Community Feature
Data for Equity: From Silos to Shared Knowledge
In 2025, the Ann Arbor Area Community Foundation (AAACF) launched a powerful resource to strengthen local decision-making and accelerate equity-focused solutions.
Through its Community Data Hub, AAACF is rethinking how to fill critical information gaps at the local level by building a comprehensive, open-access data hub designed to inform, connect and empower.
The Community Data Hub is a free, interactive platform sharing accessible, localized data on topics like income, housing, education and racial equity, making it easier for nonprofits, funders, and community leaders to access data that informs action.
“We wanted to democratize the data by making it available to the broader public, not necessarily to direct their use, but to have it at their fingertips,” Shannon Polk, president and CEO of AAACF and CMF trustee, said.
Drawing inspiration from peer institutions and statewide dashboards, AAACF created this “one-stop shop,” according to Polk, that aggregates data from multiple sources. The goal was to overcome internal capacity limitations while ensuring that anyone in the community could access timely, relevant information.
The Economic Gap Report, released in early 2025 in tandem with the Community Data Hub, highlights deep economic disparities in Washtenaw County and connects them to broader systems of wealth and access.
“This report explores where we are as it relates to economic opportunity. Washtenaw County remains the most economically segregated county in Michigan, and that has real implications for policy conversations and helping people with a different economic status to understand what the challenges are,” Polk said.
AAACF has since released the Washtenaw County Housing Affordability and Stability Study, a countywide housing market analysis conducted in partnership with regional foundations like Song Foundation, another CMF member.
“We know that across Michigan, housing is a number one issue. When I meet with my peers across the state, there’s not a conversation we have that doesn’t at some point pivot to housing,” Polk said.
According to Polk, the challenge for most individuals in Washtenaw County is finding affordable housing, or what is referred to as “missing middle housing.”
“This includes folks who are working and trying to figure out where they will find affordable housing or finding challenges when it comes to those who are unhoused and in a cycle of chronic homelessness,” Polk said.
By presenting data at both municipal and regional level, including rural, suburban, and urban contexts, Polk shared that the study aims to provide a more complete picture of local housing challenges.
“We have strong urban, suburban and rural components in Washtenaw County. So how do we help those who are working at our local restaurants, a student or teacher at one of our institutions, understand what housing looks like here? These are not just statistics. Each data point represents a person or a family navigating real challenges.”
Polk shared that AAACF is also preparing to release a racial equity study examining disparities in education, criminal justice interactions and wealth gaps.
“At a time when some institutions are retreating from equity-focused work, we’re doubling down.” —Shannon Polk, President and CEO of AAACF and CMF Trustee
Equity is a central value guiding the foundation’s work, with an initial focus on racial equity that has since expanded to include geography, access, gender and wealth disparities.
“Racial equity is a starting point, but it’s not an ending point. We think about equity broadly, but you do have to have a starting point,” Polk said.
Looking ahead, the foundation plans to deepen its data efforts through a countywide needs assessment, building on insights gathered by its youth council.
“We’re going to do a needs assessment with our youth council every four to five years. We provide these additional dollars for our youth council to do this to better understand what’s happening with youth across the county,” Polk said.
According to Polk, during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, youth assessment participants identified mental health as a top priority, demonstrating the value of inclusive, participatory data collection.
“Expanding this model to youth in the broader community will allow us to better understand localized needs across different municipalities, from small towns to urban centers. The aim is to align funding, partnerships and strategy more closely with what residents themselves identify as priorities,” Polk said.
By making information accessible, Polk shared, foundations can ensure that decisions—whether made by nonprofits, policymakers, or residents—are informed by a shared understanding of local realities.
“More importantly, democratizing data helps shift power, enabling communities to participate more fully in shaping their own futures. Philanthropy works best when we adopt a listening posture and when we empower communities with data and invite their input, that’s where real impact happens,” Polk said.
Want more?
Explore AAACF’s Community Data Hub.