CPAA evaluation: Interim findings Mark Stern and Susan Seifert Social Impact of the Arts Project University of Pennsylvania July 2006

Elements of the assessment Small-area analysis of grantees participation data Small-area analysis of grantees participation data Key informant interviews with those involved in CPAA Key informant interviews with those involved in CPAA Survey of artists working or living in North Philadelphia and Camden Survey of artists working or living in North Philadelphia and Camden Survey of non-arts organizations in North Philadelphia and Camden Survey of non-arts organizations in North Philadelphia and Camden Monitoring partnerships Monitoring partnerships

Interim report Do high crime rates suppress cultural participation? Do high crime rates suppress cultural participation? Did cultural participation change between 2004 and 2005? Did cultural participation change between 2004 and 2005? How do grantees assess CPAA at its midpoint? How do grantees assess CPAA at its midpoint?

Serious crime in North Philadelphia,

Cultural participation did not suffer because of crime. In fact those sections of the city with the highest cultural participation usually had higher than average crime rates.

These data only tell us about the relationship between individuals cultural participation and the crime rate in their neighborhoods. They dont tell us whether the perception of crime in North Philadelphia and Camden discourages people from attending events in these neighborhoods. Ironically, it is the Center City groupsnot those in North Philadelphiathat are located in the higher crime neighborhoods ORGNAME Av serious crime percapitaNeighborhood Philadelphia Young Playwrights Center City West The Clay Studio Center City East New Freedom Theatre Poplar/Ludlow/ Yorktowne Musicopia Center City West Philadelphia Mural Arts Program (MAP) Fairmount/Spring Garden Village of Arts and Humanities Hartranft Taller Puertorriqueno Fairhill Associacion de Musicos Latino Americanos (AMLA)90.397Fairhill InterAct Theatre Company90.030Center City West Spiral Q Puppet Theater Belmont/Mantua/ East Park Scribe Video Center University City/Spruce Hill Art Sanctuary76.412North Central Point Breeze Performing Arts Center48.358Point Breeze ArtReach, Inc East Falls

Did cultural participation rates change between 2004 and 2005? Our central measure of cultural participation is based on data that grantees provided. For this analysis, we restricted ourselves to participation for which we had equivalent data in both 2004 and Overall, we estimate that cultural participation in CPAA grantee programs increased by 22 percent between 2004 and 2005 Individual participation Location % change Cluster areas-total North Phila--Central North Phila-East North Phila-West North Camden South Camden

Help! CPAA core goal is to increase cultural participation in North Philadelphia and Camden. Our ability to document CPAAs success (or failure) is linked to grantees ability and willingness to collect accurate evidence on participation in their programs. Caveat emptor (buyer beware) These data must be seen as a first-cut on participation. With successive data waves (Spring 2007 and 2008), we will have a more reliable picture of patterns of participation.

How do grantees assess CPAA at its midpoint? We found a sharp split in grantees perceptions of the effectiveness of the initiative. Organizations that were INSTITUTIONALLY-ORIENTED were more likely to see themselves as well-integrated in CPAA Organization that are COMMUNITY-ORIENTED were more likely to see themselves as less well-integrated into the initiative.

Grantees orientation Community-oriented Community-oriented Generally located in North Philadelphia or Camden Generally located in North Philadelphia or Camden Usually located in African American or Latin American neighborhoods Usually located in African American or Latin American neighborhoods Work directly with members of community Work directly with members of community Institutionally-oriented Institutionally-oriented Generally, not based in North Philadelphia or Camden Generally, not based in North Philadelphia or Camden Usually located in predominantly white or diverse neighborhoods Usually located in predominantly white or diverse neighborhoods Work with schools, public housing authorities, and other nonprofit institutions Work with schools, public housing authorities, and other nonprofit institutions

Whats working One universal message to emerge from the interviews was an appreciation of the Foundations long-term funding commitment Community-oriented grantees see CPAAs primary contribution as the opportunity to stabilize programs or expand upon their long-term strategies Institutionally-oriented grantees see CPAAs greatest contribution as providing opportunities to expand institutional partnerships, especially with schools. A variety of grantees expressed enthusiasm about community outreach strategies, using artists, humanities scholars, and ambassadors to engage community residents directly.

Some challenges: Residents have come to see cultural programs as free and resist paying even nominal fees for them Partnerships between large bureaucratic organizations and smaller cultural groups are often asymmetrical. Institutional rigidity, for example, has been a major barrier in the formation of a citywide Latin jazz ensemble. Community-oriented grantees were more skeptical about the utility of partnering: The partnering is fine if it makes sense, noted one grantee. On the other hand, if you already have the resources, there is little point in getting someone involved just to get them involved.

Different views of partnerships and communities Institutionally oriented grantees see partnerships as their primary means of reaching communities. They believe that the institutionally-based programs will have a spill-over effect on communities The students enhanced self-knowledge through the creation of art and their sharing of that art within their families, schools, and neighborhoods will form the basis of a stronger, healthier, and more culturally enriched community. Community-oriented grantees see partnerships as only one means of achieving their ends. Classes, public events, and festivals are equally important. Several said they felt pressure to accommodate institutionally-oriented grantees even though this carried real costs..

Perception of TCCs role During planning phase, TCC was an active advocate of strategies based on building organizational capacity and institutional partnerships During implementation, TCC has a more circumscribed role: providing a limited amount of individual coaching and facilitating peer exchange through workshops Several grantees have interpreted this shift as a change in strategy: from a hands on to a hands off approach. I applaud Knight for doing something thats so iffy. Take this money and do something with it

For discussion A considerable amount of effort and expertise has been devoted to institutional partnership-building Relatively little attention has been devoted to strategies that use artists and ambassadors to provide direct outreach to members of the community Would it make sense to provide more technical support to those grantees using these direct outreach strategies? If so, how should it be organized ?