Data Science for Social Good projects should address any societal challenge that affects the well-being of a large number of people, including but not limited to: health, public safety, justice, clean air and water, education, employment, transit, and political representation. We hope to fund several projects focusing on Philadelphia and the Delaware Valley, but projects beyond the region, including national and global issues, are also welcome and encouraged. The ideal project should blend the development or use of innovative data science methods (e.g. involves a large dataset, or uses a modern analytical/statistical method, or requires computationally intensive work), the advancement of scholarship within or across disciplines, and progress in addressing a societal challenge.

Proposals from SAS Standing Faculty

Members of the SAS standing faculty are eligible to submit proposals, but faculty from other schools may play a major role in the projects as well. We support a range of funding requests, but typical grants range from $5,000 – $50,000 for a duration of one to two years. Proposals with especially high impact or particularly complex projects and teams can request funding outside of this range, but we recommend first checking with the initiative’s contacts listed below.

Joint SAS/SEAS Proposals

The seed grant program also aims to spur collaboration specifically between faculty and students in SAS and SEAS to develop and apply data science methods for social good. The School of Engineering and Applied Science and the School of Arts & Science will partner to sponsor joint projects with at least one faculty member from SAS and at least one faculty member from SEAS.