About
About the Data Commons
Across Kenya, civil society organisations are collecting vital data — stories in numbers, truths in trends, insights that can drive real change. But most of that data lives in silos, buried in reports, hidden from the people who need it most — our peers, our communities, our policymakers.
The CSO Data Commons is how we change that.
It’s a shared platform where civil society comes together to open up our evidence — securely, ethically, and on our own terms. A space to contribute what we know, discover what others have seen, and build power through collective insight.
This is not a donor project. This is our initiative — imagined by the Open Institute and the SDG Kenya Forum, and already powered by more than 20 CSOs from across the country.
We believe no single organisation can see the whole picture. But together, we can.
The CSO Data Commons is a growing collective of civil society organisations committed to one idea: that sharing what we know makes all of us stronger.
We each hold a piece.
This is where they come together.
the objective
Why the Open CSO Data Commons?
It began with a question:
What if we stopped working in isolation — and started building a shared body of evidence?
From that seed, a movement is taking root. A movement to:
1.
Break down walls between organisations
2.
Make our data visible and usable
3.
Reduce duplication
4.
Strengthen our voice in policy and advocacy
Join the movement
Your data is more powerful when it’s not alone.
Whether you hold a single dataset or a hundred, whether you’re grassroots or national, your knowledge is a piece of the puzzle.
The Commons welcomes:
- Organisations ready to share
- Organisations eager to learn
- Organisations bold enough to collaborate
We’re not asking for perfection. Just participation.
Because the truth is simple: we can only build what matters if we build it together.
➡️ Join the Commons
➡️ Be part of the design
➡️ Bring your piece