City of Dallas is recognized for excellence in data-driven local government
June 17, 2024
The City of Dallas announced today that Results for America awarded Dallas with the Bloomberg Philanthropies What Works Cities Silver Certification for establishing exceptional data capabilities to inform policy, allocate funding, improve services, evaluate programs, and engage residents.
The standard reflects the practices, policies, and infrastructure municipalities must have in place to effectively harness data for better decision-making. With today’s announcement, 83 cities have achieved the What Works Cities Certification distinction and more than 170 cities have submitted applications since 2017.
“The City of Dallas is pleased to be recognized with this award for establishing a standard of excellence for data-informed local government”, said Interim City Manager Kimberly Bizor Tolbert. “By leading with data, we are able to drive equitable outcomes for residents of Dallas.”
A notable example of Dallas’ use of data includes disaggregated data to inform budget decisions that address inequities based on race and income, resulting in all 42 city departments contributing to the allocation of $40 million of equity investments and establishing 220 metrics that are tracked publicly.
The What Works Cities Certification Standard measures a city’s use of data based on 43 criteria. A city that achieves 51–67% of the 43 criteria is recognized at the Silver level of Certification, 68–84% is required to achieve Gold, and 85% or more is required to reach Platinum. “The Bloomberg Philanthropies What Works Cities Certification community continues to grow, bringing together an extraordinary set of localities that are exemplary in utilizing data to enrich their communities,” said Rochelle Haynes, Managing Director of What Works Cities Certification. “The program provides continuous expertise for cities to uplevel their efforts, as well as the opportunity to do this work alongside peers from across the Americas—forging a future in which data serves as a foundation for how municipalities transform delivery and better outcomes.”
“From pioneering data use to embracing emerging technology to expanding digital infrastructure, this new slate of Certified cities demonstrates what is possible when municipalities raise the bar,” said James Anderson, who leads the Government Innovation program at Bloomberg Philanthropies. “Here at Bloomberg Philanthropies, we know data enables mayors to understand community-level issues, design evidence-based programs that work, and manage results that improve people’s lives, and these local governments are setting the pace for others to follow.”
The What Works Cities Certification program, launched in 2017 by Bloomberg Philanthropies and led by Results for America, is the international standard of data excellence in city governance. The program is open to any city in North, Central, or South America with a population of 30,000 or more.
To learn more about the What Works Cities Certification or to take the Assessment, visit whatworkscities.org.
About What Works Cities Certification:
The What Works Cities Certification program, launched in 2017 by Bloomberg Philanthropies and led by Results for America, is the first-of-its-kind standard of excellence for data-informed, well-managed local government. What Works Cities Certification recognizes and celebrates local governments for their exceptional use of data to inform policy decisions, allocate funding, improve services, evaluate the effectiveness of programs, and engage residents.
About Bloomberg Philanthropies:
Bloomberg Philanthropies invests in 700 cities and 150 countries around the world to ensure better, longer lives for the greatest number of people. The organization focuses on creating lasting change in five key areas: the Arts, Education, Environment, Government Innovation, and Public Health. Bloomberg Philanthropies encompasses all of Michael R. Bloomberg’s giving, including his foundation, corporate, and personal philanthropy as well as Bloomberg Associates, a philanthropic consultancy that advises cities around the world. In 2023, Bloomberg Philanthropies distributed $3 billion. For more information, please visit bloomberg.org, sign up for our newsletter, or follow us on Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube, Threads, Facebook, and X.
About Results for America:
Results for America is helping decision-makers at all levels of government harness evidence and data to make progress on our greatest challenges. Our mission is to make investing in what works the “new normal,” so that when policymakers make decisions, they start by seeking the best evidence and data available, then use what they find to get better results. For more information, visit results4america.org.
