It’s been a year since Bloomberg Philanthropies’ Greenwood Initiative launched the Black Wealth Data Center (BWDC)! 

In my email last year announcing the creation of the BWDC, I described it as “game-changing.” 

Our goal was straightforward: create an accessible, easy-to-use online platform that gives decision-makers better access to data disaggregated by race. 

So we created a dynamic, cross-functional team with varying expertise, from product management to data science and content development.

Our highlights from this year include: 

• Advancing user experience with new features, including our global search functionality, the ability to make a user profile, as well as downloading data tables and visualizations – leading to strong site traffic.
• Establishing partnerships with racial wealth equity leaders as well as with local data partners to fill local data gaps and in support of a more robust racial wealth equity data ecosystem.
• Deepening the BWDC platform engagement with multiple external entities and organizations – including universities, decision-makers and other nonprofits – as recently as September during the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation Annual Legislative Conference. 

These steps forward would not have been possible without the hard work and dedication of the entire BWDC, Bloomberg Philanthropies’ Greenwood Initiative and Prosperity Now teams. The BWDC now has concrete momentum and is poised for even greater growth in the coming year. 

As the BWDC team continues to add new data and features to the site, it’s paramount we maintain an emphasis on the need for and value of wealth data disaggregated by race. 

When decision-makers have easy access to data disaggregated by race, they can better understand needs, challenges, and opportunities and create policies and programs that make us all better off. 

If you haven’t had a chance to visit the BWDC yet, take some time today to explore the site.