Introduction

In 1985 the Ford Foundation established the Innovations in State and Local Government Awards program to recognize exemplary new programs and policies that address important social and economic issues.

The program, administered by the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, acknowledges the growing responsibilities of state and local jurisdictions for meeting public needs and highlights the creative approaches devised to meet those needs. A national committee of experts, chaired by former Governor of Michigan William G. Milliken, guides the program.

The contraction of the federal domestic role—marked by the consolidation and reduction of many federal grant programs—has posed new challenges and opportunities for state and local governments. Many have responded with imaginative new policies and programs in such fields as education, health care, economic development, and housing. The aim of the Innovations in State and Local Government Awards program has been to give greater public visibility to successful initiatives and to help inspire similar efforts in other state and local jurisdictions.

Since 1986 more than 8,600 programs have been reviewed by Innovations evaluation teams.

Application for the 1993 awards were requested by the Kennedy School last November. Sixteen hundred applications were submitted, out of which 25 finalists were chosen. The finalists were visited and evaluated by teams of researchers and government practitioners, who submitted reports to the national committee. The committee met for two days to review the evaluations and to interview representatives of the finalists. It then selected 10 programs to receive the 1993 Innovations Awards along with Foundation grants of $100,000. Again this year the other 15 finalists each received a grant of $20,000.

To be considered for an award, programs must meet the following basic criteria:

• be administered or operated under the authority of a state, local, or tribal government or special authority;

• take a new approach to a pressing social need, or significantly improve an existing program;

• have been in operation for at least one year; and

• have a proven record of effectiveness and be able to provide evidence that the program has achieved its goals.

Applications were encouraged from all levels of government and from both large and small jurisdictions. At each stage of the selection process, the programs were evaluated on the basis of their creativity and effectiveness in responding to important problems of local or national concern, their transferability to other jurisdictions, and the value they bring to their clients.

To date, the Foundation has made grants totaling $7.6 million: $7 million went to 70 award winners and $600,000 to the 30 other finalists in the past two years. The grants, which aim to strengthen the programs and help disseminate their innovations to other jurisdictions, have funded such activities as staff training, evaluations, and expansion to other constituencies.

During the course of the program, faculty at the Kennedy School have been conducting research on how creative problem solving can be stimulated and introduced at the state and local levels. The Kennedy School is working with the award recipients in preparing case studies, teaching curricula, and reports that can be used by practitioners and students of government.

Brief descriptions of the 10 programs selected to receive the 1993 awards begin on page six.