Awards program selects five federal finalists

Five federal programs were among 25 finalists selected for the prestigious 1999 Innovations in American Government awards program, the Ford Foundation announced Wednesday.

The awards honor state, local and federal government initiatives that use innovative and creative approaches to tackle some of the country's toughest problems. Each of the 25 finalists receives a $20,000 grant from the Ford Foundation and will compete for one of the program's ten $100,000 top prizes in October.

The five federal finalists are:

• Continuum of Care program, Department of Housing and Urban Development, which has helped 300,000 homeless people get off the streets by getting the government, activists and communities to work together.
• Internet Rulemaking for Organic Food Standards program, Agriculture Department, which opened the regulatory process more fully to the public using the Internet to post comments and information.
• Medicaid Prescription Drug Dispute Resolution Project, Health Care Financing Administration, which resolved disputes over how much money pharmaceutical manufacturers owed states under the Medicaid Drug Rebate program.
• Defense Reutilization and Marketing Service, for developing a Web-based system to better redistribute excess Defense Department property.
• PulseNet, Centers for Disease Control & Prevention, which uses new technologies in DNA fingerprinting to improve the safety of the nation's food supply.

The awards are sponsored by the Ford Foundation, Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government and the Council for Excellence in Government. This year, more than 1,600 applicants vied for the awards, which require programs to demonstrate both originality and proven results. Nominees were whittled down to 98 semifinalists, including 22 federal programs, in April. The 25 finalists selected this week will be rigorously reviewed by a selection committee, which will choose the ten $100,000 award winners on Oct. 13 in Washington, D.C.