Data Analytics for Microenterprise
Applications for the PRIME microTrackers program will be accepted until December 8th.
Access the RFP.
A Capacity-Building Program Funded by the U.S. Small Business Administration’s PRIME Program. Additional support is provided by the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation.
For many years, through the MicroTest performance measurement program, FIELD has offered expertise and resources to help microenterprise development organizations improve their data collection and management capacity, The Data Analytics for Microenterprise program builds on this work to help microenterprise development organizations further enhance their capacity to use data to benchmark and improve performance.
The program takes advantage of a new tool developed for the industry, www.microTracker.org, a portal to the most comprehensive data on the U.S. microenterprise development industry. MicroTracker offers tools to simplify the task of using data analytics to assess performance, and to communicate that performance to funders and other supporters.
The program will help practitioners with a range of data collection and analysis experience, and will offer training and one-on-one technical assistance to help practitioners to use microTracker resources and their own data to answer program-determined questions.
Data Analytics for Microenterprise includes:
A series of webinars, “Data Analytics and Benchmarking for U.S. Microenterprise,” which introduces data analytic and benchmarking techniques long used by the private sector to improve performance. The three online sessions lead practitioners through data analytics and benchmarking examples and explore how to harness microTracker.org, a new site to help programs easily analyze data to understand the U.S. microenterprise industry, compare and improve performance.
PRIME microTrackers, is a robust microTracker users’ group, committed to using data for program improvement. It offers microenterprise practitioners the opportunity to participate in a peer learning process that will focus on supporting members in developing and applying customized data analytics to address critical methodological issues of their choosing, and using the results to improve their performance. The work of the group will also help advance the overall field’s use of data and data tools through a sharing of new tools or reports developed under the program.
Microenterprise programs will be competitively selected through a request for Proposals Process. PRIME microTrackers will engage in a peer learning process with FIELD staff over the course of 2012. Completed proposals are due by Midnight Eastern on December 8th, 2011.
