The benefits, however, flow in both directions. Rivera, a postdoctoral researcher in Brown’s Department of Anthropology, plans to publish research using the burial ground’s historic data to shed light on early Rhode Island social, political, economic and cultural trends. Simultaneously, 11 students — with concentrations that span anthropology, archaeology, environmental science and computer science — are gaining valuable fieldwork experience as they dive into archaeological survey techniques, data collection methods and archival research.

The project highlights the collaborative’s potential to cultivate meaningful connections that benefit both local partners and Brown community members. Since launching in 2023, the Community-Engaged Data and Evaluation Collaborative has supported nearly 125 projects across the state. Nonprofits tackle data priorities — developing collection protocols, accessing public data, mapping impact and designing evaluation plans — while faculty, staff and students contribute their expertise, advance their scholarship, and enrich teaching and learning. 

For Heppner, the partnership moves North Burial Ground closer to its goal of preserving historic records while opening doors for new programming, research and grant opportunities. 

“Brown has resources we simply don’t — brain power, people power and enthusiasm,” she said. “That’s been invaluable for us, but it’s not just about what we gain. It’s just as important for students to come down off the hill, engage with the city and see the Providence community beyond campus.”

Building meaningful partnerships 

The Community-Engaged Data and Evaluation Collaborative, launched by Brown’s Swearer Center as a two-year pilot, was born out of community partner interest and developed in partnership with a range of Brown schools, institutes, centers and academic departments. Vice President for Community Engagement and Swearer Center Executive Director Mary Jo Callan said it mobilizes campus resources to meet Rhode Island nonprofits’ diverse data and evaluation needs while creating meaningful, reciprocal partnerships between Brown and Providence.

“The Community-Engaged Data and Evaluation Collaborative is a powerful example of Brown’s commitment to reciprocal community engagement that results in true partnership,” Callan said. “It has grown faster than any of us expected because it directly responds to community needs, builds lasting relationships and taps into the desire of Brown’s community to make a positive local impact. The challenges that our community partners work to tackle, such as education equity, health care access and housing affordability don’t fall into just one academic field — they require diverse expertise and collaboration across disciplines. That’s exactly what the collaborative is designed to do.”

This spring, more than 50 projects are underway, engaging over 100 students and 15 faculty and staff members. Community partners include Inspiring Minds, Providence Neighborhood Planting Program and One Neighborhood Builders, among many others. Daniel Turner, who leads the initiative at the Swearer Center, said the collaborations come in all shapes and sizes.

“Projects can take many forms,” Turner said. “An organization might have a dataset but lack the capacity to analyze it for informed decision-making. Others could be preparing for a grant cycle and benefit from a student with analytical expertise. Smaller nonprofits often need help building databases or developing tools to track their impact effectively.”

Launching a project begins with a consultation in which collaborative leaders learn about the prospective partner’s goals and challenges. Projects often involve tasks like identifying key data to collect, conducting surveys, organizing and analyzing data, or creating clear visualizations that inform decision-making or power storytelling. 

Once the scope is defined, collaborative leaders work to match local groups with campus experts, who range from scholars conducting community-engaged research on local issues, faculty seeking hands-on teaching opportunities or students eager to apply classroom knowledge to address community challenges.

Bridging teaching and research with community needs

For a Spring 2024 course titled What Works: Evaluating the Impact of Social Programs, adjunct lecturer in international and public affairs Wendy Sheldon partnered with seven local organizations, including Adoption Rhode Island and the West Elmwood Housing Development Corporation. Students worked in small groups to develop evaluation plans, creating actionable tools — such as surveys, data sources and collection methods — to provide each organization with a practical framework to measure its impact.

Sheldon said collaborating with local organizations that had a clear need offered students a deeper connection to their coursework, making their learning more relevant and impactful. 

“This was the first time we partnered with nonprofits that had an expressed need,” Sheldon said. “A number of students shared that interacting with an organization was their favorite part of the class, and I’m certain this practical experience significantly enhanced their learning.”

Collaborations are also opening new research opportunities. As an extension of her project with the North Burial Ground, Rivera, with support from Brown’s Data Science Institute, engineered an artificial intelligence tool to transcribe decades of historical records, which is now enabling project collaborators from Brown’s School of Public Health, including epidemiology scholar William Goedel, to analyze long-term mortality trends in Rhode Island. Looking ahead, the research team aims to integrate North Burial Ground’s historical data with the state’s vital statistics to uncover details on public health patterns and past pandemics that could inform future policies. 

For another project, Alison Tovar, an associate professor of behavioral and social sciences, worked with the collaborative to build on an existing Rhode Island Department of Health project that developed story maps illustrating the impact of the state’s Health Equity Zones. This project allowed Tovar and colleagues to further categorize the different approaches each equity zone is taking to improve health and use that information to apply for a National Institutes of Health grant focused on understanding the outcomes of community-led health initiatives. She said the collaborative allowed her to match her teaching and research with community partners’ goals and avoid duplicating efforts to collect data that was already available. 

“When we’re able to align interests and come together, we’re not spending time reinventing the wheel,” Tovar said. “By tapping into existing community partnerships, the collaborative can strengthen student learning opportunities and foster a more connected, interdisciplinary approach, breaking down research silos and ensuring that academic work aligns with real-world needs.” 

Projects meet those needs because they are founded in the priorities of the local partner, Turner said. 

“The projects that faculty or students take on are driven by ideas generated directly from the community,” he said. “That flips the script on the traditional higher education project model, where students typically come up with an idea and then approach nonprofits or nearby communities to execute it. Instead, the community identifies its needs first and then we determine where our students or faculty can best contribute for mutual benefit."

Transforming data into action

For Farm Fresh Rhode Island, partnership with the collaborative has delivered immediate and lasting benefits. Working with Brown computer science concentrator Filip Aleksic, the local food hub automated a time-intensive process that previously required staff to spend hundreds of hours manually converting sales from its e-commerce platform into total pounds sold, an industry-standard measure required to secure funding for its hunger relief efforts. For his senior capstone project, Aleksic — a Class of 2024 graduate — developed a Python algorithm that seamlessly converts non-pound units, such as gallons, cases and bunches, into pounds. 

The algorithm streamlines reporting, saves time and improves data accessibility, said Rachel Van Scyoc, Farm Fresh’s e-commerce and database specialist. Moreover, the improved reporting increases funding opportunities and ensures ongoing support for the organization’s mission.

"Not only does this save staff time and increase capacity, which is critical for any nonprofit, but it also ties directly back to our reporting,” Van Scyoc said. “Using the industry standard allows us to tell our story more quickly and accurately in a way that’s comparable to others in the field. This has a huge impact on our ability to secure funding. Many of the grants we rely on for our hunger relief work require us to reapply, and being able to clearly demonstrate the impact of previous funding has significantly improved our chances of renewal. Thankfully, we’ve been able to do this multiple times now, and having those figures readily available has been an invaluable resource."

For Brown sophomore Kenneth Kalu, a public health concentrator who worked with Leadership Rhode Island last summer, supporting the mission of a local partner was just as important as gaining experience.

“I wanted to work with Leadership Rhode Island because I wanted to spend my summer helping community organizations that are making an impact in Rhode Island,” he said.

Kalu analyzed survey data from the nonprofit’s senior fellows program, which connects older Rhode Islanders with a diverse network of leaders and civic engagement opportunities. Based on participant feedback, he developed recommendations for program improvements, highlighting a need for more hands-on learning and post-program connections. He also created a thematic coding methodology and trained Leadership Rhode Island staff to use it, offering a new solution for reviewing survey data across their other programs independently. 

“Part of the goal is to help our partner organizations build their own evaluation capacity rather than keeping those tools within Brown,” Kalu said. “The senior fellows program is just one piece of Leadership Rhode Island’s work, and we hope these tools and training will help them assess all their programs and serve Providence more effectively.”

Many projects expand or evolve over time, with collaborative leaders connecting new student and faculty teams to build on previous work. This spring, Leadership Rhode Island is expanding on Kalu’s efforts, assessing two additional programs with support from Brown faculty teaching data evaluation courses. That multi-phase approach ensures continuity, strengthens impact and cultivates long-term partnerships with the community.

Teresa DeFlitch, director of people and leadership development at Leadership Rhode Island, said the partnership with the Community-Engaged Data and Evaluation Collaborative is helping the organization to equip other local partners with tools that create real impact.

“This collaboration has been invaluable — not just for us and for Kenneth’s learning, but for its broader impact across Rhode Island,” DeFlitch said. “As a community organization, we work closely with leaders and local groups dedicated to helping Rhode Islanders live healthier, more fulfilling lives. This project isn’t just improving our internal operations — it’s strengthening our capacity, empowering those leaders and delivering real, immediate benefits to the communities they serve.”