How It Works

What is the Pilot Pitchfest?

An event on May 22nd, in which staff from New York City government agencies were invited to give low-stakes, two-minute pitches on projects for which they are seeking external collaborators. After the event, we worked to “match” agencies with academic researchers and technical assistants—and we had funding available to support high-impact projects.

Deputy Mayor Carrión delivered opening remarks, and then more than 20 New York City government agencies pitched 50 projects for which they were seeking collaborators. Agencies included...

Built Environment

  • Department of City Planning

  • New York City Housing Authority

  • Department of Design and Construction

  • Department of Transportation

  • Taxi & Limousine Commission

Natural Environment

  • Department of Environmental Protection

  • Mayor’s Office of Climate and Environmental Justice

  • Department of Parks & Recreation

  • Department of Sanitation

Administration

  • Mayor’s Office of Management and Budget

  • Department of Citywide Administrative Services

  • Office of Technology and Innovation

  • Center for Innovation through Data Intelligence

Health

  • Department of Health and Mental Hygiene

  • Health + Hospitals

Public Service

  • Department of Social Services

  • Administration for Children’s Services

  • Department of Youth & Community Development

  • Department for the Aging

Public Safety

  • Mayor’s Office of Criminal Justice

  • Emergency Management

Sounds great. How can I participate?

RSVPs for the Pitchfest were open on Eventbrite—and we sold out! The event was free to attend and open to New York City agency staff, New York area academic researchers, and New York area skilled volunteers.

If an agency staff wanted to pitch a project, they submitted a slide with their project idea by May 9th (11:59PM ET) via email to brandon@pilotpitchfest.org, following the attached template. They received confirmation that their slide was accepted by May 16th. Then, on the 22nd, they showed up to pitch. It was okay if their project was just in the idea phase—this is a bottom-up process, and the point is to encourage people to share in a low-risk environment. Pitching does not obligate them to follow-through on the project, and we welcomed more than one pitch per agency. 

If an academic researcher or technical assistant was interested in working with an agency, they could sign up to attend the Pitchfest on May 22nd too. At the event, they met agency staff, who provided an overview of projects. After the event, they were asked to submit an interest form to indicate the agency projects with which they were interested in being matched.

What types of projects are in-scope for the Pitchfest?

There were two different project “tracks”—the academic research track and the technical assistance track. It was okay if someone did not know where they fit. Note: Neither track was intended for procurement of commercial solutions.

Academic Research Track

The academic research track is intended to provide up to $80k in funding for six-month research projects between agencies and academic researchers. This track is for agency staff who have, or would like to run, an experiment, randomized controlled trial, or program or policy evaluation that would benefit from collaboration with or assessment by academic researchers. Researchers may come from any discipline, ranging from psychology, to economics, to computer science. Projects are intended to produce evidence to aid agency decision-making—and also potentially yield results that may be worthy of publishing in an academic journal. This is not a planning grant. Projects should be able to demonstrate meaningful progress within six months of the grant date. Researchers will retain the rights to publish the results of their analysis. Ultimately, we are looking for projects that:

  • Address a research need for a New York City government agency, with clearly defined outcomes

  • Are likely to influence a specific agency's policies, procedures, or operations in the near term

  • Include a sound research methodology that is likely to lead to credible research findings

  • Are likely to produce novel findings of interest to cities and researchers beyond New York

Grant decisions will be made by a judging pool composed of agency partners, the Social Science Research Council, and representatives from philanthropies including the Sloan Foundation, Arnold Ventures, and Open Philanthropy.

Technical Assistance Track

The technical assistance track is intended to create pairings between agencies and skilled volunteers with a broad range of technical and business expertise. This track is for staff who could use technical assistance from one to four volunteers dedicated at up to 20% capacity, on a tactical project of no more than three months. Projects that might be a fit could include user research studies, basic tech prototypes, analysis of open data sets, or business planning exercises. Projects could include:

  • UX feedback on a new city website  

  • Business planning for a new city service

  • Basic prototype of a new budgeting tool 

All technical assistants interested in working with city agencies will apply to and be vetted by the Pilot Pitchfest team. The volunteers are not permitted to interface with confidential City or resident data, including information where the unauthorized disclosure, alteration, or destruction would cause risk to the City or Agency. Those who are successfully matched with an agency will be asked to sign an NDA.

What happens after the Pitchfest event? 

After the Pitchfest, academic researchers and technical assistants were asked to submit an interest form by May 31st, indicating their desire to be “matched” with a specific agency or project. Agencies reviewed submissions, and we facilitated introductions in cases of mutual interest.

Then, projects split based on tracks:

Academic Research Track: Principal investigators of research track projects were asked to submit a short funding application for no more than $80k to the Pitchfest team by August 15th. Finalists were invited to interview in early September.

Technical Assistance Track: Throughout the summer, the Pilot Pitchfest team worked with agencies to refine technical assistance projects, culminating in a document defining the project scope. All volunteers were asked to sign an NDA before starting work.

Both academic research and technical assistance track projects launched in September, and we are following along on their progress. Still have questions? Check out our FAQs and/or email brandon@pilotpitchfest.org.