The Foundation Center, the leading authority on philanthropy, and GuideStar, the go-to source for information about nonprofits, have announced a partnership designed to build the capacity and effectiveness of the social sector by providing much-needed data and resources.

The partnership will include efforts to expand access to training, data tools, and knowledge services; align both organizations' data collections to make it easier to uncover new insights that benefit the sector; champion transparency and data sharing so nonprofits and grantmakers are better equipped to make strategic decisions about their work; and empower individuals and organizations to explore, combine, and learn from data in new ways by delivering an increasing amount of information in formats that are accessible, open, or free. Upcoming joint activities include a session on using Big Data effectively during the Independent Sector conference next week; promotion of new, freely accessible APIs; and a series of blog posts highlighting the importance and relevance of data as building blocks of social change.

"As more and more nonprofits and grantmakers join us in sharing data, spreading solutions, and telling their stories, a virtuous circle is emerging," said Foundation Center president Bradford K. Smith. "Working together will help the social sector work better."

"GuideStar and the Foundation Center each serve as strategic partners for those in the social sector working to create a better world," said GuideStar president and CEO Jacob Harold. "Now we also stand as partners to each other, so that we can learn from our respective successes and experiences, build our own capacity through collaboration, develop joint resources to serve the sector better, and deliver more solutions to strengthen nonprofits' and grantmakers' impact."