An Institute for Social Capital: Enhancing Community Capacity Through Datasharing

Abstract

This paper describes the establishment of a unique entity, The University of North Carolina at Charlotte Institute for Social Capital, Inc. (ISC), to link agencies and organizations serving children, youth, and families in order to allow for information sharing among these groups, with the broader goal of fostering data-based community decision-making. In addition, the Institute establishes an important connection between the community and university researchers with expertise in a wide range of areas involving children, youth, and families. The mission of ISC is to foster university social and human capital research and to increase the community’s capacity for data-based planning and evaluation of programs. In founding ISC, the University of North Carolina at Charlotte has established a dynamic collaboration with local non-profits, governmental agencies, and community-based organizations to build a research foundation capable of compiling, validating, and analyzing community data to provide feedback on the impact of community initiatives. A pilot project examining academic achievement for local African American youth is presented to illustrate the benefits of datasharing using the ISC Community Database as a resource.