MAP has been the subject of four outside evaluations assessing the organization’s impact on artists over the past four decades.

In 1999, the Rockefeller Foundation commissioned the research firm of Adams & Goldbard to undertake an internal assessment of the needs of the performance field and the specific ways in which MAP had (or had not) met those needs. The report concluded: “MAP is widely perceived as having made great strides toward achieving its initial aims. [It has] taken risks in supporting emerging artists who were later recognized as major contributors to the culture.”

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In 2007, Creative Capital commissioned Edward Martenson, professor of arts management at Yale School of Drama, to survey all lead artist and organization officials funded since 1989, and undertake one-to-one interviews with 25 selected grantee artists. The survey, sent out to approximately 500 individuals, elicited an astonishing 50 percent response rate. Martenson’s report similarly concluded that MAP remains a critical resource in the field.

In Spring 2014, the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation commissioned Helicon Collaborative to conduct an assessment of six re-granting programs, including MAP. 44% of those surveyed had received at least one MAP grant. A number of artists recognize that the Duke-funded programs offer support for multiple phases of the artistic process, from early experimentation through production, recording and touring, and said that this systemic support has had powerful impacts on artists’ work.

In 2019, MAP commissioned Ron Ragin and Jalisa Roberts to conduct an evaluation of our Scaffolding for Practicing Artists (SPA) program. The report indicated that participation in the program has a strong, positive impact on the lives and work of artists, with 91% of respondents indicating that they would participate in the SPA program again.