1. What is the California Cultural Data Project ?
2. What are the benefits for California's arts and culture groups?
3. Will there be assistance to help groups complete the Data Profile?
4. What are the benefits for the field?
5. Why is it important?
6. How was the Data Profile developed?
7. How did the Cultural Data Project come to California?
8. How is the Data Profile different from the IRS Form 990?
9. How is the data being used for research?
10. Who will participate in the California Cultural Data Project?

1. What is the California Cultural Data Project ?
The California Cultural Data Project is a statewide collaboration that will collect comprehensive information about the cultural sector in California. The Project is dedicated to strengthening the arts in California  and streamlining the grant application process for cultural organizations. The California Cultural Data Project is a collaboration of many of the public and private arts funders in the state, including the California Arts Council, The Getty Foundation, The James Irvine Foundation, the Los Angeles County Arts Commission, and The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation. It is administered by The Pew Charitable Trusts.

2. What are the benefits for California's arts and culture groups?
The California Cultural Data Project will help streamline the funding application process for arts organizations by giving them the technology to organize their financial data to match each participating funder’s requirements. Organizations only need to complete a Data Profile (the online form used for collecting financial and other operational information) once each fiscal year. It is available electronically and submitted as part of grant applications to many of the participating funding agencies throughout the year. Financial data is drawn from each organization’s audit or financial statements, providing accurate and reliable information. Organizations will be able to use this system to track their own trends over time. Aggregate information will be available to help groups benchmark their organization against others by discipline, budget size and many other categories. It is anticipated that as many as 5,000 cultural organizations throughout the state will participate.

3. Will there be assistance to help groups complete the Data Profile?
Online training materials for all California CDP users are available on this site. Additionally, California CDP staff will offer a series of workshops throughout the state beginning in November 2007 and continuing throughout the first year. California users will receive an announcement letter accompanied by a listing of training sessions, as well as an e-mail invitation and reminder. During the first three years of the project, California CDP staff will offer approximately 100 onsite and Web-based workshops.

4. What are the benefits for the field?
The California Cultural Data Project is the most ambitious and comprehensive effort ever to gather and analyze information about the contributions of the cultural sector to California’s economy and quality of life. A similar project has been active and successful in Pennsylvania since 2004 and was launched in Maryland in June 2007. The California Cultural Data Project will benefit the cultural sector by providing comprehensive, standardized data on arts and culture. This data will allow the cultural community to articulate and provide evidence for the sector’s assets and needs, and its contributions to the state. The California Cultural Data Project will benefit foundations, policymakers and researchers by identifying opportunities and challenges for the cultural sector that can be addressed through improved grantmaking and policy changes; informing foundation planning and evaluation; and providing comprehensive, standardized data to researchers who analyze and interpret the cultural sector.

5. Why is it important?
This state-wide data collection effort for arts and culture provides organizations with a useful tool for tracking their individual data. Building information about California’s cultural sector will help identify opportunities and challenges for cultural organizations and the field that can be addressed through improved grantmaking and policy development.

6. How was the Data Profile developed?
The Data Profile was developed in Pennsylvania with the assistance of focus groups of executive directors and staff in the areas of development, finance and marketing. It was tested by approximately 20 cultural organizations. Feedback from these participants was used to revise the form and develop training materials and instructions. After three years of development and testing, the Cultural Data Project was launched in Pennsylvania in September 2004.

7. How did the Cultural Data Project come to California?
Based on the project’s success in Pennsylvania and Maryland, a working group of California funders recognized the value of bringing this powerful management tool to the arts and culture groups in the state and took a leadership role in launching the California Cultural Data Project.

8. How is the Data Profile different from the IRS Form 990?
While both the IRS Form 990 and the California Cultural Data Project are self-reported, the Data Profile collects a more comprehensive overview of organizational and financial activity, attendance, participation and other aspects of daily operations. Data are based on an organization’s financial audits, and therefore reflect the most accurate representation of information.

9. How is the data being used for research?
The Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance and Pennsylvania Economy League used the data to produce the recent report Portfolio, as did Carnegie Mellon and the Center for Arts Management and Technology for a report on the state of arts and culture in southwestern Pennsylvania. Most recently, Americans for the Arts used the data from Pennsylvania organizations as part of its Arts and Economic Prosperity III 2007 report. In California, the California Cultural Data Project Working Group will seek out research partners to analyze the data and report on the impact, assets and needs of the cultural community.

10. Who will be participating in the California Cultural Data Project?
Beginning in 2008, it is anticipated that the following funders will be participating in the project: