Understanding the ECO-STAR North Methodology for Innovation
How will you know if you’ve succeeded? The ‘Results’ are how you measure the impact of your work. This is where you get specific and think about the tangible, quantifiable outcomes you want to achieve. Numbers are your friends here—they help you tell a clear and compelling story about the value you’re creating.
Think in terms of timelines, milestones, and return on investment. What will you accomplish in the first six months? What does success look like in a year? But don’t stop at the numbers. The most meaningful results are often qualitative. How will you measure the change in “customer delight” or “community well-being”?
A strong ‘Results’ section shows that you have a clear vision of success and a realistic plan to get there. It gives funders, partners, and your community confidence that you’re not just dreaming, but you’re also a capable builder who can turn that dream into reality.
What We’re Learning:
We’re expanding ‘Results’ to include non-monetary forms of value, like cultural capital, social cohesion, and ecological health. A successful project might result in a stronger community, a revived cultural practice, or a cleaner river. For interdisciplinary arts, this is essential. The “result” of an art project is rarely just ticket sales. It’s the conversations it starts, the perspectives it shifts, the connections it forges. We’re developing new ways to articulate and measure these “deep results,” proving that the most valuable returns are often the ones you can’t put on a balance sheet.
ABOUT THE ECO-STAR NORTH PROGRAM
ECO-STAR North invites artists, educators, and community leaders to join in co-creating this new path forward — where innovation grows from the land, the language, and the stories that have always been here.
This project has been seeded in 2025 with generous support from the Minneapolis College of Art and Design Creative Entrepreneurship Program, Enterprise Development Group, The Arts Incubator Winnipeg, Art Borups Corners, the Manitoba Arts Council Indigenous 360 Program, The Labovitz School of Business and Economics at the University of Minnesota Duluth, The Ontario Arts Council Multi and Inter-Arts Projects program, and the OpenAI Researcher Access Program.
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