Evaluation of Community Partners In Arts Access: An Interim Report to the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation

SIAP's interim report on the Knight CPAA evaluation included an analysis of the relationship of cultural participation and serious crime in North Philadelphia; an update on cultural participation in North Philadelphia and Camden; and a summary of interviews with grantees and others involved in CPAA. Regarding the impact of crime, using data on reported crime between 1999 and 2004, SIAP found no evidence that serious crime suppressed cultural participation in North Philadelphia. Rather, crime and cultural participation were positively correlated, the result of their mutual relationship with social diversity. Grantees generally had a positive view of the initiative, though North Philadelphia groups expressed concern about the cost of partnerships with organizations located outside of the community. By contrast, one-to-one outreach strategies—often using artists and humanities scholars—elicited great enthusiasm among grantees. The report closed with two suggestions for the Foundation: (1) expand technical assistance from a focus on organizational capacity and formal partnerships to support groups working on community outreach strategies; and (2) explore opportunities to link cultural participation to other strategies for neighborhood revitalization.