Pittsburgh Earns Bloomberg What Works Cities Certification
Published on February 26, 2025
RESULTS FOR AMERICA AWARDS PITTSBURGH WITH THE BLOOMBERG PHILANTHROPIES WHAT WORKS CITIES CERTIFICATION FOR EXCEPTIONAL USE OF DATA
Eight U.S., four Canadian, and nine Latin American cities achieve first-ever Certification
104 cities have now achieved What Works Cities Certification distinction since the program’s launch in 2017
Pittsburgh, PA – Pittsburgh has achieved a higher level of Bloomberg Philanthropies What Works Cities Certification for establishing exceptional data capabilities to inform policy, allocate funding, improve services, evaluate programs, and engage residents. The What Works Cities Certification standard reflects the practices, policies, and infrastructure municipalities must have in place to effectively harness data for better decision-making. With today’s announcement, 104 cities in North, Central, and South America have now achieved the What Works Cities Certification distinction, and 700 cities have submitted assessments since 2017.
“In 2022 when Pittsburgh was originally awarded Silver Certification from the What Works Cities program, Mayor Gainey was excited to accept recognition for the hard work many devoted staff achieved and challenged all of us to “Go for Gold” at our next recertification in 2024,” said Heidi Norman, Chief Information Officer and Director of Innovation & Performance. “I am so proud that with the collective effort of many leaders and staff across multiple departments we are successful in leveling up the quality of work and data governance to make the city a better place for everyone. As Mayor Gainey said in 2022, Pittsburgh looks good in gold! My team and I couldn’t agree more.”
The What Works Cities Certification standard measures a city’s use of data based on 43 criteria. A city that achieves 51–67% of the 43 criteria is recognized at the Silver level of Certification, 68–84% is required to achieve Gold, and 85% or more is required to reach Platinum.
“At a time when people are questioning the role of government, and what good government looks like, governments must be better at using data to know what is and isn’t working – and that is what the Bloomberg Philanthropies What Works Cities Certification stands for,” said Rochelle Haynes, Managing Director of the Bloomberg Philanthropies What Works Cities Certification. “Over one hundred cities are now showing what is possible by investing the time, energy, and political capital to shift the culture of how local government works.”
“The Bloomberg Philanthropies What Works Cities Certification is one of the largest-ever philanthropic efforts to improve how local governments use data to improve people’s lives,” said James Anderson, who leads the Government Innovation program at Bloomberg Philanthropies. “This work is helping reform-minded mayors across the Americas bring their organizations into the 21st century. Whether to stem housing shortages, reduce traffic fatalities, or improve resident service and responsiveness, these city halls are tapping data, digital, and artificial intelligence to rise to the challenge – and we are thrilled to support their progress.”
Representing a growing movement of local governments across the Americas investing in data and evidence, the 21 new Certified What Works Cities are: Calgary, Edmonton, Hamilton, and Winnipeg from Canada; Burlington, Vermont; Fort Lauderdale, Florida; Fort Worth, Texas; Newark, New Jersey; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; Raleigh, North Carolina; Reno, Nevada; and Savannah, Georgia from the U.S.; Niterói, Rio de Janeiro, Belo Horizonte, and Caruaru, from Brazil; Corrientes, San Nicolás, and Vicente López from Argentina; and Maipú and San Fernando from Chile.
Four currently Certified cities – Boulder, Colorado; Mogi das Cruzes, Brazil; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; and Rochester, New York moved up to Gold Certification. In addition, Cambridge, Massachusetts; Little Rock, Arkansas; Norfolk, Virginia; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; San Diego, California; Scottsdale, Arizona; South Bend, Indiana; and Tulsa, Oklahoma re-Certified under the more rigorous criteria introduced in 2022.
The What Works Cities Certification program, launched in 2017 by Bloomberg Philanthropies and led by Results for America, is the international standard of data excellence in city governance. The program is open to any city in North, Central, or South America with a population of 30,000 or more.
To learn more about the What Works Cities Certification or to take the Assessment, visit whatworkscities.org.
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About the Bloomberg Philanthropies 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 2024, Bloomberg Philanthropies distributed $3.7 billion. For more information, please visit bloomberg.org, sign up for our newsletter, or follow us on Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube, Threads, Facebook, and X.
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.
Media Contacts:
Bloomberg Philanthropies: Sam Fuld, sam@bloomberg.org
Results for America: Cheryl Burnett, cheryl@results4america.org
Olga George
Press Secretary
Mayor's Office
olga.george@pittsburghpa.gov
412-627-0679