Dictionary of Keywords (last updated Feb 3, 2025)

	A	B	C	D
1	Keyword (tag in Zotero)	Category	Indicator Type (if applicable)	Definition

2	accountability	Content	N/A	Being held responsible to certain groups, codes of ethics, funders, supporters or users.
3	artists	Content	N/A	Creators of artistic works.
4	arts sector	Content	N/A	“The sector of economic and social activity that places artistic production at its center.” The arts sector can be characterized by its production of “outputs that are unique, have symbolic meaning, and the production of which is controlled, at least in part, by those who generate the creative ideas at its foundation.” (https://creativeinfrastructure.org/2015/06/13/what-is-the-arts-and-culture-sector/)
5	Australia	Content	N/A	The country of Australia.
6	Canada	Content	N/A	The country of Canada.
7	cities	Content	N/A	Urban centers of dense human development.
8	clusters	Content	N/A	A flat organization method, characterized by porousness and working in teams. In the arts, the term “creative clusters” has a specific application, often in relation to “clusters of activity” such as at a community centre, or in a cultural district.
9	co-working	Content	N/A	Individuals or groups rent or use a common workspace or offices.
10	collaboration	Content	N/A	Working together towards a common goal or end product.
11	community	Content	N/A	People who live in a defined geographic area or people who are grouped together through similarities such as common interests or shared nationality.
12	craft industries	Content	N/A	Small businesses centered on handmade artisan work.
13	creative practice	Content	N/A	“It is the intentional practice of creating — learning, mastering and using the skills (craft, technical, artistic, intellectual and creative) that go into making our creative work.” (https://leeannewhite.com/blog/toward-a-definition-of-creative-practice?fbclid=IwAR3seTV7gKZwCpfB6aX7E-U21iyX4JBgnSHbviRIzJy_OBhBWZylonYW5wk#:~:text=It%20is%20the%20intentional%20practice,into%20making%20our%20creative%20work )
14	creative work	Content	N/A	The labour and output of creative workers.
15	cultural and creative industries	Content	N/A	“Those sectors of organized activity that have as their main objective the production or reproduction, the promotion, distribution or commercialization of goods, services and activities of content derived from cultural, artistic or heritage origins.” (https://en.unesco.org/creativity/sites/creativity/files/digital-library/What%20Do%20We%20Mean%20by%20CCI.PDF)
16	cultural district	Content	N/A	“Cultural districts are defined as well-recognized, labeled areas of a city in which a high concentration of cultural facilities and programs serve as the main anchor of attraction. They help strengthen local economies, create an enhanced sense of place, and deepen local cultural capacity.” (https://www.americansforthearts.org/by-program/reports-and-data/toolkits/national-cultural-districts-exchange-toolkit#:~:text=Cultural%20districts%20are%20defined%20as,and%20deepen%20local%20cultural%20capacity).
17	design thinking	Content	N/A	“Design thinking is a non-linear, iterative process that teams use to understand users, challenge assumptions, redefine problems and create innovative solutions to prototype and test.” (https://www.interaction-design.org/literature/topics/design-thinking)
18	development	Content	N/A	Research and development of cultural products and content.
19	digital	Content	N/A	Technologies that operate through binary code; this category includes computers, virtual reality, social media, etc.
20	ecosystem	Content	N/A	Cultural ecosystem: the broader landscape of cultural and creative activity, policy and engagement in society.
21	education	Content	N/A	Systematic instruction or intellectual development.
22	entrepreneurship	Content	N/A	Individuals or companies who organize or manage an enterprise, usually identified by solving a social issue or providing innovative services to specific publics.
23	for-profit	Content	N/A	A for-profit is a (usually registered) corporation or other organization whose primary motive is to generate profit for shareholders. Revenue generated by the organization and its services are for its owners and shareholders.
24	funding agency	Content	N/A	“An external organization, public or private, which undertakes a contractual agreement to sponsor research or an entrepreneurial activity. The funding agency often dictates how their funds may be used, what deliverables are expected, and what reports are required.” (https://carleton.ca/facts/glossary/f/funding-agency/#:~:text=A%20Funding%20Agency%20is%20any,and%20what%20reports%20are%20required.)
25	gender	Content	N/A	Topics related to the culturally constructed classifications of men and women, as well as the spectrum of gender idenities including genderqueer and non-binary. This category also includes topics related to feminism.
26	governance	Content	N/A	The rules, practises, policies, and behaviours that direct and control an organization.
27	hubs	Content	N/A	Spaces that allow for individuals and groups to collaborate and do activities. These ongoing support systems may also be involved in incubation or growth phases.
28	incubators	Content	N/A	Business development models that allow growth and provide spaces for the creation of new businesses, products or resources. They provide individuals or groups with space and resources to initiate or develop creative solutions and projects. Accelerator incubators specifically provide services that mentor and support groups that already have an established project to access resources and training to become a stable and successful business or project.
29	innovation	Content	N/A	Incremental improvements to productivity, social, economic or cultural goals.
30	international	Content	N/A	Relating to two or more independent countries; this category may also refer to countries that are not Australia, Canada, the UK, or the USA.
31	labour	Content	N/A	The work done by people; this tag includes artists labour, craft labour, creative labour, creative labour markets, cultural labour, gender labour, work, work balance, and work space.
32	management	Content	N/A	The strategic or executive branch that directs and oversees organizations, corporations, etc.
33	museums	Content	N/A	"Buildings in which objects of historical, scientific, artistic, or cultural interest are stored and exhibited." (https://languages.oup.com/google-dictionary-en/)
34	music	Content	N/A	Vocal or instrumental sounds.
35	neoliberalism	Content	N/A	Political stance characterized by economic policies that include deregulation, privatization, and divestment from the public or cultural sector.
36	networks	Content	N/A	The interconnected webs between people or things.
37	non-profit	Content	N/A	A non-profit or not-for-profit organization is a (usually registered) corporation or other organization whose financial goal is to break even each year while achieving social goals, such as the presentation of arts, media & culture (or education, health & wellness).
38	operations	Content	N/A	The daily services that support creative workers and organizations by providing accounting, communications, scheduling, human resources and physical resources management, fundraising and/or marketing, consulting (etc.). This category includes administration and management.
39	organizations	Content	N/A	A group of people who work within a particular structure towards a common purpose.
40	performance	Content	N/A	The staging of an artistic product for public consumption.
41	planning	Content	N/A	Considering and organizing future actions, often in service of a particular goal or endeavor.
42	policy	Content	N/A	A set of ideas or a plan of action to guide present and future endeavors.
43	production	Content	N/A	The act of making a product.
44	Quebec	Content	N/A	The province of Quebec in Canada.
45	silicon valley	Content	N/A	Global center in California for technological development and innovation.
46	space	Content	N/A	Physical or virtual space where people work
47	stakeholder	Content	N/A	Those who are interested in, concerned with, or affected by a project, business, or organization.
48	start-ups	Content	N/A	Those whose primary goal is to build from a smaller, individually-owned and operated business to a larger for-profit organization.
49	strategic planning	Content	N/A	“Strategic planning is an organizational management activity that is used to set priorities, focus energy and resources, strengthen operations, ensure that employees and other stakeholders are working toward common goals, establish agreement around intended outcomes/results, and assess and adjust the organization’s direction in response to a changing environment.” https://balancedscorecard.org/strategic-planning-basics/
50	sustainable	Content	N/A	The prioritization of longevity and the ability to endure or continue in a similar fashion; often used to indicate environmental sustainability.
51	taxonomies	Content	N/A	Systems of classification.
52	Toronto	Content	N/A	The city of Toronto in Ontario, Canada.
53	trust-based	Content	N/A	A philanthropic approach that aims to create more equitable relationships between funders and nonprofits.
54	UK	Content	N/A	The United Kingdom off the coast of Europe, consisting of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of Ireland, and other smaller islands within the British Isles.
55	USA	Content	N/A	The United States of America.
56	youth	Content	N/A	People younger than 18 years old; most frequently used to refer to teenagers (ages 12-17).
57	accessible (indicator)	Impact Indicator	Social/physical	Ways of assessing the practises and impacts of accessibility: the enabling of fair and equitable access, with mindful awareness of the intersectionality of privilege and disadvantages that affect individuals and communities.
58	artist-run centre (indicator)	Impact Indicator	Social/physical	Ways of measuring various aspects of arts centers primarily managed, organized, or run by artists.
59	artistic and creative impacts (indicator)	Impact Indicator	Artistic/cultural/creative	Ways of assessing the tangible and intangible impacts of artistic and creative works on individuals, communities, etc.
60	artistic and creative measures (indicator)	Impact Indicator	Artistic/cultural/creative	Ways of measuring various aspects of artistic and creative works, such as their societal impacts or geographic distribution.
61	artistic and creative practice (indicator)	Impact Indicator	Artistic/cultural/creative	Ways of measuring the effects or impacts of artistic and creative practise: “the intentional practice of creating — learning, mastering and using the skills (craft, technical, artistic, intellectual and creative) that go into making our creative work.” https://leeannewhite.com/blog/toward-a-definition-of-creative-practice?fbclid=IwAR3seTV7gKZwCpfB6aX7E-U21iyX4JBgnSHbviRIzJy_OBhBWZylonYW5wk#:~:text=It%20is%20the%20intentional%20practice,into%20making%20our%20creative%20work
62	artistic and creative values (indicator)	Impact Indicator	Artistic/cultural/creative	Ways of measuring the effects or impacts of the values guiding artistic and creative work, such as equity, sustainability, innovation, etc.
63	artists and creative workers (indicator)	Impact Indicator	Artistic/cultural/creative	Ways of assessing the practises and outputs of those who create artistic works and who work in artistic, cultural, and/or creative industries.
64	business model (indicator)	Impact Indicator	Financial/business	Ways of assessing the practises, outputs, and impacts of a business model: “a design for the successful operation of a business, identifying revenue sources, customer base, products, and details of financing.” https://languages.oup.com/google-dictionary-en/ https://hbr.org/2015/01/what-is-a-business-model
65	business model community interest company (indicator)	Impact Indicator	Financial/business	Ways of assessing the practises, outputs, and impacts of a community interest company business model: a business model that “combines certain characteristics of for-profit businesses with the social purpose nature of non-profit entities.” https://www.millerthomson.com/en/publications/communiques-and-updates/social-impact-newsletter/july-6-2016/an-in-depth-look-at-nova-scotias-new/
66	business model entrepreneurial (indicator)	Impact Indicator	Financial/business	Ways of assessing the practises, outputs, and impacts of an entrepreneurial business model: a business model for a novel, entrepreneurial venture.
67	business model incubator (indicator)	Impact Indicator	Financial/business	Ways of assessing the practises, outputs, and impacts of an incubator business model: business development models that allow growth and provide spaces for the creation of new businesses, products or resources. They provide individuals or groups with space and resources to initiate or develop creative solutions and projects. Accelerator incubators specifically provide services that mentor and support groups that already have an established project to access resources and training to become a stable and successful business or project.
68	business model innovation (indicator)	Impact Indicator	Financial/business	Ways of assessing the practises, outputs, and impacts of an innovation business model: a business model centered on incremental improvements to productivity, social, economic or cultural goals.
69	business model non-profit (indicator)	Impact Indicator	Financial/business	Ways of assessing the practises, outputs, and impacts of a non-profit business model: a business model with the financial goal of breaking even each year while achieving social goals, such as the presentation of arts, media & culture (or education, health & wellness).
70	capability metric (indicator)	Impact Indicator	Financial/business	Ways of measuring capability metrics: “a statistical measure of the inherent process variability of a given characteristic. You can use a process-capability study to assess the ability of a process to meet specifications.” https://asq.org/quality-resources/process-capability
71	civic and social engagement (indicator)	Impact Indicator	Knowledge-sharing, sense-making	Ways of assessing the practises and impacts of civic and social engagement. “Individual and collective actions designed to identify and address issues of public concern. Civic engagement can take many forms, from individual voluntarism to organizational involvement to electoral participation. It can include efforts to directly address an issue, work with others in a community to solve a problem or interact with the institutions of representative democracy. Civic engagement encompasses a range of specific activities such as working in a soup kitchen, serving on a neighborhood association, writing a letter to an elected official or voting.” https://www.apa.org/education/undergrad/civic-engagement
72	collaboration (indicator)	Impact Indicator	Social/physical	Ways of measuring various aspects of collaboration: working together towards a common goal or end product.
73	communities of practise (indicator)	Impact Indicator	Social/physical	Ways of measuring various aspects of communities of practise: “a group of people who share a common concern, a set of problems, or an interest in a topic and who come together to fulfill both individual and group goals.” http://www.communityofpractice.ca/background/what-is-a-community-of-practice/#:~:text=A%20community%20of%20practice%20(CoP,both%20individual%20and%20group%20goals.
74	community (indicator)	Impact Indicator	Social/physical	Ways of measuring various aspects of community: people who live in a defined geographic area or people who are grouped together through similarities such as common interests or shared nationality.
75	community building (indicator)	Impact Indicator	Social/physical	Ways of measuring the practises, impacts, and other aspects of community building: a variety of activities and practises designed to create or reinforce a sense of community among a group of people.
76	community engagement (indicator)	Impact Indicator	Social/physical	Ways of measuring the practises, impacts, and other aspects of community engagement, which “seeks to better engage the community to achieve long-term and sustainable outcomes, processes, relationships, discourse, decision-making, or implementation.” https://aese.psu.edu/research/centers/cecd/engagement-toolbox/engagement/what-is-community-engagement
77	community impact (indicator)	Impact Indicator	Social/physical	Ways of measuring the impacts (or desired impacts) that certain policies, practises, or activities will have on communities.
78	cultural capital (indicator)	Impact Indicator	Social/physical	Ways of measuring the impacts of cultural capital: individual familiarity with ‘high culture’ (e.g. music, art, dialect, etc.) that facilitate upward mobility in stratified societies. https://culturallearningalliance.org.uk/what-is-cultural-capital/
79	culture (indicator)	Impact Indicator	Artistic/cultural/creative	In this context, it refers to the definitions of culture provided by the authors. It includes a range of approaches, from a critical media or cultural studies take (e.g. Raymond Williams) to art history to anthropology or sociology of the arts foundations, as well as to measures used by organizations such as Statistics Canada to determine the composition of the culture sector. See, for example: Ben Highmore. 2016. Culture. Routledge. https://www.newyorker.com/books/joshua-rothman/meaning-culture https://meritresearchjournals.org/er/content/2013/July/Lebr%F3n.pdf
80	design thinking (indicator)	Impact Indicator	Artistic/cultural/creative	Ways of measuring various aspects of design thinking: “a non-linear, iterative process that teams use to understand users, challenge assumptions, redefine problems and create innovative solutions to prototype and test.” https://www.interaction-design.org/literature/topics/design-thinking
81	development (indicator)	Impact Indicator	Financial/business	Ways of measuring growth, progress, or advancement in economic spheres.
82	diversity (indicator)	Impact Indicator	Social/physical	Ways of measuring various aspects of diversity. “The concept of diversity encompasses acceptance and respect. It means understanding that each individual is unique, and recognizing our individual differences. These can be along the dimensions of race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, age, physical abilities, religious beliefs, political beliefs, or other ideologies. It is the exploration of these differences in a safe, positive, and nurturing environment. It is about understanding each other and moving beyond simple tolerance to embracing and celebrating the rich dimensions of diversity contained within each individual… Diversity is a set of conscious practices that involve: Understanding and appreciating interdependence of humanity, cultures, and the natural environment. Practicing mutual respect for qualities and experiences that are different from our own. Understanding that diversity includes not only ways of being but also ways of knowing; Recognizing that personal, cultural and institutionalized discrimination creates and sustains privileges for some while creating and sustaining disadvantages for others; Building alliances across differences so that we can work together to eradicate all forms of discrimination... Finally, we acknowledge that categories of difference are not always fixed but also can be fluid, we respect individual rights to self-identification, and we recognize that no one culture is intrinsically superior to another.” https://www.qcc.cuny.edu/diversity/definition.html
83	economic (indicator)	Impact Indicator	Financial/business	“A social science concerned with the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. It studies how individuals, businesses, governments, and nations make choices about how to allocate resources.” https://www.investopedia.com/terms/e/economics.asp
84	emotional measures (indicator)	Impact Indicator	Social/physical	Ways of measuring emotions, such as happiness indexes, marketing studies, user-design processes. https://www.ipsos.com/en/ipsos-encyclopedia-emotional-measures
85	entrepreneur (indicator)	Impact Indicator	Financial/business	Ways of assessing the practises, outputs, and impacts of entrepreneurs: individuals or companies who organize or manage an enterprise, usually identified by solving a social issue or providing innovative services to specific publics.
86	equity (indicator)	Impact Indicator	Social/physical	Ways of assessing various aspects of equity, including practises, policy impacts, etc. “Equity, unlike the notion of equality, is not about sameness of treatment. Equity denotes fairness and justice in process and in results. Equitable outcomes often require differential treatment and resource redistribution so as to achieve a level playing field among all individuals and communities. This requires recognizing and addressing barriers to to provide opportunity for all individuals and communities to thrive.” https://www.mcgill.ca/equity/resources/definitions
87	exhibitions (indicator)	Impact Indicator	Artistic/cultural/creative	Ways of assessing the practises, outputs, and impacts of exhibitions: “a public display of works of art or items of interest, held in an art gallery or museum or at a trade fair.” https://languages.oup.com/google-dictionary-en/
88	innovation (indicator)	Impact Indicator	Financial/business	Ways of measuring incremental improvements to productivity, social, economic or cultural goals.
89	knowledge-sharing (indicator)	Impact Indicator	Knowledge-sharing, sense-making	Ways of measuring various aspects of knowledge-sharing: the voluntary sharing or dissemination of knowledge between individuals, groups, communities, organizations, etc.
90	networking (indicator)	Impact Indicator	Social/physical	Ways of assessing the various aspects of networking: “the exchange of information and ideas among people with a common profession or special interest, usually in an informal social setting.” https://www.investopedia.com/terms/n/networking.asp
91	physical space (indicator)	Impact Indicator	Social/physical	Ways of measuring various aspects of physical space in artistic and creative contexts, including co-working space, exhibition space, etc.
92	policy instruments (indicator)	Impact Indicator	Financial/business	Ways of assessing the effects or impacts of policy instruments: “interventions made by government/public authorities in local, national or international economies which are intended to achieve outcomes which conform to the objectives of public policy. They can take many forms, ranging from regulatory régimes to the provision of services to help improve the performance of businesses.” http://www.know-hub.eu/knowledge-base/videos/policy-instruments.html
93	public engagement (indicator)	Impact Indicator	Knowledge-sharing, sense-making	Ways of measuring various aspects of public engagement: “the myriad of ways in which the activity and benefits of higher education and research can be shared with the public. Engagement is by definition a two-way process, involving interaction and listening, with the goal of generating mutual benefit." https://www.publicengagement.ac.uk/about-engagement/what-public-engagement
94	sense-making (indicator)	Impact Indicator	Knowledge-sharing, sense-making	Ways of measuring various aspects of sense-making: the process of creating meaning and making sense of something.
95	skill-building (indicator)	Impact Indicator	Financial/business	Ways of measuring the development and improvement of personal skills.
96	social (indicator)	Impact Indicator	Social/physical	Ways of measuring the relationships among people, including practises, effects, and impacts of inter-human interaction.
97	social capital (indicator)	Impact Indicator	Social/physical	Ways of assessing “the networks of relationships among people who live and work in a particular society, enabling that society to function effectively.” https://languages.oup.com/google-dictionary-en/
98	social factors (indicator)	Impact Indicator	Social/physical	Ways of observing the impact of social conditions that affect human behaviour.
99	social media (indicator)	Impact Indicator	Knowledge-sharing, sense-making	Ways of measuring various aspects of digital platforms that enable users to create or share content, learn about the world, and participate in social networking.
100	social needs (indicator)	Impact Indicator	Social/physical	Ways of measuring the human need for interaction and connection.