What does it take for a struggling organization to turn its fortunes around and become high-performing? This paper, based on research conducted from mid-January to mid-March 2020, investigates elements of successful strategies that can be considered for replication or adaptation by others. Read the report.

Arts and cultural organizations are comprised of resilient, passionate, and creative minds. It is your strength that will be a driving force to help our communities get through these difficult times. SMU DataArts has compiled a list of research and resources for artists, organizations, and grantmakers to consider as we move through the next stages of the COVID-19 pandemic. Read more.

At a moment of such considerable environmental hostility and uncertainty about the future, we offer this report as a celebration and reminder of the arts’ enduring importance, resiliency, and vibrancy. We should not forget the essential role that the arts play in fueling community development, emotional health, cultural literacy, social cohesion and integration, and creative expression. Read the report.

SMU DataArts has pared down its flagship survey, the Cultural Data Profile (CDP), which is used by arts leaders across the country to report data for grant application processes, measure organizational performance, and understand sector-wide trends and insights. Our simplified and shorter survey strikes a balance between preserving valuable, sector-wide data and conserving the efforts and resources required to collect it. Get started.

This report underscores that COVID-19 has created unprecedented challenges and proposes specific steps that can be taken to address the crisis while orienting toward sustained action and resiliency. These steps reflect three propositions that any organization can develop and align in order to achieve success. Read the report.