Holistic Analytics

The exclusion of Black, Indigenous and people of color (BIPOC) from data analytics leads to policies and protocols that do not fully address and may adversely impact the needs of BIPOC communities. For example, BIPOC communities are less likely to participate in clinical trials and health related data collection due to historical mistrust of government and medical officials based in traumas like the Tuskegee Experiment–where 128 participants died of syphilis or related complications, 40 wives were infected, and 19 children were born with congenital syphilis– as well as the systemic inequities and institutional failures of the United States. In fact, despite constituting 13.4% and 18.1% of the United States’ population, in 2018, Black and Latinx people only represented 5% and 1% of participants in clinical trials (source: US FDA). Specifically, through the Maryland Medical Cannabis Patient Survey Series, the problem we aim to solve is two-fold: 1) ensuring that Maryland medical cannabis patients receive the products they need and prefer, and 2) minimizing waste in the Maryland medical cannabis industry. In the communities we serve, there is a significant discrepancy between what medical cannabis patients need and what is available in the market. This issue is exacerbated in BIPOC communities, which historically have faced barriers in accessing healthcare and are disproportionately impacted by chronic health conditions that could benefit from medical cannabis treatment. Our solution addresses the specific needs of these communities, as well as the broader medical cannabis market. Globally, millions of patients rely on medical cannabis to manage various health conditions. In the United States alone, there are over 4 million registered medical cannabis patients, with a significant percentage of them belonging to BIPOC communities. However, due to systemic inequities, many of these patients lack access to the most suitable medical cannabis products for their individual needs. Our solution focuses on data collection from medical cannabis patients (beginning in Maryland) regarding their wants and actual purchases, allowing for a better understanding of market demand. By identifying the specific needs of patients in BIPOC communities, we aim to facilitate a more equitable and effective medical cannabis market. This approach not only ensures that patients receive the treatment they need but also contributes to higher quality production by minimizing waste and reducing the environmental impact of the medical cannabis industry.

The factors contributing to the problem that our solution addresses include:

1. Systemic inequities: By focusing on BIPOC communities, our solution aims to alleviate disparities in access to appropriate medical cannabis products.
2. Lack of patient-centered market: By gathering data on patient wants and needs, our solution facilitates a  more patient-driven medical cannabis market.
3. Environmental impact: By minimizing waste through accurate market demand predictions, our solution promotes sustainable practices in the medical cannabis industry

The Holistic Analytics solution is a community-centered data collection approach which provides Black, Indigenous and people of color (BIPOC) with a confidential means of logging valuable data through focused surveys ensuring that policy decisions are grounded in real-life experiences and needs, rather than assumptions or stereotypes. To overcome the barriers of historical mistrust and misinformation in Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) communities, Holistic Analytics was established as an organization for BIPOC by BIPOC, with roots in industries that have historically marginalized these communities. Relying upon its strong relationships and involvement in the community, Holistic Analytics directly engages with community members to secure data in various topic areas to comprehensively capture BIPOC community voices, views and perspectives. 

Our solution establishes partnerships with community members and organizations; commits to and trains community members to collect data from their communities through culturally sensitive and familiar survey methods; engages the community in policy building across diverse fields, including healthcare, education, housing, and criminal justice reform; and facilitates collaborative engagement with community policymakers. Empowering communities with clear avenues for policy-making results in better informed legislators, advocates, and regulators, and ultimately leads to more equitable outcomes for BIPOC communities.

In the Maryland Medical Cannabis Survey Series, Holistic Analytics will partner with Tetragram, a web-based application that allows participants to answer a series of surveys and questions anonymously about cannabis. Participants will initially be provided a unique QR code that will direct users to the web-based site where they will register using an username and password. After registering, the user will have easy access to multiple surveys associated with various categories provided by Holistic Analytics. Users can view their progress of survey completion at any time. Holistic Analytics first survey series will capture and measure patient and consumer use, preferences, needs, desires and attitudes towards the current state of the medical cannabis market. All data collected from participants is stored on Amazon Web Services HIPAA- compliant servers. No personally identifying information, such as first and last name, will be collected from any participant and at no time will the data be sold to any third-party organization. All information is kept confidential.

Holistic Analytics serves Black, Indigenous and people of color (BIPOC) who have been historically excluded from data analytics resulting in a lack of data-informed decision-making in policies and regulations. Holistic Analytics serves policy and decision-makers tasked with establishing laws, policies and regulations during short, fast-paced legislative sessions without adequate access to thorough research in the given area. Holistic Analytics serves practitioners, providers and  who engage with members of the related community so they may enhance the quality of their provision of services to truly meet the community’s needs. 

Data is valuable for informing and enabling decision-makers and regulators to create regulations and policies that directly impact the lives of individuals in various data-driven sectors. By offering a comprehensive dataset, the community involved can help ensure that decisions are grounded in real-life experiences and needs, rather than assumptions or stereotypes. An evidence-based approach can contribute to more supportive policies that genuinely enhance the well-being of the people impacted by these decisions.

Holistic Analytics identifies disparities and barriers to access within a community, allowing policymakers to recognize the challenges individuals face and work towards crafting policies that address these obstacles such as reducing costs, expanding eligibility criteria, or streamlining processes and procedures. Presenting survey data that incorporates personal stories and experiences humanizes BIPOC communities and creates a stronger connection with decision-makers. By sharing the real-life consequences of policy choices, Holistic Analytics provides policymakers with the information they need to establish law and policy in tune with the needs and concerns of BIPOC communities.

Holistic Analytics’ Maryland Medical Cannabis Survey Series (MMCSS) will capture the views and voices of BIPOC medical cannabis patients. Anecdotally, team member Cannabis Patient Advocacy Association (CPAA) knows that the needs of consumers and patients in the cannabis market, especially BIPOC, are not being met due to lack of product supply and diversity as well as a lack of patient and consumer education thus resulting in a business-driven medical market. There have been no tools to measure this thus far. The MMCSS will uncover valuable insights into the cannabis patient community's experiences, preferences, and needs, leading to better-informed decision-making and benefiting patients in the long run.

The Holistic Analytics solution will impact the lives of BIPOC by shaping policy through provision of evidence-based insights from BIPOC communities, highlighting disparities and barriers to access, and personalizing the impact of policy decisions. By fostering collaboration between community members, service providers/professionals, and policymakers, Holistic Analytics can lead to more effective and responsive policies and regulations. Additionally, sharing the findings with the public can shape public opinion, ultimately influencing policymakers to create supportive, community-centered policies. More importantly, in providing community members with a platform to voice their opinions and share their experiences, Holistic Analytics empowers BIPOC communities to be active participants in shaping their future.

Team Holistic Analytics is ideally suited to design and deliver this data-driven policy solution to ensure inclusion of Black, Indigenous and people of color (BIPOC) voices and views because we are intimately connected to the communities we serve. As BIPOC individuals, our firsthand experiences with the challenges and needs of our communities enables us to serve as a conduit to policymakers through the provision of data analytics. Our team members include Black, Indigenous and Latinx individuals; law and policy makers; business owners and entrepreneurs; parents and caregivers; medical cannabis patients; and advocates. Our proximity to the communities we serve allows us to fully understand the issues and competently engage with members of our community.

Holistic Analytics’ Maryland Medical Cannabis Survey Series will focus on the voices, views and perspectives of BIPOC medical cannabis patients in the State of Maryland. Team Holistic Analytics team members are well-known in the medical cannabis community due to our years of community work and advocacy. We are uniquely suited to secure this information due to our established trust and rapport within the community which facilitates honest and accurate feedback from our target population. This relatability is crucial when gathering data as respondents are likely to feel more comfortable sharing their experiences with people who understand their challenges firsthand. Moreover, our team's awareness of the stigma surrounding cannabis use guides the survey project in exploring ways to reduce this stigma and improve public perception. Our team members actively engage with policymakers to ensure a safe, high-quality medical cannabis marketplace including participation in legislative processes by providing testimony, engaging with legislators and policymakers, and advocating for the interests of our community. The Cannabis Patient Advocacy Association (CPAA), the nonprofit organization member of Team Holistic Analytics, serves as a conduit between patients/consumers and policymakers. CPAA is dedicated to understanding the needs of patients/consumers and engaging them throughout the development and implementation of the first survey series. This ensures that the communities' input, ideas, and agendas are meaningfully incorporated into the processes, leading to solutions that are truly driven by the needs and desires of the communities. Holistic Analytics is currently gathering data from medical cannabis patients regarding how they would feel most comfortable providing data on this subject. 

In summary, our team's deep-rooted connections with the communities we serve, our firsthand experiences with the challenges and needs of the patient community, our engagement in the policy arena, and our diverse representation make us the ideal candidates to design and deliver this data-driven survey project in Maryland. By prioritizing the input and ideas of the communities we serve, we ensure that our work is both relevant and meaningful to the people who need it most.

Holistic Analytics currently serves a pool of approximately 350 community members for purposes of ongoing data collection efforts. Our partner, Tetragram, currently serves approximately 20,000 users. The Maryland Medical Cannabis market currently has over 162,000 registered patients. We anticipate that the initial pool for our Maryland Medical Cannabis Survey Series will take place across three counties (Baltimore, Montgomery and Prince George’s) in Maryland with support from our community partners at Maryland Medical Cannabis dispensaries in those counties.

Holistic Analytics seeks financial, technical and market barrier assistance through its application to MIT Solve. The concept for the Maryland Medical Cannabis Survey Series arose from nonprofit team member Cannabis Patient Advocacy Association (CPAA). CPAA found that raising money for a nonprofit organization in the cannabis industry was a daunting task, especially when established a few months before the COVID-19 pandemic. Moreover, raising money and getting support as a BIPOC, female-led organization within the cannabis sector was particularly challenging and traditional funding sources, such as government grants, foundations, and corporate sponsorships, are often hesitant to support nonprofits in the cannabis sector due to the controversial nature of the industry and potential reputational risks associated with it. This complex regulatory landscape creates uncertainty and poses challenges for nonprofits like CPAA seeking to operate or raise funds in the industry. The social stigma attached to cannabis use, despite growing acceptance, also acts as a deterrent for potential donors. The stigma also extends to the banking and financial sectors, which are generally reluctant to work with businesses related to cannabis. As a result, Holistic Analytics faces significant challenges in securing loans, accepting donations, or managing funds, further complicating fundraising efforts. 

Holistic Analytics would also like support in determining proper scaling of our project and maintaining the current respondent base for data collection efforts. We plan to:

• Conduct market research to understand the unique needs, challenges, and opportunities in each target sector. 

• Customize services and products that cater to the specific needs of each target sector. This might include designing specialized data analytics tools, conducting industry-specific research, or offering training and workshops tailored to the needs of professionals in those fields.

• Foster cross-sector collaboration to address systemic challenges related to equity and social determinants of wellbeing. Holistic Analytics will organize cross-sector workshops or conferences, bringing together stakeholders from healthcare, education, housing, and criminal justice reform to share insights and best practices.

• Maintain respondent engagement through regular updates, newsletters, or emails, informing them about project progress, findings, and opportunities for further involvement;

• Maintain project transparency (objectives, processes, and outcomes) to build trust and maintain respondents' interest; and 

• Devise additional methods to recognize and appreciate respondents' contributions to the project, emphasizing the value of their participation.

Technically, we want additional assistance to ensure a satisfactory user experience by:

• Expanding our in-house technical team with skilled UX/UI designers, developers, and data analysts; 
• Establishing partnerships with technology companies, academic institutions, and organizations that provide technical assistance and expertise; and 
• Implementing feedback loops that involve regular testing, feedback collection and making improvements to the user experience based on it.

Holistic Analytics is innovative because it utilizes a community-driven data collection model to inform equitable policies and regulations across various sectors. To overcome the barriers of historical mistrust and misinformation in Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) communities, Holistic Analytics was established as an organization for BIPOC by BIPOC, with roots in industries that have historically marginalized these communities. With this foundation, Holistic Analytics establishes partnerships with community members and organizations; commits to and trains community members to collect data from their communities through culturally sensitive and familiar survey methods; engages the community in policy building across diverse fields, including healthcare, education, housing, and criminal justice reform; and facilitates collaborative engagement with community policymakers. Empowering communities with clear avenues for policy-making results in better informed legislators, advocates, and regulators, and ultimately leads to more equitable outcomes for BIPOC communities.

Holistic Analytics recognizes the need for true, in-time snapshots of BIPOC community voices and views in various areas so as to adequately inform policy-makers and result in community-driven policy. Holistics Analytics understands the barriers facing government and some not-for-profit entities engaged in community data collection and built a team equipped to overcome and exceed organizational, community and institutional obstacles through our natural entrenchment in the target communities. Holistic Analytics engages directly with community members through its team members’ strong relationships and involvement in the community. Working from established levels of trust, Holistic Analytics secures data in various topic areas  by working with its community partners to capture BIPOC community voices, views and perspectives. Utilizing data collection methods familiar to our communities, such as easy-to-use digital applications, removes unnecessary barriers to securing the data. Specifically, the Maryland Medical Cannabis Survey Series (MMCSS) is one of a kind. There has been no known BIPOC-focused data collection effort in the cannabis industry to date. 

Holistic Analytics seeks to establish itself in Maryland as the premier data analytics nonprofit serving BIPOC communities and to complete the Maryland Medical Cannabis Survey Series, producing data upon which Maryland policymakers can rely to inform their legislation and regulations for medical cannabis patients as adult-use cannabis legalization takes place on July 1, 2023. We also seek to expand our Parent Teacher Association Family Education Survey Series to other K-12 schools to capture the voices, views and perspectives of BIPOC students and families about student wellbeing as well as establish survey series on other areas of wellbeing.

Holistic Analytics' focus on data-driven decision-making for community-driven policies and regulations directly aligns with U.N. Sustainable Development Goal (UN SDG) 3: Good Health and Well-being, which aims to ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all ages. By providing BIPOC communities with the tools and resources to collect and analyze community data, Holistic Analytics can help identify and address disparities and adverse impacts to these populations. This information can inform equitable policies and regulations that improve access to services and resources, promote preventative measures, and ultimately enhance the overall well-being of BIPOC communities.

Holistic Analytics can contribute to UN SDG 4: Quality Education by using its data-driven approach to address educational disparities faced by BIPOC communities. By partnering with community members and organizations, such as our current Parent Teacher Association Family Education Survey Series, Holistic Analytics can gather crucial data on access to quality education, learning outcomes, and resource allocation. This data can inform policy-making efforts aimed at reducing educational disparities and ensuring all children have access to inclusive, equitable, and quality education.

Reducing inequality is at the core of UN SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities. Holistic Analytics' community-driven data collection model can help identify and address systemic inequalities faced by BIPOC communities across various sectors. By engaging community members in policy-making and advocating for data-driven regulations, Holistic Analytics can promote social, economic, and political inclusion for all, regardless of race, ethnicity, or other factors. This work can contribute to reducing income inequality, eliminating discriminatory policies and practices, and ensuring equal opportunities for marginalized communities.

Holistic Analytics can contribute to UN SDG 16: Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions by using its data-driven approach to support the development of effective, accountable, and transparent institutions at all levels. By working with community members and policymakers, Holistic Analytics can gather data on issues related to justice, public safety, and governance within BIPOC communities. This data can inform policy-making and advocacy efforts aimed at promoting the rule of law, ensuring equal access to justice, and building effective, accountable, and inclusive institutions that serve all community members fairly.

Holistic Analytics will achieve these goals by: expanding its scope; continuing to engage in community and partnership building to expand its base of potential community member partners and respondents; securing grants, donations and other sources of funding to establish robust teams of community data collectors; and fine-tuning and further developing digital tools based on respondent feedback.

Holistic Analytics will develop a Participant Effort Score (PES) as a metric to measure community member and policy maker satisfaction with the digital tools and methods utilized to capture data as well as the overall Holistic Analytics process of policy-building. Holistic Analytics will ask questions like: 

• On a scale of 1-7, how much do you agree with this statement: “This process has made it easy for me to give my views on these issues”  or “This process has made it easy for me to understand the views of my constituents.”

• On a scale of 1-7, how much do you agree with this statement: “Holistic Analytics provides a space for me to give my views” or “Holistic Analytics provides me with information about my constituents that I can use to inform my policy decisions.”

We will also ask questions about improvements to the survey tool; the focus group process for establishing policies based on the community data collected; and the community engagement with policymakers to ensure that participants are satisfied with their user experience. Doing so will facilitate our ability to expand the scope of our data collection and policy building efforts as well as our pool of communities, participants and policy makers. Additionally, we will track engagements with policy makers as well as any policies, regulations or laws based on the results of our community-driven process.

Holistic Analytics expects our solution to have an impact because it relies upon trusted facets of community organizing: go to the community, do not expect them to come to you. Policy building through an easy to use survey tool that can be: a) introduced to the community through a trusted individual; b) provide education about the importance of data collection; and c) facilitate surveys about sensitive topics, Holistic Analytics empowers BIPOC communities to engage in safe, trusted avenues of data collection as a means of shaping and driving community-informed policies. 

In prior survey series, Holistic Analytics utilized varying methods of data collection. In Series A, Holistic Analytics utilized personal contact from a trusted community as a mechanism for introduction, administration and receiving feedback. Though very successful at collecting useful data decision-making, it was timely and costly. While suitable for a small pool (100 community members), it would be cumbersome for larger pools. In Series B, Holistic Analytics utilized a digital application and direct message marketing to distribute Series B to a pool of approximately 500 community members. As Series B’s initial round of direct message marketing has not yielded the turnout expected, a second round of marketing will take a hybrid approach where community members are personally approached by a trusted community member who directs them to Series B using a QR code for digital completion on-the-spot. 

Tenets of our theory of change include: 

Inputs: time, networking energy  and social capital 

Activities: Relationship building with communities, organizations and policymakers

Short-term outcomes: Trust and rapport for program establishment and meaningful engagement; Honest feedback

Long term outcomes: Greater breadth of data collection; Wider pool of potential survey participants ; Established lines of engagement with policymakers; Laws, policies and regulations in alignment with BIPOC community needs and perspectives

Impact: UN SDGs--10: Reducing Inequalities; 16: Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions; 17: Partnerships for Goals

B. Inputs: People committed to empowering BIPOC communities; Funding for survey tool development and paid staff 

Activities: Expansion of survey series including potential participant pool and post-survey focus groups 

Short term outcomes: Trusted avenues for BIPOC communities to share their views

Long term outcomes: Empowered BIPOC communities; Establishment of laws, policies and regulations in alignment with BIPOC community needs and perspectives

Impact: UN SDGs-- 1: No Poverty; 3: Good Health and Well-being; 4: Quality Education; 5: Gender Equality; 10: Reducing Inequalities; 16: Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions

C. Inputs:  Service distribution support--expertise and funding 

Activities: Education of BIPOC communities about the importance of data collection participation; Provision of community-resource based incentives for participants; Facilitation of community engagement with policymakers

Short term outcomes: Informed and increased BIPOC community survey participants

Long term outcomes: Established lines of engagement with policymakers; Established as a community-driven provider of reliable policy points

Impact: UN SDGs-- 1: No Poverty; 3: Good Health and Well-being; 4: Quality Education; 5: Gender Equality; 10: Reducing Inequalities; 16: Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions; 17: Partnerships for Goals

The Tetragram Survey Builder is a mobile application hosted on Amazon Web Services (AWS) and utilizes Elastic Beanstalk and CodePipeline for continuous integration and deployment. The application itself is built using a decoupled backend API and mobile-first frontend. The API is based on API Platform, a PHP framework derived from the Symfony platform and provides a clean architecture for designing RESTful APIs. The frontend is a ReactJS application with an integrated administrator and user portal to increase code reusability.

Team Holistic Analytics is compromised of 4 individuals who are Board Members on the nonprofit Cannabis Patient Advocacy Association (CPAA). CPAA will transition and rebrand as Holistic Analytics by end of year 2023.

Holistic Analytics is for Black, Indigenous and people of color by Black, Indigenous and people of color (BIPOC). Holistic Analytics infuses diversity, equity and inclusivity into every action and decision through cultivation of BIPOC community relationships with individuals, organizations and policy makers; through holistic data analytics; and through the facilitation of data-driven, BIPOC community-fueled policy. The Cannabis Patient Advocacy Association (CPAA), Holistic Analytics nonprofit partner which will transition and rebrand as Holistic Analytics by end of year 2023, was founded by an Indigenous, Latina for the purpose of elevating BIPOC voices in the medical cannabis industry. CPAA has always maintained a majority-Black Board of Directors and engages with BIPOC vendors and consultants whenever possible as demonstrated by the partnership with Tetragram.

Resources: passionate team members (staff, volunteers, board members, subject area experts), strong community relationships, digital application, established relationships with policymakers and regulators

Partners & Stakeholders: BIPOC community members; BIPOC communities; local and grassroots organizations; government entities; and law and policymakers

Activities:  

Production: Easy-to-use digital survey tool for education and administration of survey series in BIPOC communities

Problem solving: Cultivate community relationships with individuals, organizations and policy makers through holistic data analytics so as to facilitate data-driven, BIPOC community-fueled policy.

Network or platform maintenance: provide avenues for BIPOC communities to give their views and perspectives and engage in policy building with regulators and policy makers. 

Value: Engage BIPOC communities in data collection efforts. Empower BIPOC communities. Facilitate BIPOC community-informed policy. Facilitate holistic policy building with community members, organizations and policy makers.

Relationships: Continuing to build upon established relationships with community members, communities, organizations and policymakers.

Channels: Partnerships and strong relationships with community members, organizations and policymakers. 

Customers: Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) communities; communities historically oppressed and marginalized who experienced mistrust and misinformation when engaging with government and medical authorities; Maryland Medical Cannabis patients; K-12 students and families; policymakers and legislators; and businesses, entrepreneurs and other professional service providers.

Expenses: 

Survey Series  Development and Administration    $ 50,000 (per series)

Staff                                                                   $150,000

Marketing and Materials                                       $ 10,000

Community Town Halls                                         $   2,000 (per event)

Organizational operating expenses                       $   7,000 annually

Development Cost for web-based survey platform $ 30,000

___________________________________________________________

TOTAL                                                                   $249,000

Revenues: Revenues can be reinvested into the community through civic education programs for youth and BIPOC communities. 

Cannabis Patient Advocacy Association, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, will transition to Holistic Analytics by the end of 2023. The transition from the Cannabis Patient Advocacy Association to Holistic Analytics is a vital step in ensuring the financial sustainability of the organization. This shift in focus allows the organization to broaden its impact by addressing the needs of a larger demographic and expanding its potential pool of donors, partners, and clients. The move beyond the cannabis sector not only helps to diversify revenue streams, but it also positions Holistic Analytics as a leader in advocating for equitable policies and data-driven decision-making.

One of the main challenges that the Cannabis Patient Advocacy Association faced in securing funding was the stigma associated with cannabis. Despite the increasing acceptance and legalization of medical and recreational cannabis use, many potential donors and partners remain hesitant to support organizations in this sector. By transitioning to Holistic Analytics, the organization can distance itself from this stigma and build relationships with a wider range of stakeholders who are committed to improving outcomes for historically marginalized communities.

Additionally, the new focus on data analytics for BIPOC populations aligns well with the increasing emphasis on data-driven decision-making in policy and regulation. By positioning itself as a provider of reliable, evidence-based insights, Holistic Analytics can attract support from various sectors, including government agencies, non-governmental organizations, private foundations, and corporations. This broader base of potential donors and clients helps to ensure the organization's financial stability and longevity. The shift to Holistic Analytics also allows the organization to leverage its existing expertise in policy education and advocacy to address a wider range of issues. By expanding its scope, the organization can take advantage of opportunities to partner with other organizations working on similar goals, further increasing its potential for funding and collaboration. Additionally, by offering its services to policy and decision-makers, Holistic Analytics can establish itself as a valuable resource during legislative sessions, potentially leading to paid consulting or research contracts.

Moreover, the focus on BIPOC populations who have been historically excluded from data analytics addresses an urgent need for more equitable policy and regulation. By centering its work on these communities, Holistic Analytics can tap into growing public awareness and demand for equity, which can in turn drive additional support and funding opportunities. This alignment with a critical social issue helps to establish the organization as a forward-thinking leader in the field, further increasing its appeal to potential donors and partners. The new focus on data analytics for BIPOC populations positions the organization as a leader in data-driven decision-making, further increasing its appeal to potential supporters. As a result, Holistic Analytics can more effectively pursue its mission of promoting unity, collaboration, and action in the service of historically marginalized communities.

Cannabis Patient Advocacy Association’s transition from solely focusing on one particular policy challenge to an organization with a broader scope has already opened up a variety of funding opportunities to the transitioning organization in the form of grants and private donor possibilities. For example, the county in which the organization is incorporated is currently discussing increases in the budget to engage in canvassing of BIPOC communities for purposes of informed policy and legislation. Holistic Analytics would be eligible to apply for, and well-positioned to receive, Request for Proposals (RFPs) in that regard. With the commencement to the adult-use cannabis market in Maryland and surrounding areas, Holistic Analytics anticipates a variety of RFPs available.