Governance

INNOVATIONS IN AMERICAN GOVERNMENT: 10 Government Programs Will Each Receive $100,000 Prize

Ten federal, state, and local programs that exemplify new models of government working effectively to produce results for people were today named winners of 1996 Innovations in American Government Awards. Each winner will receive $100,000 from the Ford Foundation at a ceremony in Washington, D.C., tonight.

Noting that this is the program's 10th anniversary, Susan V. Berresford, president of the Ford Foundation said: "For 10 years the Innovations Awards have honored government at its best. These examples of effective government have produced extraordinary results for Americans. They are helping to restore faith in government's ability to solve tough problems."

Selected from more than 1,550 applicants, the winning programs provide innovative solutions to some of the problems people care about most -- solutions that save taxpayers' money, streamline services, help underserved populations, find novel uses for new technologies, or overcome bureaucratic gridlock.

A Florida program, for example, has extended comprehensive health-care coverage to thousands of previously uninsured schoolchildren. Innovative computer technology and police management reforms have helped reduce crime rates dramatically in New York City. A system developed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency gets emergency aid quickly to areas devastated by disasters such as hurricanes and earthquakes.

Considered to be among the nation's most prestigious public service prizes, Innovations Awards recognize governmental initiatives that provide creative solutions to pressing social and economic problems. The Innovations program is sponsored by the Ford Foundation and the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.

Winners of the 1996 Innovations Awards are:

Federal Government

• Consolidated Planning/Community Connections/U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, facilitates citizen participation in community development planning and replaces cumbersome reporting requirements. More than 1,000 pages of paperwork have been eliminated for participating communities.
• Eradicating Sweatshops/U.S. Department of Labor, helps prevent the exploitation of workers in the garment industry by enlisting the voluntary cooperation of industry leaders, maximizing the Department's enforcement efforts, and raising public awareness. The program has collected $8.4 million in back wages over the past three years.
• "CATS": Disaster Damage Prediction and Mapping/Federal Emergency Management Agency, speeds the delivery of emergency aid to areas devastated by disasters such as hurricanes and earthquakes by giving managers more timely and relevant data. The system was adapted from cold war defense research.

State and Local Government

• Environmental Technology Certification/State of California, hastens the development and marketing of promising environmental technologies through state certification of performance claims.
• Greater Avenues for Independence/Riverside County, California, emphasizes placing welfare recipients in jobs as quickly as possible. This large-scale welfare-to-work initiative has found jobs for more than 50,000 people since 1987.
• Florida Healthy Kids Corporation/State of Florida, extends broad private health-care coverage to more than 20,000 previously uninsured children by using school districts to create large insurance pools.
• Santa Fe Affordable Housing Roundtable/Santa Fe, New Mexico, is building affordable housing for low-income families hard hit by escalating real estate prices through a public-private partnership of local governments, nonprofit agencies, foundations, builders, and lenders.
• Compstat: A Crime Reduction Management Tool/New York City, innovative computer technology that pinpoints high crime areas, combined with a new style of police management, has helped to reduce crime dramatically. Precinct commanders and their counterparts in the detective bureau are held accountable for correcting specific conditions.
• Oregon Health Plan/State of Oregon, has extended insurance coverage to thousands of citizens by expanding Medicaid, creating purchasing pools for small businesses, and a high-risk insurance pool for residents denied coverage in the open market.
• Arts Incubator/Arlington County, Virginia, helps artists and arts organizations develop into self-sufficient community resources by combining traditional financial support with free theater, exhibitions, rehearsal spaces, and intensive management assistance.

Over the Innovations program's 10 years the Ford Foundation has awarded $12 million to 180 governmental initiatives. The grants are intended to recognize, document, and help disseminate to other jurisdictions information about these creative approaches to governmental problem solving. A recent survey undertaken by the Foundation found that more than 85 percent of previous award-winning programs have been replicated or expanded in other jurisdictions both nationally and worldwide.

The winners were selected by the National Committee on Innovations in American Government, whose members include former elected officials, private industry leaders, and journalists (list attached). The National Committee is chaired by William G. Milliken, former governor of Michigan. Professor Alan Altshuler of the Kennedy School directs the Innovations program.

The Council for Excellence in Government, a nonprofit organization based in Washington, D.C., will receive Foundation funds on behalf of the federal award winners and, with guidance from the awardees, will use the funds for dissemination and replication activities.

In addition to the $1 million in awards to the 10 winners, the Foundation will grant $20,000 to each of 15 finalists in the program.

The Innovations in American Government program reflects the Ford Foundation's longstanding commitment to strengthening the operations and processes of democratic government. Established in 1936, the Ford Foundation is a private, nonprofit institution that serves as a resource for innovative people and institutions worldwide. Its goals are to strengthen democratic values, reduce poverty and injustice, promote international cooperation, and advance human achievement. A national and international philanthropy with assets of $8 billion, the Foundation has granted more than $8 billion to some 9,000 institutions and 100,000 individuals worldwide. The Foundation maintains headquarters in New York City and has offices in countries in Africa, Asia, and Latin America and in Russia.

The John F. Kennedy School of Government is one of the nation's foremost schools of public affairs. Its mission is to train leaders for excellence in government and public service and to foster understanding of major public issues.

The Innovations program's World Wide Web site is www.ksg.harvard.edu/innovations/

Information Valid Through January 1997

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INNOVATIONS IN AMERICAN GOVERNMENT AWARDS PROGRAM
Basic Facts

The Innovations in American Government Awards program honors government at its best. The program demonstrates that government can provide effective and creative solutions to important social and economic problems and can deliver results to citizens. It honors outstanding initiatives at the federal, state, and local levels, gives visibility to successful models, and encourages replication. This Ford Foundation program is administered by the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.

The program at a glance:

• Established in 1985; first winners selected in 1986
• Total number of Innovations Award winners 1986-96: 105
• The 10 winners in 1996 each receive a $100,000 Ford Foundation award; 15 finalists each receive a $20,000 award
• Total in awards 1986-96: $12 million to 105 winners and 75 finalists
• Total number of applications evaluated 1986-96: 14,340
• States with the most winners: California (13), New York (11), Massachusetts (7), Minnesota (6) and Washington (5)
• Federal Government winners: 9 (federal programs were first eligible to apply for awards in 1995) Department of Defense (2); Department of Labor (2); Department of Housing and Urban Development (1); Department of Interior (1); Department of Justice (1); Federal Emergency Management Administration (1); Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (1)
• Awards to federal agencies are administered by the Council for Excellence in Government in Washington, D.C.
• Program categories: administration and management; arts and cultural policy; communication information policy; criminal justice and courts; education; environment; health; housing; job training and placement; open space and recreation; public finance; public safety; public works and infrastructure; social services; substance abuse treatment and prevention
• Programs judged on: creativity, effectiveness in addressing important local and national problems, and potential for replication

The awards selection process:

Applicants to the program (1,560 in 1996) undergo rigorous evaluation. Teams of experts initially screen each application. One hundred semifinalists are invited to submit more detailed materials. From this pool 25 finalists are named and are visited by site evaluators expert in the field. Representatives of the finalists make presentations to a distinguished National Committee on Innovations in American Government led by former Michigan Governor William G. Milliken. The National Committee selects the winners.

Replication:

According to a study undertaken by the Ford Foundation this year, more than 85 percent of the programs that have received Innovations Awards since 1986 have been replicated or have influenced legislation that, in turn, has spurred similar programs.

International Adaptation:

Innovations Awards, modeled after the Innovations in American Government Awards program, have been established in Brazil, the Philippines, and Poland.

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INNOVATIONS IN AMERICAN GOVERNMENT
Replication Fact Sheet

The Ford Foundation conducted a survey in the fall of 1996 to update its information on the achievements of the 95 winners receiving awards between 1986 - 95. The survey identified different types of successes achieved by winners: success in replicating their program and success in delivering results to people.

Replication is a critical aspect of the Innovations program. All applicants are screened for their replication potential, and 80 percent of the $100,000 award must be allocated to replication, dissemination, and communication activities.

Over 85 percent of the 95 former Innovations winners have been replicated.* Hundreds of communities, nationwide, have adapted Innovations in American Government award-winning programs to their own communities.

The following are 10 examples that illustrate the range of replication:

• Quincy Model Domestic Abuse Program (Quincy District Court, Massachusetts, 1992): Over 1,000 battered women annually get relief through a two-pronged effort that provides sanctions to abusers while assisting victims with an array of direct services.

  Similar programs operate in more than 10 court jurisdictions nationally. Quincy offered as a model in the federal Violence Against Women Act (1993).

• Community Voice Mail (City of Seattle, Washington, 1993): Clients have a personal seven-digit telephone number and access code to receive messages. Using any private or public touch tone phone, they can be linked to potential employers, landlords, and social service providers.

  Program replicated in 15 cities, and three additional cities base their programs on Community Voice Mail but use different technologies. Created Community Technology Institute, which helps launch and support new programs.

• Electronic Benefit System (Ramsey County, Minnesota, 1990): The first program in the United States to dispense public assistance benefits through the use of automated teller machines and point-of-service terminals.

  Recently, the federal government, through a report of the National Performance Review, has been encouraging the use of electronic benefit transfer for benefit distribution throughout the country. Twelve states now administer their welfare programs in this manner. Twenty-three others are in the process of implementing similar programs.

• Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners Program (City of Tulsa, Oklahoma, 1994): In this interdisciplinary program, police, health, and legal agencies work with forensic nurses to provide immediate and compassionate treatment to victims.

  Already replicated in 20 communities from the East Coast to Hawaii. At least three states have developed programs through legislation or administrative initiatives.

• One Church/One Child Minority Adoption Campaign (State of Illinois, 1986): A pioneering program brings together state government and African-American churches to increase the adoption of minority children.

  Aided by a national organization based in Florida, this program is currently replicated in 32 states.

• Trauma Intervention Program (San Diego County, California, 1991): Citizen volunteers provide emotional and practical support to trauma victims and their families by linking emergency response with social services.

  TIP National, a non-profit organization created to foster replication, has helped create programs in over 75 cities served by regional programs in eight states.

• Parents as Teachers (State of Missouri, 1987): This home-based program teaches parents to foster cognitive development in their young children.

  Over 1,000 similar programs have been implemented in 47 states and five foreign countries. A national center to support new and ongoing programs develops curriculum and research and provides training. At least 11 states have enacted legislation to authorize Parents as Teacher programs. Influenced the approach of the federal Even Start program.

• Water Pollution Control Program (City of Fort Worth, Texas, 1987): Using live minnows to indicate potential problems, simple tests, and enforcement that requires polluters to pay clean-up costs, this practical program improves and maintains the quality of the city's drainage water quality.

  Influenced the U.S. Clean Water Act and helped develop US Environmental Protection Agency permit requirements regulating storm water pollution. Over 300 local governments have improved water quality by conforming to these regulations. One federal region has substituted rapid bioassessment techniques for significant amounts of chemical testing. A storm drain kit to monitor water quality is produced commercially and sold to state and local governments.

• Medical Care for Children (Fairfax County, Virginia, 1990): A public-private partnership providing low-cost medical and dental services to low-income children not covered by Medicaid or alternative health insurance.

  Kaiser Permanente has used elements of this program to provide effective services to low-income families in their 12 state health-care system. Three neighboring counties in Maryland and Virginia, as well as Washington, D.C., have also implemented similar programs.

• Kentucky Video Courts (Commonwealth of Kentucky, 1988): The conventional court reporter is replaced with an automated audio/video recording system for court and chamber proceedings.

  Over 250 similar video systems operate in 22 other states. At least three companies are now building court video recording systems.

* Replication can take many forms: a program may be adapted by a new jurisdiction or government agency comparatively intact; program components or concepts may be incorporated into other program approaches; programs may influence legislation, regulations or national initiatives which, in turn, spur the creation of similar programs.

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INNOVATIONS IN AMERICAN GOVERNMENT
Results Fact Sheet

The Ford Foundation conducted a survey in the fall of 1996 to update its information on the achievements of the 95 winners receiving awards between 1986 - 95. The survey identified different types of successes achieved by winners: success in replicating their program and success in delivering results to people.

Many Innovations in America Government award winners have achieved exceptional results in delivering services to people. Below are 10 examples that quantify these service achievements by winners over this past decade.

• Parents as Teachers, State of Missouri, 1987: This home-based program teaches parents to foster cognitive development in their young children. Currently, 47 states and 5 foreign nations offer more than 1,000 Parents as Teachers programs.

  In a follow-up study, PAT children scored significantly higher on standardized measures of reading and math at the end of first grade than did children in a competitor's group.

• Workers' Compensation System, State of Washington, 1992: A complete restructuring of incentives for employers and injured workers led this beleaguered agency from a $144 million operating loss to a $340 million surplus while reducing employer costs and returning more workers to their jobs.

  In 1996, premium rates were reduced 10 percent while an additional rate rebate of $200 million was enacted due to effective reserve fund management.

• Competition and Costing, City of Indianapolis, 1995: City employees compete directly with the private sector to provide public services, resulting in monetary savings and a one-third decrease of non-public safety city workers.

  Refuse collection worker productivity has doubled, resulting in annual savings of almost $15 million in one program. Over 65 services have been opened to competition.

• Reinvention of the Bureau of Reclamation, U.S. Department of Interior, 1995: With considerable employee participation, a federal agency shifted its focus from an outdated mission--dam construction and management--to water conservation, environmental protection and restoration.

  Reinvention reduced regulations by 58 percent. Since 1993, while establishing a new mission, the workforce has been reduced by 20 percent and the budget has been reduced by $100 million.

• Maine Top 200 Experimental Targeting Program, U.S. Department of Labor, 1995: A comprehensive regulatory reform that encourages employers, in consultation with workers, to identify workplace hazards and take corrective action before they lead to injury, illness, or federal sanctions.

  The program has identified 180,000 health and safety violations and abated over 70 percent of these hazards as of 12/95. Participating employers realized a 47 percent decline in workers' compensation claims compared to a 27 percent decline for other Maine employers.

• Quincy Model Domestic Abuse Program, Quincy District Court, MA, 1992: Over 1,000 battered women annually get relief through a two-pronged effort that provides sanctions to abusers while assisting victims with an array of direct services.

  In a 1994 Boston Globe study, Quincy courts prosecuted over 70 percent of restraining order violations while surrounding communities only prosecuted an average of 28 percent of such cases.

• Single Room Occupancy Residential Hotel Program, City of San Diego, 1988: San Diego has promoted the development of low cost, permanent, private rental housing through preservation, rehabilitation, and construction incentives.

  Since 1987, 2,400 new SRO units have been constructed and 400 older units have been rehabilitated.

• Government Action on Urban Land, Cuyahoga County, OH, 1993: This cooperative city-county partnership has reversed urban decay through a streamlined foreclosure system placing properties in the City's land bank that are marketed to interested parties.

  Approximately 2,300 new housing units have been built, a majority on land-bank parcels, while the program has executed 7,000 foreclosures.

• Minnesota Parents' Fair Share, Anoka County, MN, 1994: A program that helps non-custodial parents make child-support payments by increasing their job prospects, earnings potential and parenting skills.

  Between January 1994 and July 1996, 323 parents enrolled in the program and 192 were employed. A 1992 study indicated that average child support payments of participants doubled after 18 months in the program.

• Friends of the Family, Inc., State of Maryland, 1991: This system of community-based family centers is designed to stabilize families with young children through tailored services that provide a "head start on Head Start."

  The program has grown from 10 to 25 centers over five years. In 1995, 5,694 clients were served. Approximately 88 percent of children in the program have been immunized as compared to 56 percent for the general population.

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The Ford Foundation is an independent, nonprofit grant-making organization. For more than half a century it has been a resource for innovative people and institutions worldwide, guided by its goals of strengthening democratic values, reducing poverty and injustice, promoting international cooperation and advancing human achievement. With headquarters in New York, the foundation has offices in Africa, the Middle East, Asia, Latin America, and Russia.