The Ford Foundation is a private philanthropic institution dedicated to the public well-being. The Foundation works mainly by granting funds to institutions and organizations for research, demonstration, and developmental efforts that show promise of producing significant advances in the fields of urban poverty, rural poverty and resources, rights and social justice, governance and public policy, education and culture, international affairs, and reproductive health and population.

The Innovations in State and Local Government Awards program reflects the Foundation's longstanding interest in enhancing the operations and processes of democratic government. The awards program complements other Foundation-supported efforts to improve the functioning of state and local government. These include projects to develop more efficient ways of delivering public services, to strengthen citizen participation, and to examine the changing roles and responsibilities of the various levels of government.

The John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University is one of the nation's foremost schools of public affairs. Its mission is excellence in government: to train leaders for government and public service, to create a deeper understanding of the major substantive issues of public choice through sustained problem-solving research, and to serve as a focal point for the convening of leaders from the public and private sectors in order to work on major policy issues. The Kennedy School offers graduate degree programs and executive training courses. The Innovations in State and Local Government Awards program is administered by the School's A. Alfred Taubman Center for State and Local Government. It sponsors research, seminars, and conferences on state and local governance, intergovernmental relations, and public policy, with special attention to the needs of state and local officials.