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3C Data Alliance OVERVIEW
The 3C Data Alliance seeks to revolutionize data management in Creative Youth Development (CYD) organizations.
Since 2016 we have engaged in ongoing conversations with interested national groups of CYD organizations seeking effective data systems, this has been essential to field building.
In Fall of 2022 embarked in a rigorous discovery process with 7 Subject Matter Experts CYD organization to inform the priorities for the platform.
In November 2023, the 3C Data Alliance received a start-up grant of $250,000 from the Wallace Foundation to support the first pilot year of the project. The project is led by a collaborative steering group and managed at DreamYard, a creative youth development organization in the Bronx.
The 3C Data Alliance engaged with five Creative Youth Development organizations from across the country to work in close partnership with North Peak Solutions, a highly successful and experienced database developer who has been part of this effort for over eight years. North Peak began to prototype and pilot the beginnings of the database.
Following the success of its 2023 pilot year, the 3C Data Alliance has expanded its reach with a second cohort of partners. Cohort 2.0 includes:
- ACH Clear Pathways (Pittsburgh, PA);
- Boston Children’s Chorus (Boston, MA);
- Rehearsal for Life (Boston, MA);
- Spy Hop Youth Media (Salt Lake City, UT);
- Free Spirit Media (Chicago, IL).
Together, these organizations are strengthening the 3C community and advancing data-driven collaboration across the arts education field.
Our Current Work: 2025-2026
- 3C releases the field-tested v2 system in Fall 2025 as an affordable subscription service to the initial pilot organizations, as well as to a second cohort of CYD organizations.
- As an ongoing model, 3C continues to support member organizations, gather feedback, develop new versions of the system, and onboard further cohorts of CYD organizations. An essential part of the model is the emphasis on building a robust learning community.
- Feedback from the 3C member organizations and young people allows for refinements and continual improvement to the robust and responsive 3C system. The development of the system will be iterative and evolving.
- An evaluative process focused on the essential architecture of databases, the human-centered infrastructure, and the capacity of the system to deliver compelling and useful information is embedded within the project. These valuable learnings will be documented and shared for future collaborative projects in youth development and other sectors to utilize.
3C Pilot Organizations
We’ve Grown! 3C Organizations (Cohort 2.0)
Steering Committee
- Musa Jamshed, 3C Data Alliance – Project Manager
- Arleth Andino, 3C Data Alliance – Youth Project Leader
- Tim Lord, DreamYard
- Ruth Mercado-Zizzo, EdVestors
- Dennie Palmer Wolf, WolfBrown
- Käthe Swaback, Mass Cultural Council
- Julia Gittleman, Mendelsohn, Gittleman & Associates
- Evelyn Francis, FIG Creative Consulting
National Advisory Group
- Camille Delaney-McNeil, Los Angeles Philharmonic
- Denise Montgomery, CultureThrive
- Erik Holmgren, Mass Cultural Council
- Guelmi Espinal, Raw Art Works
- Phil Bravo, TwoFiveOne Consulting
- Steve Backman, Database Designs Associates, Inc.
- Shari Carlson and Brian Pickett, North Peak Solutions
NEXT STEPS:
How to be Involved
The 3C Data Alliance continues to seek Creative Youth Development organizations across the country who want to join our equity-focused, youth-centered community of data users.
We are interested in organizations that want to become part of the next cohorts to be onboarded, trained, and supported to migrate relevant data to the new cloud-based Salesforce platform being built. In addition, we hope to find supporters and funders who may wish to involve their communities in this work or in sharing like-minded research/projects (such as those that highlight youth voice, collective action, and/or shared data systems). Please click here to let us know of your interest.