OKLAHOMA PROGRAMS NAMED SEMIFINALISTS IN GOVERNMENT INNOVATIONS AWARD PROGRAM
Cambridge, Mass., April 24, 2000 -- Two government programs located in the state of Oklahoma have been named semifinalists in the Innovations in American Government Awards competition. Semifinalists are eligible for one of ten Awards of $100,000.
Innovations in American Government is recognized as one of the most prestigious public-service awards programs in the country. Started in 1986, it is sponsored by the Ford Foundation, and administered by Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government in partnership with the Council for Excellence in Government.
Innovations Awards recognize government initiatives that are original and effective. Selected from a pool of more than 1,300 applicants, the semifinalists include programs to improve the quality of education, reduce crime and protect the environment. The 96 semifinalists named in 2000 include 21 federal, 30 state, 21 city and town programs, 19 county, 2 school districts, 1 government corporation and 2 regional authorities.
"Government is in a period of major reform, reinvention, and innovation," said Elaine Kamarck, director of the Innovations program at the Kennedy School. "The Innovations awards program and the research it fosters provide unparalleled opportunities to understand what is actually happening at the local, state, and federal level, and to help others learn from those efforts as they try to improve government."
Four criteria are used to evaluate each application: originality of the approach; effectiveness in addressing important problems; value of services to clients; and the potential for replication in other jurisdictions.
In early September, 25 finalists will be named from the pool of semifinalists. The National Selection Committee on Innovations in American Government, chaired by David. R. Gergen, editor-at-large, U.S. News & World Report, will select 10 winning programs after a full day of presentations on October 12, 2000, in Washington, D.C. Winners will be announced on October 13, 2000, and will receive a $100,000 award from the Ford Foundation. The remaining 15 finalists will each receive $20,000.
Since the Innovations program began in 1986, the Ford Foundation has made grants totaling $15.9 million to 135 winners and 120 finalists. More than 85 percent of the programs receiving Innovations Awards have been replicated. Operation Cease Fire, a 1997 winning program that utilizes a preemptive approach to youth gang violence, has been partially or fully replicated by over 300 communities across the country.
Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government is a graduate school of public policy dedicated to preparing leaders for service in government and contributing to the solution of important public problems.
The Council for Excellence in Government is a national, nonprofit and nonpartisan organization whose 750 members have served as senior public-sector officials. The Council's mission is to improve the performance of government by strengthening results-oriented management and creative leadership in the public sector and to build understanding in government by focusing public discussion on its role and responsibilities.
The Ford Foundation, established in 1936, 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 over $10 billion, the Foundation has granted more than $9.3 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 and the Middle East, Asia, Latin America, and in Russia.
For more information on the program and the semifinalists as well as previous winners, visit the Innovations home page at www.innovations.harvard.edu.
2000 INNOVATIONS IN AMERICAN GOVERNMENT
OKLAHOMA SEMIFINALISTS
The Milestone Payment System
Department of Rehabilitation Services
State of Oklahoma
Contact: Jody Harlan / 405-951-3473
OK-FIRST Program
University of Oklahoma/Oklahoma Climatological Survey
State of Oklahoma
Contact: Dale Morris /
405-325-3230
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