Cities Transforming How Government Works
Bloomberg Philanthropies What Works Cities Certification, launched in 2017 by Bloomberg Philanthropies, is led by Results for America. It is the first-of-its-kind standard of excellence for data-informed, well-managed local government.
As of 2025, more than 100 cities in North, Central and South America have achieved Certification for their exceptional use of data to inform policy decisions, allocate funding, improve services, evaluate the effectiveness of programs and engage residents.
The What Works Cities Standard of Excellence includes 43 criteria that fall under eight foundational practices, each representing a critical area of data-driven governance. These leading examples highlight stories of cities successfully implementing data practices aligned to each of the eight foundational practices: Data Management, Evaluations, Leadership & Capacity, Open Data, Performance & Analytics, Data-Driven Budget & Finance, Results-Driven Contracting and Community Impact.
