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Closing the Gaps: What New Broadband and Housing Permit Data Tell Us About Community Growth
Aug 14, 2025 1:48:49 PM
Closing the Gaps: What New Broadband and Housing Permit Data Tell Us About Community Growth
by Drew Stiehl on Aug 14, 2025 1:48:49 PM
Before joining mySidewalk, I spent years planning transportation networks and city development—systems built to move people, ideas, and economies. Whether we’re talking about roads, broadband, or housing, one thing holds true: when systems don’t reach everyone, opportunity doesn’t eit …
Unlocking the Power of Nonprofit Data: mySidewalk Includes IRS 990 Data
by Drew Stiehl on Jul 11, 2025 3:32:13 PM
" mySidewalk's New IRS 990 Dataset Empowers Local Communities to Elevate Their Impact " Each year, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) releases tax returns from nonprofit organizations—specifically Forms 990, 990-EZ, and 990-PF. These returns offer a wealth of information about nonprof …
Making Resilient Communities: A Closer Look at Health, Equity & Infrastructure
by Kaitlyn Foster on Apr 21, 2025 8:46:59 AM
Public health is at an inflection point.
CHR&R in Flux: Our Commitment to Public Health Data
by Kaitlyn Foster on Apr 9, 2025 8:40:40 AM
We’re all in this together. At County Health Rankings & Roadmap’s March 11 webinar, over a thousand folks invested in population health across the country learned the 2025 release is likely their last, and the organization will lose their primary funding by the end of next year. R …
Sidewalk Session Snapshot: A Gathering Place for Data-Driven Changemakers
by the mySidewalk Team on Apr 2, 2025 4:17:05 PM
Every changemaker knows the challenge of working in isolation—of trying to move the needle on urgent issues with too few resources, too little time, and not nearly enough connection. That’s why Sidewalk Sessions aren’t just another feature of a mySidewalk subscription. They’re a corne …
How to Use Data for Impact: 3 Key Lessons from Community Action Agency Leaders
by Char Whitney on Feb 27, 2025 3:57:30 PM
The Challenge: Too Much Data, Not Enough Time Every day, Community Action Agencies (CAAs) work to reduce poverty, advocate for funding, and improve lives. But there’s a problem:
When Uncertainty Meets Resilience: How mySidewalk is Expanding and Protecting Access to Mission-Critical Data
by Drew Stiehl on Feb 7, 2025 11:45:00 AM
Our customers care about their communities, and so do we. Community leaders—from hardworking staff to elected officials—rely on equity data to make critical decisions on a wide range of topics. Presently, it is unclear whether this data will continue to be released, how frequently, or …
The Power of Dashboards: How Foundations Use Data for Community Impact
by Char Whitney on Jan 22, 2025 12:09:39 PM
Community Foundation Boulder County is committed to building a stronger, more equitable community. Central to that mission is data—a vital tool for understanding challenges, identifying opportunities, and guiding impactful action. For years, the foundation’s Trends report was a truste …
Bridging Data Modernization & Health: The Journey to Community Vitality
by the mySidewalk Team on Oct 14, 2024 3:19:04 PM
As public health professionals, you rely on data to guide your decisions, but the process of collecting and analyzing that data can often feel slow and disconnected from the real-time needs of your community. Outdated systems and siloed information can make it harder to respond quickl …
Empowering Voters to Break Free from Confirmation Bias with AI
by the mySidewalk Team on Oct 2, 2024 7:00:00 AM
In today's digital world, it’s easy for our social media feeds to be filled with content that aligns with our existing beliefs. Algorithms on platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook show us what we already agree with, reinforcing our confirmation bias. It can feel impossible to …
Ding. Sidekick leveled up.
by Matt Barr on Sep 24, 2024 10:18:39 AM
The Highlights You've probably noticed some big improvements if you've been using our smart data assistant, Sidekick. Here's what’s new:
5 Reasons You Need a Sidekick
by Kaitlyn Foster on Sep 4, 2024 11:41:00 AM
Every hero needs a sidekick—a reliable partner who’s always there to provide backup, offer guidance, and help you navigate the complexities of your mission. In the world of community data, that help is here, and it’s called Sidekick. Whether you’re crafting a story about your communit …
Healthy Diagnostics: Recapping NACCHO360
by Stephen Hardy on Aug 5, 2024 1:15:00 PM
I could not be more energized coming back from time with our health partners at NACCHO360 in Detroit.
Getting Better Results from AI: 3 Common Mistakes to Avoid
by Jennifer Funk on Jul 30, 2024 5:00:00 AM
AI is a powerful tool for making community data easier to use, but it’s also new and imperfect. It takes a little practice — as it would with a human assistant! — to figure out how to communicate with (or prompt) Sidekick to get the results you want, and often, you have to learn from …
AI for Fire: Blazing Trails with New Technology and Tools
by Patrick Corran on Jul 29, 2024 10:00:00 AM
mySidewalk’s CRAIG 1300 solution uses the NFPA 1300 Standard on Community Risk Assessment and Community Risk Reduction Plan Development as its framework.
Spreadsheet Smarts: How Sidekick Outperforms the State of the Art
by Matt Barr on Jul 17, 2024 9:24:23 AM
Tech publications are excited about a new development from research at Microsoft. The technique, SpreadsheetLLM, is described in detail in a newly published research paper. As research papers go, it's on the more accessible side. Pro tip: read the abstract, look at the images, read th …
Harnessing AI for Good: The Power of Great Questions
by Stephen Hardy on Jun 27, 2024 9:44:46 AM
It’s amazing what you can do in a week.
Sidekick goes to Washington
by Matt Barr on Jun 13, 2024 12:24:44 PM
Sidekick Goes to Washington: How the Department of Commerce Can Make Their Data AI-Ready The Department of Commerce has issued a request for information: AI and Open Government Data Assets Request for Information, seeking expert input on making data AI-ready. At mySidewalk, we have ex …
Cultivating Trust in Conversations with Sidekick
by the mySidewalk Team on May 14, 2024 6:00:00 AM
This is the fifth blog post in a series dedicated to mySidewalk's new AI-powered community data assistant, Sidekick.
Fast, Relevant Data at Your Fingertips with Sidekick
by the mySidewalk Team on May 14, 2024 6:00:00 AM
This is the second blog post in a series dedicated to mySidewalk's new AI-powered community data assistant, Sidekick.
Making a Map in a Minute with Sidekick
by the mySidewalk Team on May 14, 2024 6:00:00 AM
This is the third blog post in a series dedicated to mySidewalk's new AI-powered community data assistant, Sidekick.