Data routes

Tier 1 data comes out of the system you already use. Tier 3 data sits with another agency and needs a written agreement. Systems first, then partner routes, then agreement templates.

Systems
Partner routes
Caveats
Templates

Systems you may already use 13

Apricot / Bonterra

Holds: Existing Tier 1 participant records and Tier 2 service, enrollment, assessment and follow-up forms. Apricot for Violence Survivors specifically documents client profiles, program enrollment, service dates and service units.
Export: Administrator, then Data Archives, exports a selected form to CSV, XLS or XLSX without building a report. Reports provide another export route.
Caveat: Core Apricot forms are organization-specific. Data Archives exports one form at a time; relationship links are not fully preserved, although Tier 2 exports include Parent ID. Inactive and append-only fields have limitations. AVS presets should not be assumed in every subscription.

Native form export AVS standard reports Source

Salesforce Nonprofit Cloud, Outcome Management

Holds: Outcomes, indicator definitions and assignments, performance periods, baseline and target values; Result Value, Measurement Date, Result Type (interim or final) and description.
Export: Salesforce reports; Export, then Details Only, to CSV or Excel. Outcome report types may require administrator setup.
Caveat: Native outcome objects do not supply the underlying observations. Assessments and automatic calculations require configuration. Verify edition, permissions, and whether Outcome Management is enabled.

Indicator-result fields Report export Source

Salesforce Program Management Module (PMM)

Holds: Programs, program engagements, cohorts, services and service deliveries: participant, engagement, service, delivery date and quantity. Supports dosage and participation calculations.
Export: Native reports and dashboards; standard Salesforce report export.
Caveat: PMM is a separate managed package from the newer integrated Nonprofit Cloud product. Service quantity is an output, not proof of improved employment, housing or health.

PMM data model and reports Service-delivery fields Source

ETO / Bonterra

Holds: Standard reports cover demographics, enrollments and dismissals, attendance, employment placements and retention, assessment comparisons, numeric or value changes, TouchPoint responses and referrals.
Export: ETO Results, File menu, Export; select available format and report tabs. Native flat-file reports also exist.
Caveat: Reports depend on configured TouchPoints and recorded data. Customizing ETO Results can depend on licensing. Older instructions referencing Crystal Reports are obsolete: Bonterra retired that reporting component in September 2025.

Standard report catalog Export instructions Source

Penelope / Bonterra

Holds: Service-file openings and closures; events, attendance, duration and service units; referrals; demographics; document and question responses; repeated scored assessments and initial, final and change comparisons.
Export: Native standard reports render as HTML, with print and PDF options. Bonterra documents copying report tables into Excel.
Caveat: Native CSV export is not officially supported for these standard reports. Report-security permissions apply. Some named assessment tools require their own licenses; their presence in the catalog does not establish entitlement.

Standard report catalog Using standard reports Source

CharityTracker

Holds: Case and client information, assistance transactions and, where already configured, goals and repeated self-assessments. Getting Ahead reports compare first and latest resource and stability assessments.
Export: My Agency, then Reports, selecting CSV. Network administrators can obtain broader SQL exports. Assessment reports can export selected data points.
Caveat: Repeated-measure change requires at least two observations. Getting Ahead assessment templates are a particular configuration, not evidence that every CharityTracker organization collects them.

Data export Assessment reporting Source

Clarity Human Services (HMIS)

Holds: HUD-standard project start and exit dates, exit destination, housing move-in date, living situation, income and sources, benefits and insurance where applicable.
Export: Report Library, HUDX-111 HUD CSV Export; an administrator variant supports broader authorized agency selections.
Caveat: Export scope follows user permissions and sharing settings. Collection requirements vary by project and funder. Own-project records can be tier 1; other agencies' records require the CoC's access route.

FY2026 HUD CSV export HUD field definitions Source

WellSky Community Services / ServicePoint (HMIS)

Holds: The same applicable HUD elements; APR and CAPER reports summarize exits, destinations, income and other program outcomes.
Export: Native canned reports include APR, CAPER, data quality and program-specific HMIS CSV exports. BusinessObjects reports can export Excel or PDF where available.
Caveat: BusinessObjects access is deployment and license dependent. A funder's aggregate CSV submission is not necessarily a participant-level longitudinal export.

HMIS administrator's canned-report guide BusinessObjects export instructions Source

PowerSchool SIS

Holds: Student number, grade level, enrollment, entry and exit dates; attendance, course completion, historical grades, cumulative credits and GPA through appropriate fields, tables and data-access tags.
Export: Select students, then Quick Export, choose fields and delimiter. Related-table exports and reports provide additional routes.
Caveat: The district example is older; validate current field names locally. For a nonprofit operating a school this may be tier 1. For an outside tutoring provider it is ordinarily partner-held data.

Current Quick Export instructions District examples of fields, attendance, credits and exports Source

Infinite Campus SIS

Holds: Student demographics and enrollment; attendance and posted grading and course records, subject to available Ad Hoc fields and permissions.
Export: Ad Hoc Reporting, Filter Designer, Data Export; documented formats include CSV, XML, fixed-width text and PDF.
Caveat: Tool rights and calendar access control what can be exported. School possession of these fields does not itself authorize disclosure to a nonprofit.

Filter Designer Data Export Source

Canvas LMS

Holds: Assignment scores, current and final course scores, and course totals. These can support academic-performance measures when the program's courses and grading rules match the required measure.
Export: Gradebook, then Export, choosing current view or entire gradebook; CSV download.
Caveat: Current scores exclude unsubmitted work; final-score calculations treat it differently. Hidden or unposted grades and inactive or concluded enrollments require attention. Course scores are not automatically transcript GPA or graduation outcomes.

Official Gradebook CSV instructions Source

Microsoft Excel

Holds: Whatever the organization already records: for example participant ID, service date, attendance, completion, assessment score or follow-up status. No built-in nonprofit outcome schema.
Export: Save As, CSV or tab-delimited text; retain XLSX for multiple sheets and formulas.
Caveat: Text/CSV export saves only the active worksheet and loses formatting and features. Existing columns must be inspected before declaring a measure collectable today.

Microsoft export instructions Source

Google Sheets

Holds: Whatever is already recorded in the workbook; no native nonprofit outcome schema.
Export: File, then Download; XLSX, CSV or TSV as appropriate.
Caveat: CSV and TSV are single-sheet formats; they do not preserve a multi-tab relational workbook. The Drive API specifically limits CSV and TSV export to the first sheet.

Google download instructions Supported export formats Source

Partner routes 16

wages and employment

CA: employment and quarterly earnings

Held by Employment Development Department, UI wage records

Rule: State-law authority or participant authorization; EDD offers DE 5600 authorization and a DSA process. Federal private-agent disclosure is permitted under 20 CFR 603.5(d), with safeguards and agreement requirements in 20 CFR 603.9 and 603.10.
Lag: EDD says wage abstracts are usually five months behind; a standard abstract covers up to five quarters.
Cost: Posted schedule: $1,500 administrative fee; $36 per quarter per SAFE account; $0.00121 per SSN per product; custom work additional. The schedule is labeled effective January 2023.
Who may request: Authorized third parties, including a nonprofit with sufficient authorization or statutory authority; not nonprofits automatically.
Example: MDRC, a research nonprofit, received EDD earnings records for its historical Los Angeles Jobs-First GAIN evaluation. This is evidence of actual research access, not a current service-provider entitlement. verified Example source

Request page 20 CFR Part 603 Source

WA: employment and quarterly earnings

Held by Employment Security Department

Rule: 20 CFR 603.5(d)-(f): informed-consent, public-official, or authorized contractor/agent route, as applicable; ESD eligibility and security review and contract.
Lag: State-specific event-to-delivery lag NR. Quarterly records; do not treat application acknowledgment as data availability.
Cost: Fixed tariff NR; federal 20 CFR 603.8 generally requires recovery of disclosure costs.
Who may request: Published categories include public officials, WorkSource partners, government-hired researchers, and private organizations or individuals using an informed-consent release.
Example: FareStart and Seattle Jobs Initiative appear in a BFET evaluation using ESD wage records supplied to DSHS. unverified Example source

Request page Source

National: SCSEP post-exit employment and earnings

Held by State wage agencies; Kansas Department of Commerce and DOL through CRIS/SWIS

Rule: SCSEP performance measures, 20 CFR 641.700-.710. CRIS matches national-program participant records against interstate wage data and returns aggregate employment outcomes through ETA.
Lag: CRIS-specific delivery lag NR. Measures concern employment in the second and fourth quarters after exit and second-quarter earnings; the observation period itself must elapse.
Cost: Per-request charge NR.
Who may request: Participating national-program grantees, including qualifying nonprofit SCSEP grantees; not arbitrary nonprofits.
Example: Minnesota DEED's April 2026 provider bulletin confirms the GPMS/WIPS/SWIS connection now tracks employment and earnings. unverified Example source

Request page 20 CFR Part 641, Subpart G Source

school records

WA: school attendance, grades, credits and graduation progress

Held by Seattle Public Schools

Rule: FERPA consent, 34 CFR 99.30, or an approved school-official arrangement under 34 CFR 99.31(a)(1)(i)(B); district DSA, authorized student list and required consent or approved exemption.
Lag: Event lag NR; automated files are contemplated. Processing: approximately 2-3 weeks, rising to 4-6 weeks after December 2026.
Cost: The standard DSA states no payments under the agreement.
Who may request: Approved community-based partners meeting district criteria and completing agreement and training requirements.
Example: City Year Seattle: the district's 2020 contract packet includes a City Year DSA and describes academic and attendance data sharing. verified Example source

Request page 2026-27 standard DSA 34 CFR Part 99 Source

CA: student achievement and longitudinal education outcomes

Held by California Department of Education, including CALPADS and assessment records

Rule: Approved work for or on behalf of CDE under FERPA's studies exception, 34 CFR 99.31(a)(6), or applicable audit and evaluation provisions, 34 CFR 99.31(a)(3) and 99.35; concept review and MOU.
Lag: Data-year and event lag NR; availability depends on collections and requested linkage.
Cost: Published charges include $85 per hour staff; $500 initial support for 60 days; $220 per hour legal; $200 executive processing.
Who may request: Qualified university or nonprofit researchers and organizations conducting an eligible CDE-approved study or evaluation; ordinary grant reporting alone does not establish eligibility.
Example: Learning Policy Institute: CDE describes its 2018 data-sharing partnership, supporting teacher-turnover and learning-outcome analyses. Research nonprofit example. verified Example source

Request page Source

NY: graduation and postsecondary enrollment and persistence; other approved school outcomes

Held by New York City Public Schools; approved administrative datasets

Rule: Research Review process, project-specific DSA, and a qualifying FERPA basis such as 34 CFR 99.31(a)(6) for an eligible study. Nonprofit status alone is insufficient.
Lag: Annual files; attendance also has monthly files. Fixed event-to-extract lag NR.
Cost: NR.
Who may request: Approved external researchers and organizations with an accepted project and disclosure basis.
Example: Good Shepherd Services: NYCPS publishes a 2025-27 agreement description for tracking graduates of three transfer schools, including enrollment and persistence reporting. verified Example source

Request page Source

IL: attendance, GPA, credits and graduation

Held by Chicago Public Schools

Rule: FERPA plus CPS's stricter local policy: student-level requests without active parental consent will be denied. External administrative-data request through IRBManager; a federal exception does not override CPS's policy.
Lag: Event lag NR. Processing: approximately 30 days to respond, then another 30 days to fulfill an approved request.
Cost: Secondary-extract fee NR. A $50 RRB proposal fee applies when that separate research-review process is required.
Who may request: CPS partners, including program providers seeking funding continuation or program evaluation, and approved researchers.
Example: OneGoal evaluation used CPS administrative records, including academic outcomes. unverified Example source

Request page Source

another agency’s HMIS

IL: housing exits, destinations and returns recorded in HMIS

Held by Chicago CoC HMIS; All Chicago is the HMIS lead

Rule: Local HMIS request approval and a fully executed DSA required for research or evaluation, subject to HUD HMIS standards and authorized uses. The published terms also specify destruction and breach-notification obligations.
Lag: Event lag and fulfillment SLA NR; requests are prioritized.
Cost: Some custom requests incur $150 per hour, quoted before work.
Who may request: Requesting entities approved by the HMIS lead for an authorized purpose; project participation alone does not confer unrestricted research access.
Example: All Chicago is itself a nonprofit receiving and managing HMIS records. unverified Example source

Request page HMIS terms governing research releases Source

UT: housing move-in, exits, destinations and longitudinal service records

Held by Utah HMIS and participating contributing organizations

Rule: UHMIS privacy and security rules, contributing-organization agreement, applicable client consent; a published cross-agency MOU can authorize partner access beyond standard sharing.
Lag: Event lag NR; depends on provider entry and reporting.
Cost: NR.
Who may request: Approved participating organizations; additional partner access must be specifically authorized.
Example: The Road Home: an official public board packet documents its client-level UHMIS use. unverified Example source

Request page Source

court or corrections records

PA: reincarceration and other corrections outcomes

Held by Pennsylvania Department of Corrections

Rule: DOC Policy 02.01.02, Research Activities, including written-agreement controls for departmental data research and evaluation and Research Review Committee approval. This is an agency research route, not a general public-record request.
Lag: Event and update lag and approval SLA NR.
Cost: NR.
Who may request: Qualified external researchers and organizations with an approved proposal and required safeguards; nonprofit status is not automatic approval.
Example: Urban Institute/RTI: the Multi-site Adult Drug Court Evaluation expressly acknowledges PA DOC's provision of state-level official records. verified Example source

Request page DOC Policy 02.01.02, Research Activities Source

MA: new criminal cases and dispositions, and defined recidivism measures

Held by Department of Criminal Justice Information Services, CORI repository

Rule: 803 CMR 8.00 research access; application, research proposal and individual nondisclosure agreements. Other agencies' records can require supporting permission.
Lag: Event-to-record and update lag NR. Research approvals are renewable, generally for one year.
Cost: NR.
Who may request: Non-criminal-justice organizations or individuals with an approved educational, scientific or other valid research purpose.
Example: Roca: its 2024 recidivism report uses CORI supplied by DCJIS. The published state route does not mandate hiring Abt or another intermediary. unverified Example source

Request page 803 CMR 8.00 Source

health utilization and vital records

CA: Medicaid utilization, diagnoses, services and continuity of coverage

Held by Department of Health Care Services, Medi-Cal

Rule: DHCS Data and Research Committee review; 42 USC 1396a(a)(7) confidentiality and California Civil Code 1798.24(t)(1) qualifying-research disclosure; CPHS review and DUA as required.
Lag: 6-18 months for service-data completeness; approval time is additional.
Cost: NR.
Who may request: Universities, qualifying nonprofit educational institutions, and established nonprofit research institutions conducting eligible health or social-services research. An ordinary service nonprofit is not automatically eligible under that category.
Example: RAND: its 2025 Medi-Cal provider study used 2022 Medi-Cal records; DHCS also lists the resulting publication. verified Example source

Request page Application materials Source

WA: Medicaid service utilization and program-evaluation outcomes

Held by Washington Health Care Authority

Rule: HCA governance, privacy, security and legal review; approved contract or DSA. Medicaid confidentiality applies; 45 CFR 164.512(i) can support an approved research disclosure, but HIPAA permission alone does not compel HCA release.
Lag: Event and completeness lag NR. HCA offers an initial discussion within one month; that is not an approval or delivery deadline.
Cost: Effective July 1, 2026, HCA may charge a minimum $2,000 per request plus $100 for each staff hour; this also applies to modifications.
Who may request: External organizations and researchers with an approved lawful purpose and acceptable safeguards; case-by-case.
Example: Providence CORE/HCA documentation verifies joint analytics using Medicaid and other data. unverified Example source

Request page 45 CFR 164.512 Source

NY: hospital and ED utilization, diagnoses and readmissions

Held by NY Department of Health, SPARCS

Rule: Public Health Law 2816 authorizes the system and privacy and access standards; agency project review, organizational and individual DUAs, and identifiable-data review where needed. 10 NYCRR 400.18 is the implementing regulation; its full text was not opened or verified, although the agency identifies it.
Lag: 8-10 months after the period ends for data to be considered complete.
Cost: $700 per inpatient data year; $1,500 per outpatient data year; 50% nonprofit discount. Additional identifiable-data charges may apply.
Who may request: Approved researchers and organizations; the nonprofit discount does not itself establish project approval.
Example: New York Health Foundation reports its own SPARCS analysis of maternal morbidity. verified Example source

Request page Required forms and DUAs Public Health Law 2816 Source

WA: mortality, causes of death, and approved birth outcomes

Held by Department of Health, Center for Health Statistics

Rule: WAC 246-492-100, -300, -400: relevant application and DSA requirements; identified birth and fetal-death research requires WSIRB approval. Linkage or reidentification requires appropriate authorization.
Lag: Preliminary quarterly files: by the 10th of the month following the quarter. Final annual timing varies. Processing: DSA execution estimated 12-15 weeks; fulfillment comes afterward.
Cost: Standard preliminary file $175; annual final file $350; custom file $350 plus $100 per hour, under WAC 246-492-990.
Who may request: Approved research institutions and organizations meeting the relevant record-type, review and agreement requirements; not everyone eligible to buy a certificate.
Example: Fred Hutch Cancer Center: its November 2024 registry publication states it receives statewide death files quarterly. verified Example source

Request page Governing rules and fees, WAC 246-492 Source

NJ: hospital admissions, ED use and repeat utilization through direct hospital partnership

Held by Participating hospitals and health systems

Rule: For a new arrangement: participant authorization under 45 CFR 164.508, qualifying research disclosure under 45 CFR 164.512(i), or a limited dataset under 45 CFR 164.514(e) with its required DUA. The purpose and data determine the route; a generic DSA is insufficient.
Lag: Event lag NR; negotiated feed or extract schedule.
Cost: NR; negotiated directly.
Who may request: A nonprofit accepted by the hospital under the applicable authorization, research or limited-dataset route.
Example: Camden Coalition: its staff describe receiving individual hospital claims and encounter data from three hospitals under a common agreement in a CMS-hosted primary transcript, pp. 6-7. verified Example source

Request page 45 CFR 164.508 Source

Four caveats before you ask 4

WIOA wage matching is a state obligation, not a subrecipient right

WIOA wage matching is a state performance obligation, not a blanket right for every subrecipient to receive raw wages. Under 20 CFR 677.175, states use quarterly wage records and facilitate matching consistent with law. DOL's reporting guidance anticipates roughly one to two quarters of wage-data availability delay: fourth-quarter-after-exit outcomes therefore require substantially more than a year from exit. UI records also omit some employment, including self-employment; supplemental evidence may be necessary.

Source

FERPA's studies exception has three purposes and needs a written agreement

FERPA's studies exception has three purposes: developing, validating or administering predictive tests; administering student aid; or improving instruction. It requires a written agreement specifying purpose, use and destruction. The school-official exception instead requires an outsourced institutional function, direct district control, and use and redisclosure restrictions. A nonprofit's desire to report grant outcomes does not, by itself, satisfy either exception.

Source

A HIPAA limited data set cannot be used to match participants

A HIPAA limited dataset cannot be treated as an identified participant-matching file. Its data use agreement must prohibit identifying or contacting individuals. For SPARCS specifically, limited-file dates are masked to the first of the month; exact-date outcomes such as 30-day readmission require an appropriately approved file.

Source

HMIS exit data has an observation boundary

HMIS measures have an observation boundary. Exit destination and later recorded returns can support housing measures; absence of a recorded return alone does not establish continuous housing stability. This is a measurement inference, not an additional access right.

Source

Agreement templates 10

Published agreements from real programs. Each shows the shape of an agreement; none is a form you sign as is.

Seattle Public Schools standard community-based-organization DSA, 2026-27

For school records

Supplies: A concrete district-to-community-partner model: authorized students, permitted educational data, security, consent, reporting and termination provisions.
Limit: Intended for the district's approved partner relationship. Research studies require the applicable separate review; signing the form does not establish FERPA eligibility.

Colorado Department of Education research DSA template

For school records

Supplies: A master agreement plus project and use-case appendices: fields, uses, access, linkage, retention and destruction, publication review and incident handling.
Limit: The supplied evaluation appendix invokes FERPA audit and evaluation provisions, not a universal studies exception. It includes substantial insurance requirements, including privacy and cyber coverage; inspect these before assuming affordability.

Utah HMIS cross-agency MOU

For another agency’s HMIS

Supplies: A model for primary and partner contributing organizations to authorize program access, data entry and reporting beyond ordinary sharing settings. Also listed on the official Utah HMIS forms page.
Limit: An operational cross-agency arrangement, not unrestricted research permission. Additional consent is needed where existing client authorization is insufficient.

East Carolina University HIPAA limited-dataset data use agreement

For health utilization and vital records

Supplies: Blank recipient and project provisions; permitted research, public-health and operations uses; safeguards, downstream obligations, reporting, and the prohibition on identification or contact.
Limit: Applies to a limited dataset under 45 CFR 164.514(e). It does not authorize disclosure of names or SSNs or substitute for a research waiver or authorization when identified records are needed.

Urban Institute Reentry Mapping Network sample MOU

For court or corrections records

Supplies: A nonprofit-to-state-corrections model describing reentry analysis, data responsibilities, permitted use, confidentiality and agency review.
Limit: Historical (2006) and expressly nonbinding. Useful as a scope and responsibility starting point; it cannot alone satisfy a requirement for a binding statutory data-release agreement.

DOL State Wage Interchange System (SWIS) data sharing agreement

For wages and employment

Supplies: The UI wage-record interchange agreement (restated January 2026) between participating state workforce agencies.
Limit: Not described in the research: the link was taken from 2B-grok.md and the agreement's contents were not opened. It is an agreement among state agencies; whether a provider can sign it was not established.

Riverside County CoC HMIS inter-agency data sharing agreement

For another agency’s HMIS

Supplies: A CoC inter-agency HMIS data sharing agreement (Appendix G of the county's HMIS policies).
Limit: Not described in the research: the link was taken from 2B-grok.md and the agreement's contents were not opened.

Washington State Department of Health sample data sharing agreement

For health utilization and vital records

Supplies: A sample data sharing agreement for vital and health data from the state health department.
Limit: Not described in the research: the link was taken from 2B-grok.md and the document was not opened. The link is to a Word file.

Florida Department of Health vital records external data use agreement

For health utilization and vital records

Supplies: A data use agreement for external recipients of Florida vital records data.
Limit: Not described in the research: the link was taken from 2B-grok.md and the document was not opened.

California DHCS application to obtain protected data for research

For health utilization and vital records

Supplies: The DHCS research application, which includes the data use agreement process.
Limit: Not described in the research beyond the application and DUA process: the link was taken from 2B-grok.md and the form was not opened. Eligibility is set by the DHCS research-access rules shown on the data-routes page.