ACCESS Data SAIL – State Action and Innovation Lab

The ACCESS Data SAIL – State Action and Innovation Lab is a funding opportunity administered by the American Public Human Services Association (APHSA). This initiative is designed to help U.S. state agencies address data, technology, and user experience barriers that hinder the delivery of integrated services across health, human services, and workforce programs. The lab operates under APHSA's broader ACCESS initiative, which focuses on promoting modern, cross-sector approaches to benefit delivery and economic mobility. The Data SAIL program aims to support states in aligning services by enabling data-enabled solutions that foster improved coordination, efficiency, and customer experience. Three U.S. states will be selected through a competitive process to receive up to $200,000 in innovation funding and extensive technical assistance over a 12-month project period, running from January to December 2026. Selected state teams will participate in collaborative technical support, peer learning, and capacity-building activities. The funding is intended for activities that improve data integration and interoperability across agencies. Examples of allowable activities include developing interoperable data systems, enhancing infrastructure for real-time data sharing, connecting vendor products to existing systems, and compensating participants in user research. States will also be required to collaborate with individuals who have lived experience with health and human services or workforce systems. Eligible applicants are limited to U.S. state agencies working in the domains of health, human services, or workforce. Proposals must be led by current state-level public agency employees and must include participation from at least two of the three domains. A four-person core team is required, including designated leads for data and technology, workforce, health and human services, and customer experience (the latter must be someone with lived experience and cannot be a current agency employee). Applicants are also encouraged to engage additional state partners and community-based or academic collaborators. The submission process includes a required letter of intent due by August 29, 2025, followed by the full proposal due by September 19, 2025. The application must include a proposal narrative, preliminary budget, and at least two letters of commitment from agency leadership. Successful applicants will be notified in October 2025, with state site visits scheduled for October to December 2025, and a project kickoff in January 2026. Additional milestones include a required presentation at the 2026 ISM Conference and a final webinar and demo day in January 2027. Applications must demonstrate readiness, a clear plan for cross-agency collaboration, and anticipated impacts on both agency operations and the populations served. Scoring criteria emphasize project team structure, capacity for engagement, alignment with program goals, and sustainability. Proposals are evaluated based on their ability to use data strategically to improve public service delivery across systems. All inquiries regarding the opportunity should be directed to Khristian Monterroso at kmonterroso@aphsa.org or Jessica Maneely at jmaneely@aphsa.org.

Include lived experience rep; align with strategic agency goals.