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The Innovations in American Government Program is a significant force in recognizing and promoting excellence and creativity in the public sector. Through its annual awards competition, the Program provides concrete evidence that government can work to improve the quality of life for citizens and that it deserves greater public trust. By highlighting exemplary models of governments’ innovative performance, the Program serves as a catalyst for continued progress in addressing the nation’s most pressing public concerns. |
Innovations News
2008 Innovations Winners
National Selection Committee
Celebrating 20 Years of Innovation
Innovations Publications
Innovations Database
Applications are accepted throughout the year. The 2009 call for applications is now closed; applications submitted will be considered for the upcoming application cycle. More information on the Innovations in American Government Awards program>>
Innovation in American Government Awards Application
Apply here for the 2010 Innovations in American Government Awards>>
- September 9, 2008: 2008 Innovations in American Government Award Winners Announced
- June 3, 2008: Harvard Kennedy School’s Ash Institute Announces Innovations in American Government Finalists
- June 3, 2008: Harvard Kennedy School’s Ash Institute Names Children and Family System Reform Finalists
- April 15, 2008: Harvard Kennedy School’s Ash Institute Announces Top 50 Innovations in Government
- April 15, 2008: Harvard Kennedy School’s Ash Institute Announces Children and Family System Reform Semifinalists
- April 1, 2008: Ash Institute Announces Results of Innovations in American Government Awards Survey
- January 5, 2009: New York Times - New York Housing Plan is Delayed
- December 13, 2008: Associated Press - "Obama: HUD Pick Central Part of Economic Blueprint"
- December 13, 2008: Chicago Sun-Times - "Obama Taps Shaun Donovan for HUD Secretary"
- December 4, 2008: Casa Grande Valley Newspaper - "State Prison's 'Getting Ready' Program Honored for being Innovative, Successful"
- November 26, 2008: Government Executive - "The Stat Approach" (featuring past innovators CitiStat and PART)
- November 2008: Site Selection Magazine - "Pedal to the Metal" (featuring 2008 IAG Winner Learn and Earn)
- Associated Press: October 22, 2008 - "Maryland Domestic Violence Program to be Taught Elsewhere"
- September 29, 2008: Knoxville News Sentinel - "Barnett: To Rule High Seas, Make Sea Traffic Transparent"
- September 23, 2008: New York Times - "Affordable Housing Effort Reaches Halfway Point"
- September 15, 2008: Federal News Radio - "Ash Institute's Kara O'Sullivan Discusses 2008 Federal Innovations in American Government Winners"
- September 10, 2008: Arizona Republic - "Harvard Honors Ariz. Program to Ready Inmates for Release"
- September 10, 2008: Federal Times - "Federal Programs Honored as Among Most Innovative"
- September 10, 2008: Government Computer News - "An Innovative Maritime System"
- September 10, 2008: Government Executive - "Two Federal Programs Snare Top Public Service Awards"
- September 10, 2008: Stateline - "MO, N.C., Ariz. Win Top Innovation Awards"
- September 10, 2008: Kansas City Star - "Harvard Honors Missouri Division of Youth Services"
- July 31, 2008: Christian Science Monitor - "Program Helps Arizona Prisoners Get Ready for Real Life"
- July 23, 2008: NewsHour with Jim Lehrer - "Arizona Prison Reform: Taking a Hard Look at Hard Time"
- June 27, 2008: Christian Science Monitor - "Wanted: Inner-City Supermarkets"
- June 3, 2008: Boston Globe - "Boston Schools Program Named a Finalist in Government Innovation Contest"
- April 18, 2008: Washington Post - "Government Innovations: 4 Programs are Award Semi-Finalists"
On September 9, 2008, the winners of the 2008 Innovations in American Government Awards were honored at a reception and gala at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in Washington, D.C.
“For over 20 years, the Innovations in American Government Awards has been at the forefront of identifying government initiatives with the strongest potential for improving the lives of citizens,” said Stephen Goldsmith, director of the Innovations in American Government Awards at Harvard Kennedy School. “Each of today's winners produced a new, bold way of addressing a previously intractable problem.”
Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano delivered the keynote address on how, as a leader, she created an environment conducive to innovation. Listen to the Governor's remarks>>
“From juvenile justice to the security of our global waters and prison re-entry, these government programs demonstrate creative, novel solutions to our nation’s most pervasive challenges,” said Anthony Saich, director of the Ash Institute. “Such innovations prove instrumental to our work at the Ash Institute, enhancing scholarly research in our classrooms and driving policy and legislative changes at the state and federal levels.”
2008 Innovations Award winner and United States Director of National Intelligence Mike McConnell concluded the evening with thoughts on the origin of innovation in the intelligence community. Listen to Director McConnell's remarks>>
The event premiered Visionaries 2008, a PBS-produced documentary featuring two-minute vignettes of this year's winning programs. Watch the documentary. The following government programs were honored as 2008 Innovations in American Government Awards winners:
Acquisition Fund – City of New York, New York
Division of Youth Services – State of Missouri
Getting Ready: Keeping Communities Safe – State of Arizona
Global Maritime Domain Awareness – US Department of Transportation
Intelligence Community Civilian Joint Duty Program – Office of the Director of National Intelligence
Learn and Earn – State of North Carolina
This year's finalists presented before the National Selection Committee on June 12, 2008. To watch their presentations, please visit the following links: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3
Each year, the members of the Innovations National Selection Committee meet to select the winners of the Innovations Awards. Learn more about the Committee's current members.
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National Selection Committee |
David Gergen, Chairman National Selection Committee |
In 2007, the Ash Institute celebrated the 20th anniversary of the Innovations in American Government Awards Program. This milestone is an opportune time to revisit the impact of and lessons learned from government innovations worldwide, as well as to identify areas for new research in the field of government innovation. The Ash Institute is executing a constellation of activities surrounding the 20th Award Year, commenced at the awarding of the 20th Year of Innovations Award Winners in the fall of 2007, and culminating in an international conference where that will bring together finalists and winners of the Innovations in American Government Awards from the past 20 years and their counterparts from across the world.
The Innovations in American Government Awards Program, throughout its history, has generated a great deal of research based on winning and finalist programs and on the study of innovation. Below are the different types of research related to Innovations which others will find useful in their own work. The links below offer more information on Harvard Kennedy School case studies, books on government innovation, Ash Institute publications, as well as outside resources, some of which are produced by winners of the Innovations Award.
Since 1986, the Innovations in American Government Awards Program has recognized over 400 innovative programs and awarded a total of nearly $20 million in grants. Of these programs, 187 have been named winners and received $100,000 grants.
These programs represent the finest initiatives undertaken by American government during the last 20 years. Visit the Government Innovators Network to learn more about these creative government initiatives.