News Story

NORFOLK, Va. – The City of Norfolk has been awarded Gold Certification the third year in a row from the 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.

“The City of Norfolk is honored to have maintained the What Works Cities Gold Certification, a testament to our commitment to data-driven excellence and innovation,” said Mayor Kenneth Cooper Alexander, Ph.D. “We are proud to have strengthened transparency, improved efficiency and enhanced services that directly benefit our residents and businesses. This recognition reflects the hard work of our employees and our dedication to making Norfolk a more responsive, accountable and forward-thinking city.”

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.”

Norfolk was one of eight cities re-certified under the more rigorous criteria introduced in 2022. The others were Cambridge, Massachusetts; Little Rock, Arkansas; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; San Diego, California; Scottsdale, Arizona; South Bend, Indiana and Tulsa, Oklahoma.

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.

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.