3FPD is a national philanthropic collaborative.
We are working together to protect the integrity, accessibility, and usefulness of federal public data.
Quick Ways to Learn:
About Funders for the Future of Public Data (3FPD)
Who We Are
Funders for the Future of Public Data (3FPD) is a national philanthropic collaborative focused on protecting the integrity, accessibility, and usefulness of federal public data. Originally convened in September 2025, 3FPD has grown into a collaborative of nonprofit and philanthropic organizations concerned about the future of public data.
Why We Exist
Public data is essential to how communities, researchers, journalists, advocates, and policymakers understand what is happening in the country. As those systems come under strain, philanthropy has a unique role to play—not by replacing government, but by convening, connecting, and strengthening the ecosystem that helps keep public data public.
As a collaborative, we seek to engage and collaborate both with other funders and field practitioners also working in our priority areas:
How You Can Contribute
- Contribute to the pooled fund: We are a project of New Venture Fund. If you email us to express interest, we will provide you with more information about how to contribute to the pooled fund.
- Aligned giving: Our objective is to ensure that underresourced organizations in this field get the funding they need. We will provide you with information about organizations with funding gaps that meet your philanthropy’s mission.
Collaborative Leadership
3FPD is guided by a steering committee of philanthropic leaders committed to the future of public data. The steering committee also oversees use of the 3FPD pooled fund. If you’re interested in getting more involved with 3FPD, please reach out to us at info@3fpd.org.
Who We Are Not
3FPD is not a general-purpose grant portal, a substitute for government data systems, or a public application site for immediate funding. Our role is to help philanthropy coordinate, support shared infrastructure, and engage with the organizations working across the public data ecosystem.
How 3FPD Organizes Funders for Impact
Funders for the Future of Public Data (3FPD) was created to meet this moment. 3FPD is a national philanthropic collaborative that brings foundations together to protect the integrity, accessibility, and usefulness of federal public data now and into the future.
Rather than funding in isolation, 3FPD helps funders act together across three connected strategies:
Many of the organizations doing the most critical work—preserving data, monitoring changes, defending against manipulation—are under-resourced. 3FPD makes it easier for foundations to fund this work through a pooled fund and aligned grantmaking, reducing duplication and increasing impact.
Data threats do not follow issue boundaries. Education data, housing data, civil rights data, and health data are often altered together. 3FPD supports coordination across networks so advocates, technologists, and researchers can share intelligence, align priorities, and respond faster.
A key part of this is the Data Advisory Group (DAG), a “hub of hubs” that brings together experts from different issue areas, communities, and technical backgrounds to provide guidance and identify emerging risks and opportunities.
The current crisis is not only about defense. It is also a chance to imagine something better: a federal data system that is more inclusive, more resilient, and more trusted.
3FPD supports a multi-year effort to bring together existing proposals, expert knowledge, and community needs into a practical roadmap for the future of U.S. public data—covering budgets, governance, privacy, access, and long-term preservation.
Stay informed. Engage.
Receive periodic updates and opportunities to engage from collaborative members and partners.