Welcome to Bloomberg Philanthropies What Works Cities
Across North, Central, and South America, city leaders are using data to make local government more responsive, impactful and effective.
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-driven, well-managed local government.
Whether your city is just getting started with data or it’s at the core of your decision-making, What Works Cities helps you grow your city’s data practices, connect with peers and expand the movement of data-driven local government.
Develop data-backed solutions for your city’s most pressing issues:
- Government Performance
- Health and Human Services
- Infrastructure and City Services
- Public Safety
- Transportation
- Budgeting and Fiscal Health
- Climate and Environment
- Crisis Response
- Data Transparency and Management
- Economic Growth
Get Started With the Data Snapshot
The Data Snapshot is the starting point What Works Cities.
In eight questions, you’ll get a clear picture of how your city is using data. Do you have a data strategy? Are your budget decisions based on results? How do you share data across departments – and with your residents? The Data Snapshot is for cities at all points on their data journey, whether your city is just beginning to think about data or it’s at the core of your decision-making.
After a city takes the Data Snapshot it can become eligible for the full What Works Cities Certification Assessment. Cities that have completed the Assessment receive an actionable roadmap for data progress and join their peers in the What Works Cities Certification Community, which equips city staff with the skills, support and capacity they need to work toward to achieve Certification and grow their data practices.
- Connection with peers
- Free training and coaching
- Exclusive resources
- Issue-based sprints
- Office hours
- And more
What’s in the Data Snapshot
What Works Cities is open to cities in North, Central and South America with a population of 30,000 or more. However, the questions in the Data Snapshot can offer all municipalities a bird’s-eye view of how their city is using data.
- Does your local government have a documented data strategy or data governance plan, and meet at least quarterly to execute it?
- Does your mayor and/or chief executive consistently communicate and demonstrate to staff that making decisions based on data and evidence is an organizational expectation?
- Does your local government measure progress toward publicly stated strategic goals with targets, metrics and a timeframe?
- Does your local government have an open data portal?
- Does your local government have a regular process of using analyzed data to make budget and financial decisions about practices, programs or policies?
- Does your local government regularly conduct rigorous evaluations?
- Does your local government use metrics (e.g. KPIs) to measure procurement outcomes or impacts, and notify vendors when performance is off track during a contract?
- Does your local government develop data-driven analytics services, such as digital services or tools, that translate data into solutions for both residents and city staff?