Frequently Asked Questions

Last Updated: June 2026

UNDERSTANDING THE PDC

1. What is the Philanthropy Data Commons (PDC)?
The PDC is a sector-wide initiative providing shared governance and technical infrastructure for funders, nonprofits (“changemakers”), and the organizations that serve them to securely and consensually share data.

We help information organizations have already created travel across systems — with their consent — reducing administrative burden, increasing transparency, and supporting better decisions across philanthropy. Our focus is interoperability: connecting existing systems so data can flow where it’s needed, without requiring anyone to change their current platforms or practices.

2. What challenge does the PDC solve?
Philanthropy’s data systems are siloed. Changemakers repeatedly provide the same information in different systems and formats. Funders rely on disconnected platforms that don’t communicate. The PDC addresses all three: reducing burden on applicants, giving funders richer information, and providing the interoperability layer the sector has long needed.

3. Is the PDC a database or a data vendor?
No, the PDC is not a database or a data vendor. While the PDC does hold data in a central repository for the purpose of sharing, we don’t sell data. We provide the governance framework and technical infrastructure — the shared “pipes” — ensuring that data is flowing across the sector, with consent at every step. We hold data only for the purpose of moving it: we are the container and connective layer, not the destination.

4. Is the PDC a grants management system?
No. The PDC connects and enhances existing grantmaking systems rather than replacing them. We’re an enabler, not a competitor — providing the shared infrastructure that allows existing systems and platforms to work together more effectively.

5. Is the PDC trying to standardize data formats or requite one platform?
No. The PDC is focused on interoperability, not uniformity. We connect to existing systems so common data — even when labeled differently across platforms — can flow where it’s needed with the right permissions in place. No new formats or tools are required.

HOW THE PDC WORKS

6. How does the data flow through PDC?
Organizations contribute data through existing connected systems or directly via our Changemaker Direct or Funder QuickStart pathways. Once shared, the PDC maps data across different structures so it can be understood and reused across participating systems. Access is governed at every step by permissions, agreements, and explicit consent.

7. What kinds of data does the PDC support?
The PDC supports commonly used grant-related data: organizational information, program details, funding needs, and proposal fields typically requested across grantmaking. We use data categories as a flexible framework across different sources and use cases. We map across how different systems label the same information, so data moves between platforms without anyone needing to reformat it first.

8. How does consent work?
The PDC is built around consent-based data sharing. Organizations control who sees their data and how it’s used — consent can be specific to certain participants or platforms. No data flows anywhere without consent in place.

9.Who owns the data shared through the PDC?
Organizations retain ownership and control over their data. The PDC is shared infrastructure, not a data broker. Our purpose is to help information move securely and consensually — not to take ownership of it.

10.What is PDC Exchange?
Exchange is a web application built on the PDC’s shared infrastructure, giving users a way to access and share structured grant data in one place. For funders, it supports discovery and due diligence. For changemakers, it creates a pathway for sharing information with participating funders. Exchange is one example of what the PDC’s infrastructure can enable — the broader goal is to support many tools and integrations across the sector.

WHO THE PDC SERVES

11. Who is the PDC for?
The PDC serves the full philanthropic ecosystem: changemakers and community-based organizations, foundations and funders, grants management systems and technology platforms, and philanthropy-serving organizations. Each engages differently — contributing data, accessing data, or building on the PDC infrastructure — but all operate under the same shared governance framework.

12. How does the PDC benefit nonprofits/changemakers?
Participating changemakers can submit their core organizational, project, and grant information once and have it reused across multiple funders and platforms. As the network grows, your data can help you get discovered by funders you might not otherwise reach — without additional applications. You control what you share and with whom.

13. How does the PDC benefit funders?
The PDC gives funders access to richer, more structured, and more current information about changemakers and prospective grantees. This reduces time spent on repetitive due diligence, improves data quality across portfolios, and supports smarter collaboration with peer funders.

14. Is the PDC available for international organizations?
The PDC’s infrastructure is not limited by geography, and we welcome international interest. That said, our current partnerships and onboarding focus are primarily U.S.-based, and our governance framework and data use agreements are designed with U.S. legal contexts in mind. If your organization operates internationally and wants to participate, please reach out — we’d welcome the conversation.

THE PDC IN CONTEXT

15. How is the PDC different from Candid and similar platforms?
Candid aggregates and publishes data about changemakers — it’s a research and information platform. The PDC is infrastructure. We don’t collect data to publish or sell; we provide the governance framework and API layer that lets data move between existing systems, with the changemaker’s consent controlling every transfer.

Candid and the PDC are complementary. Platforms like Candid can connect to the PDC to improve timeliness and accuracy, while the PDC benefits from their reach. We’re building the connective tissue that makes the whole ecosystem work better.

16. What is the PDC’s relationship to the common app?
The PDC provides the infrastructure that makes a true common application possible — allowing changemakers to maintain a single, verified data set that can flow into any connected grantmaking system. The PDC is the shared conduit that enables common application experiences, but it is not itself a common application.

17. How is the PDC set up, and who governs it?
The PDC is currently housed at Mac Services, an affiliate of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, on a temporary basis while a permanent home is determined. MacArthur is a founding funder and early data contributor, but the PDC is designed as a sector-wide resource — not a MacArthur program. Its governance is intentionally multi-stakeholder, built to serve the full philanthropic ecosystem.

GETTING INVOLVED

18. Who else is participating in the PDC?
A cross-sector group of organizations have signed the PDC’s Data Use Agreement (DUA), including global and national foundations, community and regional funders, data and sector intermediaries, and community-based changemakers. You can access a current list of our participants here.

19. How can my organization get involved?
Organizations that contribute data sign a DUA, which governs data use and ensures alignment with the PDC’s mission. Technology providers and philanthropy-serving organizations can explore integrations and partnerships. The best first step is to contact the PDC team to find the right participation pathway for your organization.

20. What does it cost to participate?
Participating in the PDC is free for changemakers. Funders and technology platforms may be subject to fees in the future as our revenue model matures, but we are not currently charging for participation. Our priority right now is building the network — the more organizations that participate, the more valuable the infrastructure becomes for everyone.

21.What outcomes can I expect, and how soon?
Outcomes depend on how your organization participates and how broadly the PDC is adopted. A changemaker that contributes data today gains an immediate, reusable profile accessible to connected funders. A funder that connects gains access to richer applicant data that grows in value as the network expands.

Some benefits — like meaningfully reduced application burden sector-wide — depend on broad participation and will compound over time. Early participants help build something that becomes more valuable for everyone, including themselves.

STAYING CONNECTED

22. How can I follow the PDC’s work?
Sign up for PDC Connect, our newsletter for sector stakeholders, for updates on partnerships, infrastructure developments, and what we’re learning. Follow us on LinkedIn for real-time updates.

23. What if my question isn’t answered here?
We’d love to hear from you. Reach out through our Contact page and someone from the PDC team will be in touch.