the Hartford Data Collaborative (HDC).
-
The Hartford Youth Data Fellowship is a program for Hartford youth ages 17-24 that provides them with the tools and experience they need to engage and analyze data about their communities. The program is managed by CT Data Collaborative through the Hartford Data Collaborative (HDC), a network of Hartford area non-profit organizations, government agencies, and philanthropic partners that facilitates data sharing and integration among its partners.
HDC partners with schools and youth-serving organizations in Hartford to recruit youth to participate in a five-month after-school program with workshops about data literacy, analysis, and visualizations. Youth serve as co-researchers to share their lived experience growing up in Hartford and its impact on their development in their data insights. The fellowship program addresses a need for increased data literacy among residents, provides Hartford youth with career development opportunities, and allows them to create a data project that can be part of their resume or portfolio.
-
Integration of data from multiple providers of services to opportunity youth in Hartford to develop a systems-level understanding of the services provided, the characteristics of youth served, and the outcomes of those services. This project advances the efforts of the Hartford Opportunity Youth Collaborative to provide a comprehensive picture of Opportunity Youth in Hartford.
-
HDC is part of a five year, multi-partner, cross-sector effort designed to improve the lives of children in North Hartford under a new $30 million dollar grant from the U.S. Department of Education. The Ascend Pipeline will serve as a comprehensive prenatal through career effort designed to help children in North Hartford reach their full potential by improving academic outcomes, developmental trajectories, long-term well-being, and quality of life.
Led by Connecticut Children’s Office for Community Child Health, HDC collaborates with the City of Hartford, Hartford Public Schools, the University of Hartford and additional partners as part of the Data & Evaluation Team. HDC will facilitate the ethical and permissible sharing of data; streamline existing data-sharing processes; link siloed data sets; and improve data transparency among providers and residents.
-
In July 2025, the Connecticut Data Collaborative (CTData) was awarded the Local Data for Equitable Communities grant, an initiative funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation in collaboration with the Urban Institute to support local communities in using data to improve local conditions and help residents live their healthiest lives. This grant allows CTData to provide data and insights to address the barriers Hartford families face in accessing quality sports and recreation amenities for their families.
Major Partners
