The Communities Speak Cohort City Training Program

As city officials develop policies for their yearly budgets, plan for long-term needs, and prepare for shocks (i.e., pandemics, economic downturns, increases in crime) as well as economic opportunities, they will need data that accurately reflects the current needs of their residents— especially the most vulnerable populations and communities.
Real-time data, at the individual and neighborhood level, enables policymakers and community leaders to identify needs, develop and implement effective and efficient policies, target resources to specific community needs, and evaluate the effectiveness of these policies.


Until now, accessing and analyzing that data has been a significant challenge. That changes this year, when Communities Speak will name three cities in the U.S. to join the first Communities Speak City Cohort.

Cities Selected for the first Communities Speak Cohort will…

Identify a top priority problem in their city and work with the Communities Speak team to design a custom survey module (set of questions) to collect needs data on that problem.

Work with Communities Speak and expert partners in their city to modify and update the baseline survey for their city’s needs.

Work with the Communities Speak team to develop strategies for identifying and engaging a highly effective strategic partner network.

Disseminate the Communities Speak baseline survey twice in a 12-month period as well as a custom survey module.

Participating Cities Will Receive

  • 16 months of training and support focusing on:

    • Adapting the baseline survey to current city needs and deploying biannually

    • Developing a custom survey module

    • Building a strategic partner network

    • Needs, data analysis, and policy development

  • An integrated master dataset for continued use of the Communities Speak framework over time

  • Full analysis by the Communities Speak team of all the city's survey data during the first 12 months of participation in the program

  • Communities Speak templates for building a strategic partner network, survey design and feedback, survey dissemination, data collection and analysis, and policy development

  • A customized survey module which targets a priority issue important to your city

  • Ongoing access to the Communities Speak library of templates, surveys and modules

  • Who will do well in the program?

    Communities Speak is for cities who want more information on local needs important to their city, especially as it relates to vulnerable and minority communities; want to incorporate a data-driven approach to real-time policymaking; and are prepared to use new data to make better policy decisions in a more transparent and participatory way.

  • Here's what it will take to get the most out of Communities Speak

    • The mayor must demonstrate an interest in having their city participate in the program

    • A designated Communities Speak coordinator who can dedicate between 8-10 hours per week during the cohort period and 3 other high-level individuals who can participate in the trainings.

    • Existing capacity in the Mayor’s Office to use data and quantitative findings for policymaking

    • Interest in deploying both low and high-tech strategies to engage community organizations in this program

    • Capacity within the city government to work across agencies collecting and analyzing data for policy development, implementation, and evaluation

    • Commitment to data collection and a data-driven policymaking process over time, not just as a one-time exercise

  • If your city is selected

    Once a city is selected Communities Speak expects the mayor to identify a coordinator and 3 other personnel to participate in the program, beginning with visioning, planning, and onboarding sessions. The mayor is expected to attend the visioning session. The Communities Speak team will immediately begin work with the coordinator and key city personnel on identifying priority areas of concern and customization of the survey instrument and templates. Within the first two months, the Communities Speak team will work with the cities to schedule their first round of in-person trainings, as well as determine a dissemination schedule for the city’s survey (baseline and additional module).