THE SDG COLLECTIVE

The SDG Collective believes that when cities measure what matters—and do so together—they move from commitment to transformation.

Summary

The SDG Collective is a developing civic innovation initiative led by Dawn Callahan Inc. (DCI) and grounded in partnership with the United Nations Association – Chicago Chapter (UNA–Chicago). The initiative is currently in the research and strategy phase, intending to establish a scalable model that helps U.S. cities align their local data, policies, and partnerships with measurable progress toward the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), beginning with Chicago as the pilot city.

By connecting open data, community storytelling, and evidence-based collaboration, The SDG Collective aims to create a living, public platform that makes local progress on sustainability, equity, and inclusion more visible, actionable, and replicable across.

Background

Cities are the frontlines of the SDGs. Yet, while global frameworks exist, few U.S. cities have tools that translate these goals into measurable, localized outcomes.

Inspired by the City of Los Angeles’ partnership with UCLA and the Data Science Federation, which created one of the nation’s first SDG dashboards, The SDG Collective seeks to adapt and expand this model — pairing city leadership with academic rigor and community engagement.

After extensive research, the project identified Open SDG as the preferred digital platform. As an open-source, globally recognized framework, Open SDG offers a free, customizable infrastructure that cities can use to track and visualize their progress. Leveraging this platform allows DCI to focus resources on building relationships, data strategies, and community engagement rather than software development.

  1. Research & Discovery:
     Conduct structured learning sessions with peer cities, experts, and civic data leaders to identify best practices in SDG localization, governance, and reporting.

  2. Strategy Development:
     Create a roadmap for implementing an SDG-aligned data and storytelling platform for Chicago, with an eye toward national replication.

  3. Partnership Building:
     Engage local, national, and global partners—academic, civic, philanthropic, and community—to ensure the model integrates evidence-based practices and broad participation.

  4. Pilot Design:
     Develop a framework for data collection, equity-centered indicators, and community storytelling for Chicago’s pilot phase.

  5. National Scalability:
     Prepare a model that can be replicated in other U.S. cities to promote transparency, accountability, and collaboration in advancing the 2030 Agenda.

Objectives