The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) has received a $1 million grant from the Bezos Earth Fund to analyze the quality of, and gaps in, data needed to determine which communities are most in need of Justice40 funding.
Utilizing Advanced Data and Technologies to Inform Community Investment
Federal funds can only be directed to underserved communities if the government can identify which communities qualify, and how. With large present and future federal investments at stake, this assessment can be politically contentious.
The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) is uniquely positioned to ground this assessment in highly credible analysis. With funding from the Bezos Earth Fund, NAS is establishing a committee of experts to review and identify the types of data (e.g., environmental, socioeconomic, energy, transportation, housing) needed to determine which communities across the country are the most disadvantaged and therefore eligible for Justice40 federal funding. The committee reviews the quality of current data for availability, quality, spatial granularity, and temporal resolution — and identifies data gaps that should be addressed.
The committee is also assessing the best approaches for incorporating available data into a methodology that fairly and accurately compares communities across the country and outlines the strengths and weaknesses of each approach.