Every year, the tech world seems to reset the conversation about “what’s next.” In 2025, that conversation was louder than ever. Headlines promised the next breakthrough in AI, investors chased the next big model, and the entire sector seemed obsessed with speed, scale, and disruption.
That kind of momentum is exciting – especially for organizations who live and breathe technology. But when your mission is rooted in communities, the question isn’t what’s next in AI? It’s what actually works?
At DataKind, 2025 was the year we doubled down on that distinction. Rather than chasing hype cycles, we focused on building systems that last – tools, partnerships, and approaches that strengthen capacity within the communities and institutions that need them most. Innovation for us isn’t being on the bleeding edge. It’s being smart, intentional, and deeply grounded in real-world use.
And that meant rethinking what “growth” truly looks like.
2025: A Year of Building, Learning, and Redefining Growth
This year marked a pivotal shift for DataKind. We launched new products, entered new partnerships, and expanded our reach across education, economic opportunity, and climate and health. But the most meaningful growth wasn’t about more projects or bigger numbers – it was about structure, clarity, and discipline.
We began to operate more like a product innovator: testing ideas quickly, learning from partners, and investing in the systems that make our tools usable and repeatable. At the same time, we strengthened the scaffolding around our work – more rigorous measurement, clearer product paths, and a stronger foundation for responsible AI.
This balance of experimentation and structure wasn’t simply an operational shift; it was a philosophical one. Sustainable impact requires both curiosity and constraints. It requires being bold enough to innovate, but grounded enough to build what communities can trust, adopt, and maintain.
Why AI Hype Matters – And Why It Doesn’t
We love the energy and possibility that AI brings. We’re inspired by what corporations and research labs are imagining. But in the nonprofit and social sector, innovation looks different.
We aren’t optimizing for the fastest model or the flashiest headline. We’re optimizing for the advisor who has 800 students on her caseload. The community college with three IT staff. The local government preparing for climate-driven emergencies. The public administrator trying to pinpoint high-need neighborhoods and allocate resources effectively. The NGO that simply wants a better way to understand and serve their constituents and clients.
In these contexts, “innovative” doesn’t always mean “cutting-edge.” It means usable. Trusted. Built with and for the communities we serve.
That’s also why partnerships with corporations are essential. We need to be in the rooms where the future of AI is being imagined, so we can bring community needs into those discussions and ensure the tools built for the world are also built for the people who need them most.
What Growth Means for DataKind – And Where We’re Headed
As we look ahead, growth for DataKind isn’t about widening scope or accelerating for the sake of acceleration. It’s about deepening impact and strengthening the systems we’ve built.
It means expanding the ways communities can use tools like Edvise, Ladder, Data Observation Toolkit, Fenceline, Colandr, and more – and making sure they remain accessible and aligned with the realities of the people using them.
It means investing in measurement and evidence so we understand what’s working, what needs to improve, and how far these tools can go.
It means bringing more voices – policymakers, philanthropists, technologists, practitioners – into the process of designing solutions that are both innovative and grounded.
And it means continuing to define innovation on our own terms: not as the fastest trend, but as the smartest path toward equitable, durable impact.
2025 taught us that when we build systems instead of moments, we build resilience. When we choose clarity over hype, we build trust. And when we invest in solutions that communities can depend on, we build the kind of growth that lasts.
That’s the kind of growth we’re committed to carrying into the new year.
Explore our latest products (DataKind blog), follow us on social (LinkedIn | X | Facebook | YouTube), and join us in shaping the future of responsible, community-centered data and AI (subscribe to our newsletter | get in touch at partners@datakind.org).
Header image courtesy of iStock/Natalya Kosarevich.
Join the DataKind movement.
- Interested in sponsoring a project? Partner with us.
- Interested in subscribing to our newsletter? Sign up.
- Interested in supporting our work? Donate here.
