Indigenizing National Arts & Culture Surveys
The activities and opinions of Native people are not always well represented in national data. With funding from the Wallace Foundation, First Peoples Fund and its research partner NORC have set out to test whether the questions traditionally asked on national surveys about arts and cultural participation do a good job of capturing the experiences of Native people and communities.
To help us test these existing survey questions, we are looking for Native-identified individuals to share their thoughts about the survey questions considering the arts and culture activities they engage in.
Your participation will help us design better surveys that more accurately reflect the lived experiences of Native people and communities.
$100 "Thank You!" Gift Card
If you choose to participate, we’re pleased to offer a $100 digital gift card as a thank you for sharing your time and opinions. You will be able to select a gift card from over 15 different stores, including Amazon, Walmart, Target, Starbucks, and more.
Sign-Up for an Interview Slot
If you’re interested in an online (Zoom or phone) interview between October 1 through 18, please use our quick and easy expression of interest form. If you are selected for an interview, someone from First Peoples Fund or NORC at the University of Chicago will forward a scheduling link. You’ll be able to select the most convenient day and time for you.
Important Information about Your Participation
- Your participation in this interview is completely voluntary.
- You can skip any question and/or stop the interview at any time without any consequences.
- Whether or not you choose to participate in the interview, or decide to withdraw at any point, will not affect you in any way.
- Your interviewer will ask permission to record to aid note taking. Recordings will be kept on a secure drive and will not be shared with anyone. Recordings will ONLY be used to ensure that we represent your thoughts, opinions, and responses accurately. They are deleted after the research team has completed a thorough review of our notes to make sure we've accurately captured what we heard. Consenting to being recorded is NOT necessary to participate. You may decline to be recorded and proceed with the interview.
- All data collected during the interview will remain completely private. Any recordings, notes, or summaries will be stored on a secure server and will not be accessible to anyone outside of the research team.
- Any information we collect that could potentially identify you, like your name and email address, will not be linked to your responses.
- Findings from the interview may be used in a public report, but those findings will not include any information that could identify you.
- Risks: There are no risks to participating in this interview beyond those experienced in everyday life.
- Benefits: By participating in this interview you will help ensure that the activities and beliefs of Native people are represented in national data, and that equitable decision making occurs around programming and funding for Native art and artists.
Questions about the Survey?
Read our Frequently Asked Questions below. For further questions, contact our project directors:
Gwendolyn Rugg, Project Director, NORC
rugg-gwendolyn@norc.org, (773) 256-6182
Justin Pequeno, Project Director, First Peoples Fund
justin.pequeno@firstpeoplesfund.org, (956) 332-2864
Participant Rights
Call NORC's Institutional Review Board (IRB) representative toll-free at (866) 309-0542.
FAQ
Please use our quick and easy expression of interest form. If you are selected for an interview, someone from First Peoples Fund or NORC at the University of Chicago will forward a scheduling link. You’ll be able to select the most convenient day and time for you.
First Peoples Fund is nonprofit organization whose mission is to support the cultural, artistic, and ancestral practices of American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian artists, families, and communities, helping them to thrive, heal, and carry forward Indigenous creative expression, teachings, and lifeways. First Peoples Fund provides grants and awards, administers community and youth development programs, provides mentorship and training programs, invests in national research initiatives (like this one!), and more.
NORC at the University of Chicago (NORC) is conducting this study. NORC is an independent, nonpartisan research institution that helps federal agencies, decision-makers, and nonprofits make better decisions through data and analysis.
This study is generously funded by the Wallace Foundation, a philanthropic organization that supports research and action in the arts, school leadership, and youth development.
You will participate in an interview with two researchers from our team. You will be asked survey questions about your personal experiences with arts and culture activities, and the arts and culture activities you see happening in your community. You will also be asked to share your thoughts on whether the survey questions we ask could be improved. You do not need to prepare for the interview, and there are no right or wrong answers. Rather, we are interested in hearing your perspective on the questions asked.
The interview will take no more than 75 minutes to complete.
Answers that could identify you in any way are separated from your other responses. Interview findings are put into summary reports that contain no names or other identifying information. Your name or any identifying information will never be released to the public. All data is stored on secure servers and is only accessible by the research team.
Virtual interviews via Zoom or telephone will take place between Tuesday, October 1 and Friday, October 18 at a convenient time for you.
