SMU DataArts Overview
SMU DataArts (formerly known as the Cultural Data Project), was founded to bring standard language, better appraisal, and increased leverage to the metrics of the non-profit arts & culture sector. Helping each agency generate a Cultural Data Profile (CDP) allows thousands of cultural nonprofits to organize, compare, and generate digital reports for their financial and programmatic understanding of their accomplishments and challenges.
SMU DataArts has progressively become a standard element of the review process for many California and national grant-giving agencies. Hence, using SMU DataArts decreases the aggravation of multiple funders requesting metrics in different formats. Click here for a list of grantmakers that are leading this trend toward standardized national metrics through SMU DataArts.
The City of LA DCA Dashboard is the format used by peer panel reviewers to understand and compare applicants’ prior year capacities. A DCA Funder Report must be submitted as part of your organization’s full application (unless you petition to submit a 990 or audit, because within your festival partnership you are the non-arts partner and thus not eligible to use the DataArts system).
Questions about accessing, navigating, and using this system should be addressed to the SMU DataArts Support Center at (877) 707-3282 or help@culturaldata.org. Both are available Monday through Friday from 9:00am to 7:00pm, Eastern Standard Time.
SMU DataArts offers monthly new user orientation webinars, which you can register for with this link. Or you may select a recording of an orientation webinar with additional video resources through this link. DataArts also offers free online, self-paced data literacy courses with registration through this link.
SMU DataArts Access and Advice
If you have not previously completed a CDP, get started at www.culturaldata.org.
The research, data entry, and editing of one year CDP information may take up to 20-30 hours of dedicated time. Therefore, begin early and follow system-wide instructions.
If you are a continuing user, the same link above will take you back to log-in.
DCA strongly encourages DataArts users to document clarifying notes for consistency as well as explanation of any significant variances or special circumstances between one or more years in your organization’s history. This may include private or public notes about one-time or extraordinary: capital campaigns, fundraising events, board transitions, or programmatic occurrences. As a general rule, any financial variance of 25% or greater may be better understood if asterisked and connected to a narrative explanation. Clarifying notes on historical anomalies such as: attendance issues, website activity issues, etc. are greatly appreciated by panel reviewers who may not otherwise understand the context of changes within specific metrics.
Generating a “City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs – Cultural Grants Program Application Funder Report”
Once all of your annual metrics are input and checked, you may generate many types of PDF Funder Reports. Since SMU DataArts is not directly linked to grantmakers, generally speaking you will need to generate a custom report, read it to determine if it tells a complete story to a independent reviewer, change or add notes as needed, regenerate a final version, and attach/submit it for review. General information on how to generate a funder report is offered with this link.
For inclusion in your DCA grant application, the name of the Funder Report is “City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs – Cultural Grants Program Application Funder Report.” As you will see, the DCA-relevant metrics from your organization’s CDP are automatically formatted for analysis within panel review.
Overview
DataArts (formerly known as the Cultural Data Project), was founded to bring standard language, better appraisal, and increased leverage to the metrics of the non-profit arts & culture sector. Helping each agency generate a Cultural Data Profile (CDP) allows thousands of cultural nonprofits to organize, compare, and generate digital reports for their financial and programmatic understanding of their accomplishments and challenges.
DataArts has progressively become a standard element of the review process for many California and national grant-giving agencies. Hence, using DataArts decreases the aggravation of multiple funders requesting metrics in different formats. Click here for a list of grantmakers that are leading this trend toward standardized national metrics through DataArts.
The City of LA DCA Dashboard is the format used by peer panel reviewers to understand and compare applicants’ prior year capacities. A DCA Funder Report must be submitted as part of your organization’s full application (unless you petition to submit a 990 or audit, because within your festival partnership you are the non-arts partner and thus not eligible to use the DataArts system).
Questions about accessing, navigating, and using this system should be addressed to the DataArts Support Center at (877) 707-3282 or help@culturaldata.org. Both are available Monday through Friday from 9:00am to 7:00pm, Eastern Standard Time.
DataArts offers monthly new user orientation webinars, which you can register for with this link. Or you may select a recording of an orientation webinar with additional video resources through this link. DataArts also offers free online, self-paced data literacy courses with registration through this link.
DataArts Access and Advice
If you have not previously completed a CDP, get started at www.culturaldata.org.
The research, data entry, and editing of one year CDP information may take up to 20-30 hours of dedicated time. Therefore, begin early and follow system-wide instructions.
If you are a continuing user, the same link above will take you back to log-in.
DCA strongly encourages DataArts users to document clarifying notes for consistency as well as explanation of any significant variances or special circumstances between one or more years in your organization’s history. This may include private or public notes about one-time or extraordinary: capital campaigns, fundraising events, board transitions, or programmatic occurrences. As a general rule, any financial variance of 25% or greater may be better understood if asterisked and connected to a narrative explanation. Clarifying notes on historical anomalies such as: attendance issues, website activity issues, etc. are greatly appreciated by panel reviewers who may not otherwise understand the context of changes within specific metrics.
Generating a “City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs – Cultural Grants Program Application Funder Report”
Once all of your annual metrics are input and checked, you may generate many types of PDF Funder Reports. Since DataArts is not directly linked to grantmakers, generally speaking you will need to generate a custom report, read it to determine if it tells a complete story to a independent reviewer, change or add notes as needed, regenerate a final version, and attach/submit it for review. General information on how to generate a funder report is offered with this link.
For inclusion in your DCA grant application, the name of the Funder Report is “City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs – Cultural Grants Program Application Funder Report.” As you will see, the DCA-relevant metrics from your organization’s CDP are automatically formatted for analysis within panel review.