FOREWORD

The Ford Foundation is always looking for better ways of addressing tough social problems. As a rule, we have gone about this by working closely with individuals and organizations in the voluntary, nonprofit sector—groups established to act in the public interest. Many of these groups have well-deserved reputations for being creative, quick to recognize new needs, and adept at organizing to meet them. The Foundation has also supported and encouraged innovation in the for-profit sector and by governmental bodies. In recent years our work with government has emphasized strengthening state and local governments' capacities to address important social and economic issues in new ways, and to adapt sensitively to their enlarged responsibilities.

In an era of budget cuts and new federalism, the challenge of sparking innovative and effective local governmental approaches to public problems took on new urgency. In 1985 we decided to recognize directly exemplary public-sector programs that creatively met urgent social needs. Accordingly, the Innovations in State and Local Government Awards Program was established and the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University was asked to administer it. A diverse national committee chaired by former Michigan governor William Milliken was asked to oversee the program and select the winners for awards and public recognition.

From 1985 through 1988 roughly 1,000 programs each year applied for the Innovations Awards. The quality of these innovations, the range of problems they addressed, and the inventive means they employed were a tribute to the creative spirit that is alive and well in our country. Of these applicants, some 25 programs a year were selected as finalists, 10 of which were chosen annually to receive awards of up to $100,000. The Foundation issued Innovations Awards for three years, and then, after a hiatus devoted to evaluation and review, resumed the competition in 1990.

Eligible programs are administered or operated under state or local authority; they take a new approach to a pressing social need or