UCLA's primary purpose as a public research university is the creation, dissemination, preservation and application of knowledge for the betterment of our global society. This mission is ideally aligned with the overall mission of the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) to promote and strengthen the creative capacity of our communities, and with the specific mission of the NEA’S Office of Research & Analysis to promote public knowledge and understanding about the value and impact of the arts in American life. The NEA RESEARCH LAB AT UCLA creates infrastructure specifically to promote understanding of the value and impact of the arts in diverse communities, enabling the aggregation of data and knowledge about the value and impact of the arts.