The Illinois Cultural Data Project (Illinois CDP) is a powerful online management tool designed to strengthen arts and cultural organizations.  Arts and cultural organizations enter financial, programmatic and operational data into a standardized online form and can then use the CDP to produce a variety of reports designed to help increase management capacity, identify strengths and challenges and inform decision-making. They can also generate reports to be included as part of the application processes to participating grantmakers.

This emerging national standard enables participating organizations to track trends and benchmark their progress through powerful reporting tools, empowers researchers and advocates with information to make the case for arts and culture, and equips funders with data to plan and evaluate grant-making activities more effectively.

Benefits of Participation

  • Powerful reporting tools to track trends and benchmark against other organizations by discipline, budget size and geographic region;
  • Streamlined grant application process to participating funders;
  • Toll-free Help Desk and User Support assistance and free access (by phone) to a team of financial consultants specializing in accounting for nonprofits;
  • Statewide on-location, web-based and online training.


After four years of planning, the CDP was first launched in Pennsylvania in 2004 and has grown to include California, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, New York and Ohio.

The launch of the Illinois CDP on May 1, 2009 has been made possible through the leadership of:
Arts Alliance Illinois
The Boeing Company
Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs
The Richard H. Driehaus Foundation
The Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelley Foundation
Illinois Arts Council
The Joyce Foundation
The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation
Woods Fund of Chicago


Additional support is provided by:
Leo S. Guthman Fund
Prince Charitable Trusts

To learn more about the Cultural Data Project, please visit http://www.culturaldata.org

Attend a free Illinois CDP training session.
Register now for these important training sessions at a location near you.
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Participating Funders
More than 10 funders currently participate in the Illinois CDP.
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New Users
Please take our
Online Training

And please review our System Requirements