The Philanthropy Data Commons® (“PDC”) is a sector-wide initiative connecting the systems, organizations, and data on which philanthropy depends. It’s intended as the shared infrastructure that allows funders, nonprofits, and the grant management systems they already rely on to manage, use and re-use data and information on the agreed upon terms.

The PDC is hosted by Mac Services, Inc., an affiliate of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation and is currently funded by the MacArthur Foundation. As the PDC matures in shared infrastructure, we seek Collaboration Advisors to serve on the PDC’s advisory body.
Participation as a Collaboration Advisor requires a commitment to the PDC guiding principles and championing its work in various ways, including:

• Share and use data through the PDC – Collaboration Advisors are encouraged to sign the PDC Data Use Agreement (summary available here). Those that sign will share data to the PDC and use data from it in accordance with its terms
• Promote participation & support – Collaboration Advisors will support the PDC through projects an partnerships and help identify potential funders and connect them to the PDC to support the PDC projects and their work generally.
• Provide meaningful feedback & recommendations on PDC work – Collaboration Advisors will help shape PDC governance by participating in advisory committees, based on their expertise and interest,and commit to 1-2 hours per month to provide structured input to guide ongoing development of the PDC through email, survey, or virtual meetings.

We seek individuals with diverse backgrounds to bring their expertise, insights, and perspectives to PDC.
Though not an exhaustive list, we’re currently looking for representation to help shape our work across:

• Changemaker Organizations – Individuals from changemaker organizations that will provide feedback and recommendations based on their experience working with funders, data aggregators, and technology firms.
• Technical Infrastructure & Product Roadmap – Individuals who will provide feedback and recommendations based on their technical, interoperability, software, & product development / implementation expertise and experience.
• Intellectual Property & Data Use – Individuals with specific expertise in these areas who will provide feedback and recommendations on data, standards, governance, and legal / IP issues.

Individuals who are interested in volunteering some of their time will commit to no more than two years as a PDC Collaboration Advisor. The PDC Co-Directors and Operations team will reach out to you with more information!

Last Updated: August 2026