Classifying Arts and Culture Organizations for Effective Comparative Research

Karabi C. Bezboruah, Ph.D.
Associate Dean for Faculty Success and Research
Professor & Director of Ph.D. Programs
UTA Academy of Distinguished Teachers
College of Architecture, Planning and Public Affairs (CAPPA)
The University of Texas at Arlington

Overlapping and competing taxonomical systems are persistent barriers to comparative research in the cultural sector. Cross-discipline studies typically navigate this challenge by relying on a single taxonomical datapoint. However, data quality issues and the inconsistent application of each system amplify the validity risks inherent in this practice. In this study, we demonstrate a systematic-yet-flexible protocol that groups organizations by reconciling taxonomical discrepancies and incorporating mission sensitivity. Drawing from a dataset of 2,044 cultural-sector organizations provided by SMU DataArts, we use this technique to combine NTEE data with arts-focused National Information Systems Project (NISP) codes and map 11 aggregated organizational categories. We validate this process through an audit against National Center for Charitable Statistics data. By focusing on firm-level coding accuracy and datapoint triangulation, this protocol addresses a common challenge for arts-sector studies. We also discuss this technique’s transferability to other nonprofit sectors and its potential for facilitating cross-sector research.

Trevor Meagher is an Assistant Professor of Arts Administration in FSU’s Department of Arts Leadership, Education & Therapy. His research explores the evolving role of arts organizations in contemporary society, focusing on cultural policy, arts advocacy, creative placemaking, and cross-sector collaboration. He received his PhD in Public Administration and Public Policy as well as an MPA from the University of Texas at Arlington, and he holds a Bachelor of Music Performance with minors in Arts Management and Arts Administration from Southern Methodist University.

He regularly attends academic conferences and has presented at the Association for Research on Nonprofit Organizations and Voluntary Action’s annual conference, the Public Management Research Conference, and the Social Theory, Politics, and the Arts conference, among others. He has published in Cities, Voluntas, the Journal of Philanthropy, and The Future of Charity Marketing (edited by Mitchell & Hyde), and his work has been featured by the Nonprofit Academic Centers Council. At the 2025 Association of Arts Administration Educators conference, he received the award for Best Paper by an Emerging Arts Administration Educator.

Before joining FSU, Trevor held professional roles at Southern Methodist University, UT Arlington, the Coppell Arts Center, and the Dallas Symphony Orchestra.

Karabi Bezboruah, PhD, is a Professor in the Department of Public Affairs and Planning at the College of Architecture, Planning and Public Affairs (CAPPA) at the University of Texas at Arlington.Dr. Bezboruah also serves as the director of the two doctoral programs in CAPPA. These are the Public Administration & Public Policy (PAPP), and Urban Planning and Public Policy (UPPP).

Dr. Bezboruah teaches administration and policy courses in the Department of Public Affairs. She teaches the core courses in the Nonprofit Management specialization track and facilitates the graduate Certificate in Urban Nonprofit Management. She applies service-learning pedagogy in her courses, and has worked with community organizations, nonprofits, and local government agencies.

Dr. Bezboruah’s research includes cross sector collaboration, nonprofit management and leadership, strategic management, community development, cross-sector comparisons, NGOs – organizational role, gender role, leadership role & NGO effectiveness. Her work is in the intersection between public policies and organizational behavior, and she frequently collaborates with other disciplines to conduct research on policy issues surrounding health, housing and the environment.