Calling All Innovators! New Award for Public Engagement in Government

By Christina Marchand

The Innovations in American Government Awards program is currently accepting applications and nominations for the next round of competition (Deadline: June 20, 2014).

This year we are very pleased to offer a special $100,000 award for programs and initiatives that focus on public engagement and participation, in conjunction with our Challenges to Democracy series.

The Innovations in American Government Award is the nation’s preeminent program devoted to recognizing and promoting excellence and creativity in the public sector. We highlight exemplary models of government innovation that address the nation’s most pressing public concerns, and promote the diffusion and scaling of these models.

Since its inception in 1985, the Program has received over 27,000 applications and recognized nearly 500 government initiatives since it was established in 1985 with funding from the Ford Foundation, and many of these programs become established best practices.

Challenges to Democracy is a public dialogue series bringing together nationally recognized scholars, policymakers, journalists, and artists in commemoration of the tenth anniversary of the Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation. The goal of the two-year series is not simply to name the greatest threats facing democracy in the United States today, but to put forward and give due attention to the promising solutions we need.

A key feature of the Challenges to Democracy series is a special Innovations Award designed specifically to recognize government-led innovations that demonstrate enhanced public engagement and participation in the governance of towns, cities, states, and the nation.

The winner of the Roy and Lila Ash Innovations Award for Public Engagement in Government will receive a $100,000 grant to support dissemination activities.

Should I apply?

For this special award, we are seeking applications from citizen engagement and participation programs, policies, and initiatives that encourage or expand public participation and promote collaborative problem-solving in government.

Competitive programs might address one or more of the following goals:

• Encourage public participation in community spending decisions
• Expand public participation in the development of policies and regulations
• Leverage digital technologies or other government resources to broaden or deepen public engagement
• Utilize crowd-sourcing and collaboration to drive problem solving
• Encourage the public in taking action to solve problems
• Involve the public and citizens in governance in other creative ways

All units of government — federal, state, local, tribal, and territorial — from all policy areas are eligible to apply for recognition. Programs or initiatives must be administered under the authority of one or more governmental entities. Nonprofit, private sector, and union partnerships are eligible with governmental involvement and oversight.

Programs must also be currently in operation, and they must have been implemented 12 months prior to the date of submission, e.g. for the 2014–5 Award competition, the program must have been launched prior to June 1, 2013.

How will my application be evaluated?

Applicants to the Innovations in American Government Awards are judged based on the criteria of novelty, effectiveness, significance, and transferability.

For the Roy and Lila Ash Innovations Award for Public Engagement in Government, the impact of the innovation on public engagement and participation will be evaluated, as demonstrated by such factors as the number of people reached, the diversity of people engaged, the extent of public input on public policy and on quality of governance, and the level of citizen engagement in finding solutions to public problems.

After a rigorous process of identification and evaluation, a national selection committee of distinguished scholars and practitioners selects the top programs.

What happens if I win?

The Innovations Awards Program works vigorously to disseminate the valuable lessons offered by these initiatives.

Winning programs receive grant funding and significant press coverage. The top winner of the Innovations in American Government Award and the winner of the Roy and Lila Ash Innovations Award for Public Engagement in Government will each receive a $100,000 grant to support replication and dissemination activities. Top finalists will also receive monetary grants.

Case studies are developed with select award winners and incorporated into the curricula of hundreds of Harvard University courses and thousands of courses offered by institutions around the world. Three of the program’s case studies are consistently ranked among Harvard Kennedy School’s 20 bestsellers.

In addition to the Ash Center’s teaching and research platforms, finalists and award winners are encouraged to host an Ash Center Summer Fellowship, which places Harvard Kennedy School students in operational roles within their agencies. Students not only learn but add value by sharing cutting-edge trends and ideas explored at the Kennedy School.

Who wins these awards?

You can learn about all of our past winners and finalists in our awards database, which provides access to hundreds of award-winning government innovations in the U.S. and worldwide. Each award example provides a description of the innovation; many also include multimedia, related research, and case study information.

One example was a 2011 finalist for the Innovations in American Government Award. NYC Service established “Impact Volunteerism” in New York City to target local need by using best practices and measuring impact. In its inaugural year, NYC Service launched over 30 initiatives. As of 2013, the program has connected over 9 million people to volunteer opportunities. Find more on NYC Service here.

Another great example is Youth Civic Engagement, a 2005 winner of the Innovations in American Government Award from Hampton, Virginia. Almost 20 years ago, civic leaders in Hampton were looking for ways to foster great civic participation and to improve opportunities for their young people.

Watch a video on Award winner Youth Civic Engagement.

Hampton set out to incorporate youth into community decision making — an initiative that has led to cost savings, improved services, and a more inclusive process. Today, Youth Civic Engagement reaches about 3,000 young people each year.

Photo courtesy of Honoring Nations/Harvard Project on American Indian Economic Development.

A third notable example is Kake Circle Peacemaking, which earned High Honors in 2003 from Honoring Contributions in the Governance of American Indian Nations in the United States, an Award Program partner. The Alaskan Organized Village of Kake established a reconciliation and sentencing process embedded in Tlingit traditions to curb youth alcohol abuse.

Working in seamless conjunction with Alaska ‘s state court system, Circle Peacemaking works. Only two offenders out of the eighty sentenced during the program’s first four years rejected a circle’s outcome and returned to state court for sentencing. Circle Peacemaking also reports very low levels of recidivism. Read more here.

How do I apply or nominate programs to apply?

Applications, nomination forms, and additional information for both initiatives are available at www.innovationsaward.harvard.edu. Applications are due on June 20, 2014.

We look forward to hearing from you!

Christina Marchand is Associate Director of the Government Innovators Network and Innovations at the Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation.

Originally published at www.challengestodemocracy.us.