Our Mission is to provide charitable support to under-resourced nonprofit organizations by delivering pro bono data science, analytics, and technology consulting services through skilled volunteers seeking educational growth and hands-on experience. Through this collaborative approach, we aim to enhance nonprofit capacity and reach, strengthen community impact, and foster experiential learning and career development within Chicago and beyond.

Our work is open to organizations of many shapes and identities, as long as the heart of their mission is community care.

• Support for people, animals, or the environment
• Inclusive and respectful of all races, gender identities, sexual orientations, socioeconomic backgrounds, disability statuses, ages, religions, and immigration statuses
• May have ties to faith, politics, or earned income, but these are not the main focus of their mission or the reason they seek our help
• Limited resources or staff to manage or fund data and analytics on their own
• Open to groups anywhere, with priority given to Chicagoland.

Candice was finishing her PhD in astrophysics when she began feeling pulled towards community-based work. She saw that the tools she used to study the universe could support people in Chicago. After talking with a local nonprofit leader she realized nonprofits were tackling big challenges without enough data and analytics support. That sparked an idea.

She teamed up with three fellow astrophysicists turned data scientists: Eve, Monica, and Chase. With their skills and shared commitment to helping locally, they began shaping Refactor 312.

They spent 2024 listening to neighborhood partners and building the organization from scratch. In October 2025 the group became a 501(c)(3). Today, Refactor 312 collaborates with mission driven groups to put their data to work.