The California Cultural Data Project (California CDP) is a powerful online management tool designed to strengthen arts and cultural organizations.  Arts and cultural organizations enter financial, programmatic and operational data into a standardized online form and can then use the CDP to produce a variety of reports designed to help increase management capacity, identify strengths and challenges and inform decision-making. They can also generate reports to be included as part of the application processes to participating grantmakers.

This emerging national standard enables participating organizations to track trends and benchmark their progress through powerful reporting tools, empowers researchers and advocates with information to make the case for arts and culture, and equips funders with data to plan and evaluate grant-making activities more effectively.

Benefits of Participation

• Powerful reporting tools to track trends and benchmark against other organizations by discipline, budget size and geographic region;
• Streamlined grant application process to participating funders;
• Toll-free Help Desk and User Support assistance and free access (by phone) to a team of financial consultants specializing in accounting for nonprofits;
• Statewide on-location, web-based and online training.
  

Latest California CDP News

Since its launch in January 2008, the California Cultural Data Project has served as a valuable tool to strengthen the cultural sector statewide.  More than 2,600 cultural organizations in California have begun using the CDP, and 38 California funders are participating.  Training sessions for new users are ongoing both on the ground and online (view upcoming trainings).  New, specialized training sessions on the CDP’s powerful reporting tools demonstrate how to view important trends in your organizations and benchmark your organization against others in California and in other CDP states.

As the California CDP completes its second year of operations, important regional research pieces on the cultural sector have been published.  Meanwhile, the California CDP Working Group is undertaking a planning process to begin using the wealth of data for a statewide research report on California’s cultural sector.  To view all research reports that have used CDP data, visit the research page of the CDP’s national website at www.culturaldata.org/research.

The CDP also continues to serve as a national model, with 7 states in operations, including Illinois, Massachusetts, Maryland, New York, Ohio and Pennsylvania in addition to California. More than 7,100 arts and cultural organizations are taking part in the CDP and are using the CDP to apply for grants from 148 grants programs nationwide.  For more information about the Cultural Data Project, please visit our national website at www.culturaldata.org.

The launch of the California CDP has been made possible through the leadership of:
California Arts Council
Los Angeles County Arts Commission
The Getty Foundation
The James Irvine Foundation
The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation

To learn more about the Cultural Data Project, please visit www.culturaldata.org.