DSSG Project Partner

We encourage nonprofit and government agencies to identify a wicked problem and prepare your application. We can support only three or four organizations that are nonprofits or government agencies. Descriptions of completed projects from the past years can be found under the DSSG Internship menu option. Please read the FAQs to gain an understanding of wicked problems and prepare your application.

 

  2025 DSSG Project Partner Application  

FL-DSSG project community partner application is developed based on DSSG programs in Chicago and Washington.

 

Important Announcements

Call for 2025 DSSG Project Submissions Now Open

FL-DSSG invites organizations that serve the public and have data-driven analysis to submit project proposals for participating in the 2025 DSSG Summer Program. Project Partner applications are due by March 7, 5 PM.


 

Project Partner Application FAQs

The ability to affect change and do good in one’s community increasingly depends on having the right information at the right time to make the right decisions about things that are most important. Directors of community programs and funding agencies want evidence of impact and demonstrated efficiency in programs that serve our communities. Often, the information available to meet these needs is not well organized, not well understood, and not packaged in a way that helps those working in the community do their best.

Data Science for Social Good matches your data, your community expertise, and your experience with data processing methods, computing power, and effective data visualizations to help you make the decisions that are most critical to your organization and our communities.

The FL-DSSG summer internship program matches data science expertise with real-world problems. The FL-DSSG program will work with community organizations that are trying to affect change in their communities and who have data management, analysis, and data visualization projects that have the potential to shift understanding around a community issue, influence planning, revise practices, or support community initiatives through data-driven evidence.

A wicked problem – DSSG projects attempt to address a wicked problem - a vexing, persistent social or cultural issue that is complex, interconnected with other problems, and requires many people working together to affect change. Projects could address wicked problems in one of several areas, including education, the environment, government services, health care, healthy living, safety/security, smart urban development, social & economic inequality, and sustainability.

A committed team – Project partners will have organizational leaders who are committed to solving these wicked, real-world problems and who are supportive of using evidence to make important decisions around social good initiatives. Project partners will provide a dedicated staff person in the organization who is willing to work weekly with data science students and mentors on the data science project.

Relevant data and lots of it – An essential component of any data science project is, obviously, data. Data can take many forms. The project data must represent the complexity of the wicked problem. Data might come from the project partner organization, publically available sources, or both. The size and complexity of the data must provide an adequate experience for students to learn data science techniques and to have relevance for addressing the wicked problem.

A landing pad – DSSG projects generate products that are useful for participating organizations, partners, and communities. These products often go beyond a single report or project summary. The FL-DSSG Directors and Mentors will work with participating project partners to ensure that the organization has the computing, data, and staff infrastructure to support the delivery of the data science project products.

The FL-DSSG Program Directors will contact your organization to discuss the details of the project, the data availability and format, and the infrastructure needed to complete the project.

The FL-DSSG Program Directors will meet with your dedicated project staff member to discuss timelines and deliverables.

The FL-DSSG Program and your organization will agree to a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) regarding the project scope and deliverables.

Student teams under the FL-DSSG Directors guidance will work on the data science project between May and July, with regular contact with your organization designee.

The FL-DSSG team will present the results of the project at the DSSG Big Reveal in August and deliver the project solutions, and report to your organization.

The FL-DSSG Program Directors will conduct a 3-month and 6-month follow-up with your organization to discuss the implementation of the project.

DSSG project partners will receive data-driven decision-making guidance from academic and industry data science partners who are committed to doing and supporting social good in Florida communities.

Experienced industry mentors and academic subject matter experts will support competent students in the data science project work, impacting the DSSG project partner organization and associated wicked social problems.

DSSG project partners can expect honesty in defining the scope and capacity of the FL-DSSG program to meet the needs of the organization and the community.

FL-DSSG program directors, mentors, and students will assist project partners with professionalism and a strong work ethic.

Description of the wicked social problem your organization is dealing with and primary questions that will be the focus of this project.

Description of how the project contributes to social good and your organization’s mission.

Description of the organization’s commitment to the project.

Description of any potential ethical and data issues, from sharing data with the FL-DSSG team to dissemination of results.

Description of the data available to use for this project (size, variables, completeness, availability, privacy, etc.).

Complete the Project Partner application at   2025 DSSG Project Partner Application   before March 7, 2025, at 5 PM.

FL-DSSG Program Directors will select several applicants for an interview during the third and fourth weeks of March.

The final project selection results will be communicated by April 30, 2025.


© 2024 Florida Data Science for Social Good (FL-DSSG) at the University of North Florida (UNF).
Built using Bootstrap 5.