Kennedy School Gets $50 Million Gift

The Ford Foundation today announced a $50 million grant to the Kennedy School of Government (KSG)-the largest donation in the school’s history-designed to establish an Institute of Government Innovation.

The Institute will both provide funding for government innovations around the world and serve as forum for government officials, journalists, students and policy analysts to discuss political reform.

"This grant reaffirms the mission of the school to train public leaders," said KSG Dean Joseph S. Nye.

The ultimate purpose of the Institute will be to fund and publicize models of government innovation, which are selected through a competition.

"Our goal is finding exemplary models of performance in government and disseminating information [about them]," said new Executive Director Gail C. Christopher, who previously directed the Innovations in American Government program at KSG.

Christopher said she hopes the Institute can work to increase public faith in government.

"We want the general public to gain more trust and confidence that government can solve problems."

Christopher said the Institute will not adopt any political stance beyond furthering democracy in the U.S. and around the world.

The new Institute will now direct the competition that awards stipends for governmental innovation, previously funded by the Ford Foundation and organized by KSG.

The Ford Foundation, instead of giving money to KSG every two years to fund the program, decided to give $50 million to ensure that KSG could continue the program in perpetuity.

"It's a tribute to the program and to the Kennedy School that the Ford Foundation felt it wanted to make this statement," said Ford Foundation senior program officer Michael Lipsky.

One of the program's major success stories is the initiative "Wisconsin Works," developed by former Wisconsin Governor Tommy Thompson to move welfare recipients to the workforce.

The Ford Foundation has sponsored similar programs promoting government reform around the world, programs that will now be overseen by KSG.

"The Ford Foundation provided the money but not the central structure [for these programs]," said KSG official Doug Gavel. "Now, the Institute will provide the central structure for all of them."