On June 17, 2024, the City of Dallas celebrated receiving the Bloomberg Philanthropies What Works Cities Silver Certification for its outstanding data capabilities. This recognition highlights Dallas' commitment to using data to inform policies, allocate funding, improve services, evaluate programs, and engage residents.
"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."
The certification, awarded by Results for America, sets a standard for municipalities to effectively utilize data for better decision-making. Dallas joins 83 other cities that have achieved this distinction since the program's inception in 2017, with over 170 cities applying.
A notable achievement includes using disaggregated data to address racial and income inequities in budget decisions, involving all 42 city departments and allocating $40 million in equity investments.
"The 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."
Led by Bloomberg Philanthropies and Results for America, the What Works Cities Certification program is recognized internationally as a benchmark for data-driven governance, empowering cities across the Americas to enhance their use of data for public good.
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.
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.
