In 2016 during NNIP's 20th anniversary year, the network introduced two new annual awards to recognize NNIP Partners who have made exceptional contributions to both NNIP and their local communities.
- The G. Thomas Kingsley Impact Award recognizes an NNIP Partner organization who has demonstrated impact using neighborhood data to improve local policy and practice to so that all neighborhoods are places people can thrive. The award honors the legacy of Tom Kingsley, the founding director of NNIP, who was a champion for the importance of neighborhoods and of the power of local data in community-building and policymaking.
- The Network Steward of the Year Award honors an individual who has made extraordinary contributions to NNIP's peer learning and raised the profile of the network by sharing lessons externally. A stronger community of practice helps build local capacity and advance local policy.
Winners
2024 Winners
G. Thomas Kingsley Impact Award
NNIP selected the Center for Urban and Regional Affairs (CURA) at the University of Minnesota for the G. Thomas Kingsley Impact Award for their facilitation of the Anti-Displacement Work Group on the Blue Line Extension. CURA's efforts led to a unified vision and co-created recommendations with a broad range of stakeholders that center community interests and address the needs of corridor residents, businesses, and neighborhoods.
We would like to express appreciation to the Impact Award's 2024 review panel: Florencia Gutierrez (Annie E. Casey Foundation), George Hobor (Robert Wood Johnson Foundation), Lindsey Gottschalk (data.org) and Liz Monk (University of Pittsburgh). Leah Hendey and Kathy Pettit from the Urban Institute also served on the panel.
2023 Winners
G. Thomas Kingsley Impact Award
NNIP conferred the 2023 G. Thomas Kingsley Impact Award on the Institute of Housing Studies at DePaul University. Their work quantifying the loss of two- to four-unit buildings in different neighborhood housing markets helped preserve the unsubsidized affordable housing. In July 2022, Chicago’s City Council passed the Connected Communities Ordinance to overhaul Chicago’s transit-oriented development policies. The ordinance includes a ban on converting two- to four-unit properties to single-family homes in areas near transit or zoned for higher density without a zoning change request. The IHS partnered with Elevated Chicago to provide data and technical assistance on two- to four-unit buildings, creating risk maps that showed displacement and deconversion in transit areas and produced data on the price and affordability of the two- to four-unit housing stock.
We would like to express appreciation to the Impact Award's 2023 review panel: Chris Kingsley (Annie E. Casey Foundation), George Hobor (Robert Wood Johnson Foundation), Jennifer Tran (PolicyLink) and Altonio Smith (Innovate Memphis). Leah Hendey and Kathy Pettit from the Urban Institute also served on the panel.
Network Steward of the Year Award
NNIP bestowed the 2023 Network Steward of the Year Award on Tommy Pearce from Neighborhood Nexus. From the moment Tommy joined NNIP, he has been a great contributor to peer learning, asking questions and frequently chiming in on responses from partners and from Urban Institute staff. He shares wisdom through the group listserve and one-on-one on a wide array of the aspects of being an NNIP partner - from data capacity building to data viz/dashboards to finances and branding. As one example, he helped Urban on very short notice highlight the work supporting the Atlanta Beltline for a large national presentation. Beyond the network, Tommy has spoken to potential NNIP partners to encourage their development and connect them to Urban staff. He has also documented ideas and accomplishments for the network through the formal network calls - sharing the innovative Metro Atlanta Racial Equity Atlas for the Impact Award and applying for the Black Wealth Data Center grant. The network is much stronger thanks to Tommy’s many contributions.
Many thanks to the NNIP Executive Committee for serving as reviewers.
2022 Winners
The 2022 NNIP awards were presented at a Virtual NNIP Partners' event in May.
G. Thomas Kingsley Impact Award
NNIP conferred the 2022 G. Thomas Kingsley Impact Award on the Innovate Memphis. Their work on housing instability included has helped identify racial disparities across Memphis, and target resources in the aftermath of the pandemic. For example, their research design and evaluation work supported Shelby County’s Eviction Settlement Program (ESP), a first-of-its-kind program that used $2 million in federal COVID-19 relief funds to provide funding for attorneys to represent tenants and negotiate settlements with landlords to keep tenants in their homes.
We would like to express appreciation to the Impact Award's 2021 review panel: Florencia Gutierrez (Annie E. Casey Foundation), George Hobor (Robert Wood Johnson Foundation), Michelle Shevin (Ford Foundation) and Amy Carroll-Scott(Drexel University). Leah Hendey and Kathy Pettit from the Urban Institute also served on the panel.
Network Steward of the Year Award
NNIP bestowed the 2022 Network Steward of the Year Award on Noah Urban from Data Driven Detroit. Noah is generous in sharing materials and lessons from Data Driven Detroit's local work in Detroit with other partners, whether on topical analysis, organizational strategy, or web development. For example, he provided thought partnership to Grand Rapids on the 2020 census and shared their guiding principles with the network and examples of work on the digital divide with the Washington DC partner. He also represents Urban to external stakeholders and encourages his staff to engage with NNIP's activities and peer learning. In supporting the broader network, Noah served on the executive committee from 2017-2020 and consults with Urban Institute frequently about connections to national funders and other related organizations.
Many thanks to the NNIP Executive Committee for serving as reviewers.
2021 Winners
The 2021 NNIP awards were presented at a Virtual NNIP Partners' event in May.
G. Thomas Kingsley Impact Award
NNIP conferred the 2021 G. Thomas Kingsley Impact Award on the Western Pennsylvania Regional Data Center at the University of Pittsburgh for their support of the Black Equity Coalition’s mission to use data to reduce racial disparities in COVID-19 testing for Allegheny County's Black community and to reach thousands of residents with information about the pandemic.
We would like to express appreciation to the Impact Award's 2021 review panel: Chris Kingsley (Annie E. Casey Foundation), George Hobor (Robert Wood Johnson Foundation), Maia Woluchem (Ford Foundation and NNIP alumni) and John Killeen (Data Works NC). Leah Hendey and Kathy Pettit from the Urban Institute also served on the panel.
Network Steward of the Year Award
NNIP bestowed the 2021 Network Steward of the Year Award on Laura McKieran from Community Information Now. She is a true steward of the NNIP network, frequently contributing to peer learning through chiming in on the listserve or talking one-on-one with fellow partners. In 2020, Laura graciously shared her template for calculating the "lives saved during COVID-19 stay-at-home orders," which other NNIP partners adapted to share positive messaging during challenging times for their communities. Laura also participated in field development and peer learning through three cross-site projects in 2020: for Census 2020, Data for COVID-19 Response and Recovery, and Engaging Youth for COVID-19 Response and Recovery. Finally, her thinking on "What it Takes for a Community to be Good at Data" also was the inspiration for Urban Institute’s own data capacity framework.
Many thanks to the NNIP Executive Committee for serving as reviewers.
2020 Winners
The 2020 NNIP awards were presented at the Virtual NNIP Partners' meeting in April.
G. Thomas Kingsley Impact Award
NNIP conferred the 2020 G. Thomas Kingsley Impact Award on the Urban Strategies Council. They worked with residents, using quantitative and qualitative methods, to inform the Department of Violence Prevention's approach to gun violence, domestic violence, and sex trafficking in Oakland. Having conducted over 500 interviews, surveys, and focus groups, their resident-led research gave the Department of Violence Prevention a better understanding of resident priorities and built trust between the department and residents.
We would like to express appreciation to the Impact Award's 2020 review panel: Chris Kingsley (Annie E. Casey Foundation), George Hobor (Robert Wood Johnson Foundation), Ben Levine (MetroLab Network) and Katie Pritchard (Data You Can Use). Leah Hendey and Kathy Pettit from the Urban Institute also served on the panel.
Network Steward of the Year Award
NNIP bestowed the 2020 Network Steward of the Year Award on Geoff Smith from the Institute of Housing Studies at DePaul University. As a national leader in understanding regional and neighborhood housing markets, Geoff is always generous sharing his methods and insights with current and potential partners in formal settings like partner meetings and informally through one-on-one calls. In addition to his own time, he supports his staff's participation in the network's peer learning and external outreach efforts. Finally, he has been very helpful to Urban Institute staff as a sounding board for new project ideas and fundraising.
Many thanks to the NNIP Executive Committee for serving as reviewers.
2019 Winners
The 2019 NNIP awards were presented at the June 2019 NNIP meeting in Milwaukee.
G. Thomas Kingsley Impact Award
NNIP conferred the 2019 G. Thomas Kingsley Impact Award on the Urban Institute at the University of North Carolina-Charlotte and Mecklenburg County. Their efforts to analyze and report on eviction data inspired many to act and change local policies and spending. Mecklenburg County allocated funding for the first time for legal assistance for residents facing eviction; a group of CEOs sponsored non-profits to attend eviction prevention training; banks donated their legal staff’s time to represent tenants facing eviction; and local philanthropy continues to keep attention on the issue by convening a citywide working group on the issue.
We would like to express appreciation to the Impact Award’s 2019 review panel: Chris Kingsley (Annie E. Casey Foundation), George Hobor (Robert Wood Johnson Foundation), Denice Ross (Georgetown University) and John Cruz (Rise). Leah Hendey and Kathy Pettit from the Urban Institute also served on the panel.
Network Steward of the Year Award
NNIP bestowed the 2019 Network Steward of the Year Award on Bob Gradeck from Western Pennsylvania Regional Data Center (WPRDC) at the University of Pittsburgh. As the manager of WPRDC, Bob's innovative practice has inspired new network thinking about user-centered design, open-source technology, and data literacy. He spends countless hours sharing what he’s learned with other partners and the field. During his time on the NNIP Executive Committee, he was instrumental in putting new energy into network stewardship and partner staff participation.
Many thanks to Laura McKieran from CI:Now for nominating Bob and the executive committee for serving as reviewers.
2018 Winners
The 2018 NNIP awards were presented at the Spring 2018 NNIP meeting in Atlanta.
G. Thomas Kingsley Impact Award
NNIP conferred the 2018 G. Thomas Kingsley Impact Award on the Center on Urban Poverty and Community Development at Case Western Reserve University. The Poverty Center demonstrated that living in poor quality housing units or units that are tax delinquent, owned by speculators or in foreclosure, can lead to lower literacy scores for kindergartners. Their study raised the visibility of the scale of the issue of lead exposure - 4 in 10 children in were being exposed to lead and were beginning school already behind. In response to help reduce lead hazards, the City of Cleveland is now proactively registering rental properties and inspecting every rental property in the City of Cleveland on a four-year basis.
We would like to express appreciation to the Impact Award’s 2018 review panel: Cindy Guy (Annie E. Casey Foundation), Hilary Heishman (Robert Wood Johnson Foundation), Laura McKieran (CI:Now), and Naomi Cytron (Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco). Leah Hendey and Kathy Pettit from the Urban Institute also served on the panel.
Network Steward of the Year Award
NNIP bestowed the 2018 Network Steward of the Year Award on Sharon Kandris from the Polis Center at Indiana University -Purdue University Indianapolis. Despite a busy schedule and many responsibilities, Sharon generously offers her time to NNIP Partners who benefit from her expertise and long experience in the community information field. In addition, Sharon promotes the NNIP network at national conferences and events.
Many thanks to Noah Urban of Data Driven Detroit for nominating Sharon and the Network Steward Award’s 2018 review committee: John Cruz (Rise) and Rob Pitingolo (Urban Institute).
2017 Winners
The 2017 NNIP awards were presented at the Spring 2017 NNIP meeting in Baltimore.
G. Thomas Kingsley Impact Award
NNIP conferred the inaugural G. Thomas Kingsley Impact Award to the Center for Urban and Regional Affairs (CURA) at the University of Minnesota. Working with the East Side Neighborhood Development Company in St. Paul, CURA assembled data for the first time on capital allocations by neighborhood, uncovering inequitable spending. The east-side districts, which account for 34 percent of the City’s population, had received only 19 percent of its capital spending over the decade. In response to the publicity from the analysis, St. Paul City Council passed a resolution for the Capital Improvement Budget Committee to tabulate plans by geography and to explicitly include geographic equity in the rating system for investments.
We would like to express appreciation to the Impact Award’s 2017 review panel: Cindy Guy (Annie E. Casey Foundation), Craig Howard (John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation), Seema Iyer (Baltimore Neighborhood Indicators Alliance), Lisa Nelson (Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland and NNIP Alumna) and three Urban Institute staff (Tom Kingsley, Leah Hendey, and Kathy Pettit).
Network Steward of the Year Award
NNIP bestowed the Network Steward of the Year Award on Erica Raleigh from Data Driven Detroit. Erica is unfailingly responsive to inquiries from new and aspiring partners despite a hectic local schedule. She generously shares insights, tools, and working documents on business and substantive topics. In addition, she serves NNIP through involvement in two cross-site projects and actively encourages her staff to get more involved with network activities.
Many thanks to the Network Steward Award’s 2017 review committee: Mark Abraham (DataHaven), Rob Pitingolo (Urban Institute), and April Urban (Case Western Reserve University).