INAUGURAL WHAT WORKS CITIES TO BE NAMED IN COMING MONTHS, COMPREHENSIVE $42 MILLION PROGRAM DESIGNED TO HELP CITY HALLS USE DATA AND EVIDENCE EFFECTIVELY
What Works Cities, the newest Bloomberg Philanthropies initiative designed to help mid-size cities expand their use of data and evidence, announced that more than 100 cities have already applied to participate in What Works Cities, demonstrating the strong demand from city leaders for on-the-ground support in expanding their use of data and evidence.
Applications are still welcome from eligible cities that have not yet submitted their Statement of Interest.
In April 2015, What Works Cities was launched by Bloomberg Philanthropies’ Government Innovation team which promotes public sector innovation and spreads effective ideas among cities. Through world-class partners, Bloomberg Philanthropies will help mayors and local leaders use data and evidence to engage the public, make government more effective and improve people’s lives. U.S. cities with populations between 100,000 and 1 million people have been invited to apply.
Michele Jolin, CEO & Co-Founder of Results for America, which coordinates What Works Cities, said the first 108 cities which submitted applications are located in 41 states from nearly every region of the country. “The widespread interest proves that there is a full-fledged national movement underway to use data and evidence to solve government problems and improve outcomes for residents,” Jolin said. “This groundswell is being fueled by Bloomberg Philanthropies’ unprecedented $42 million investment in What Works Cities.”
The What Works Cities team is currently identifying the first group of cities to be invited to advance in the selection process. These cities will be announced in the coming months.
What Works cities will receive support from world-class partners:
- Results for America ensures a world-class experience for all participating cities, coordinates the What Works Cities partners, and advances a nationwide dialogue on the need for cities to use data and evidence in decision making.
- The Center for Government Excellence at Johns Hopkins University works with cities to assess the current state of What Works practices, and supports implementation and enhancement of open data and performance management programs.
- The Government Performance Lab at the Harvard Kennedy School supports cities in improving the results they achieve with their contracted dollars.
- The Sunlight Foundation helps cities craft meaningful and sustainable open data policies.
- The Behavioral Insights Team helps cities conduct real time, low-cost evaluations of programs so they can continually improve city services.
To learn more or apply to be a What Works city, please visit www.WhatWorksCities.org.
About Results for America
Results for America is improving outcomes for young people, their families, and communities by shifting public resources toward solutions that use evidence and data to improve quality and get better results. In November, 2014, Results for America published Moneyball for Government, the national bestselling book that brings together a group of bipartisan leaders to make the case for government at all levels to inform policy and funding decisions by the best possible data, evidence and evaluation about what works.