The TANF Data Collaborative 2.0 (TDC 2.0) is seeking nominations from interested state and local Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) agencies to participate in the TDC 2.0 Applied Data Analytics (ADA) training. The course is offered at no cost and will provide expert training for agency teams to build their data analytic capacity through the completion of a data analysis project using TANF and other administrative data. Upon completion, agency teams will have increased capacity to routinely use data to inform policy and practice in order to improve outcomes for individuals and families. The training is sponsored by the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) and will be led by Coleridge and its TDC 2.0 partners — MDRC, National Opinion Research Center (NORC) at the University of Chicago, and Actionable Intelligence for Social Policy (AISP) at the University of Pennsylvania.

Course details: Teams will participate in the 23-week virtual training from June 17 to November 18, 2026, using a “learning by doing” approach. The ADA training equips public sector staff with practical analytical and coding skills using modern data tools to better inform policy and practice. Teams will work with real administrative data provided by the state of Arkansas inside Coleridge’s secure Administrative Data Research Facility (ADRF). The training will be delivered through a combination of self-guided learning, expert-led instruction, and team-based data analysis projects:

• First four weeks: Four self-paced units introducing concepts, each with a one-hour weekly support session.
   
• Next 12 weeks: Weekly two-hour virtual sessions, with the first hour for lectures and the second for guided project work. Sessions will be held on Wednesdays during work hours.
   
• The course includes breaks and dedicated time for collaboration and making progress on team-based projects.
   
• Teams will be required to present their data analysis project and submit a final report at the end of the course. The final report will document each team’s analyses and findings. The reports will be shared with Arkansas to offer insights on their TANF program. Lessons and findings may also be relevant to each team’s own TANF program.

How to participate: Interested agencies may self-nominate or, with their consent, be nominated by their research partners (such as a university or organization). Examples of relevant information to provide in the letter include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Names and roles of proposed team members
   
• Brief description of team members’ skills in areas such as policy, data analytics, and coding
   
• Short statement on why the team is interested in participating
   
• Current agency goals that align with and would benefit from the ADA training

We intend to select up to five teams of four to six individuals who represent a balanced mix of policy, research, and technical expertise. Team members may include individuals from partner agencies or other organizations (such as university-based researchers or multiagency data partners), but the team lead(s) must be TANF agency staff. At least two team members should have programming or analytic skills (R and/or SQL) to support hands-on data work.

Nominations submitted to tdc-training@coleridge.us by May 15, 2026, will be considered.

Selection Announcement: June 1, 2026

Learn more: Information about the TDC approach can be found in this report or in this video that showcases previous TANF agency projects. Information on TDC 2.0 can be found on this web page.

Questions? For questions about the TDC 2.0 project, please email Melissa Wavelet at melissa.wavelet@mdrc.org. For questions about the ADA training, please visit https://coleridge.us/events/tdc2.0tanf-ada or email tdc-training@coleridge.us.