Funding

Free

Program dates

TBA

Course / Training•USA · New York · Hybrid

New Commons Incubator for Indigenous Languages and Cultures

Open Data Policy Lab at The GovLab (affiliated with Northeastern University; founded at NYU Tandon), with UNESCO and Microsoft

Application Deadline

August 14, 2026

Official Page

The New Commons Incubator for Indigenous Languages and Cultures is run by the Open Data Policy Lab at The GovLab, an action research centre affiliated with Northeastern University and founded at NYU Tandon School of Engineering, together with UNESCO and Microsoft. It is a six-month capacity-building program for Indigenous-led teams that want to build a data commons. A data commons is a collaboratively governed pool of data whose community decides who may access it and on what terms. Five to six teams are selected for the cohort. Over the six months they work on the governance, ethics and design of their idea until it becomes a proposal that funders can act on. Teams take part online from wherever they are, apart from one in-person kickoff held during UN General Assembly week in New York. The organisers state plainly that the program carries no money of its own; it closes with a showcase that introduces the cohort to funders and partners.

Benefits & funding

  • Six months of virtual programming, October 2026 to April 2027: workshops, one-on-one clinics, expert mentorship and peer learning across the cohort.
  • One in-person kickoff in mid-September 2026, during UN General Assembly week in New York. Only the lead applicant attends.
  • Guidance on designing governance models grounded in Indigenous data sovereignty and the CARE Principles, and on defining how benefits return to the communities whose data is involved.
  • Technical guidance on responsible data stewardship, plus review of the draft proposal by the program’s experts.
  • A final showcase in April 2027, where each team presents its proposal to potential funders and partners.
  • No participation fee is listed.
  • No direct funding. The FAQ states that participants will not receive money from Microsoft, UNESCO or The GovLab, and that the organisers will work to connect them with funders at the end of the program. The Incubator also supplies no computing infrastructure and no datasets.
  • Travel and accommodation for the New York kickoff are not addressed on the site.

Eligibility

  • Applicants must be Indigenous, or hold an endorsed relationship with an Indigenous community.
  • A non-Indigenous applicant must show a clear, trusted and ongoing relationship with the community, evidence that the community is aware of the work and participates in or endorses it, and a letter of support.
  • Individuals and teams may both apply. The form collects the lead applicant’s details plus any additional members with their titles and affiliations.
  • The lead applicant must commit to taking part in the full program, and is the person who attends the in-person kickoff.
  • An institutional letter of support, confirming participation and the institution’s backing for the initiative, is required.
  • Participants must work in line with Indigenous data sovereignty principles. The organisers reserve the right to remove anyone who does not.
  • No nationality, age, degree or work-experience requirement is stated.

Can you apply?

Open to all applicants

No nationality, residency, education, or experience limits are listed.

We only check the criteria we have data for. Always confirm full eligibility on the official page before applying.

Application process

  1. 1
    Optionally join the information webinar on 6 August 2026, 11:00 AM ET / 5:00 PM CET; Zoom registration is linked from the site.
  2. 2
    Write the two-page statement describing the data commons idea, using the template the organisers provide.
  3. 3
    Obtain an institutional letter of support. A draft or placeholder version is accepted, with the final one supplied on request.
  4. 4
    Applicants who are not Indigenous also gather evidence of the community relationship: a letter from community leaders, an MOU, a contract, an implementation plan or expert vetting.
  5. 5
    Submit through the online form with the lead applicant’s details, the team member list and the uploaded documents, then complete the declaration confirming the information is accurate and agreeing to full participation.
  6. 6
    If the form cannot be used, download the alternative submission template and email the answers and files under the subject line “[SUBMISSION]: New Commons Incubator”, preferably in a single message.
  7. 7
    Submit by 14 August 2026, 23:59 ET. The cohort is selected in late August 2026.

Program timeline

  1. Applications open

    19 June 2026

  2. Information webinar, 11:00 AM ET / 5:00 PM CET

    6 August 2026

  3. Application deadline

    14 August 2026, 23:59 ET

  4. Cohort selection

    Late August 2026

  5. In-person kickoff, UN General Assembly week, New York

    Mid-September 2026

  6. Virtual incubation programming

    October 2026 to April 2027

  7. Final showcase to funders and partners

    April 2027