Harvard Kennedy School Government Performance Lab

2016 Technical Assistance Application

Please complete this application and save it as a .doc or a .pdf file before emailing it to us at:

Applications should not exceed five pages,not including letters of support. The table below describes the application deadlines.

Application deadline / Award date / Applications considered
November 7, 2016 / December 2016 / Applications submitted on or beforeNov. 7, 2016
March 15, 2017 / By April 30, 2017 / Applications submitted on or before Mar. 15, 2017 (including those received by Nov. 7, 2016 that did not win a round 1 award)

Application scoring criteria are enumerated in the Request for Proposals. If you have any questions regarding this application, please visitgovlab.hks.harvard.edufor further informationor contact us by emailing

  1. Executive Summary

Please provide a 4-5 sentence Executive Summary of your proposed project(s)

  1. ApplicantDetails

Project lead This should be the person who will serve as the project lead for the proposed project or as the primary liaison should technical assistance be awarded.

Name and job title:
Division:
Email:
Telephone:
Applicant contact: If the primary point of contact during the application process is someone other than the project lead named above, please provide his/her name, title, and contact information.

Jurisdiction(s) The governmental authority overseeing the project: e.g. State of Iowa, City of Philadelphia, El Paso County. Please note if the application represents a collaboration between multiple jurisdictions.

Agencies The unit through which the project will be administered: e.g.,Budget Office, Governor’s/County Executive’s/Mayor’s Policy Unit, Department of Housing.

  1. Proposed project(s)

Please indicate the type(s) of technical assistance your jurisdiction is seeking. Applicants may select one or both types of TA. (See the Request for Proposals for additional information).

GPL TA in applying results-driven contracting and other performance improvement projects to core human services spending; and/or

GPL TA in applying the pay for success model using social impact bonds

Please describe your proposed project(s). An important part of GPL technical assistance will involve working with successful applicants to identify and refine potential projects, so proposals may have aspects that are not yet fully developed. Applicants should make an effort, however, to include specific details when possible. Project proposals may address the following factors:

  • Challenges(s) your jurisdiction is trying to solve;
  • Proposed solution using results-driven contracting and other performance improvement tools and/or pay for success using social impact bonds;
  • Impact: possible target population, contracts or services administered, outcomes of interest, potential for sustaining or expanding the project if successful;
  • Level of support among senior government officials in the jurisdiction; and
  • Readiness, including steps already taken toward implementing a project (For example, drafting or issuing an RFI, conducting a feasibility study, etc.)
  • List of the government agencies or units within your jurisdiction that will be involved in the proposed project(s). Please note a lead agency—the unit through which the project will be administered: e.g., Budget Office, Governor’s/County Executive’s/Mayor’s Policy Unit, Department of Housing.

Please indicate the 2016Social Innovation Fund (SIF) Focus Area(s) with which your specified policy area(s) aligns.

Youth Development

Economic Opportunity

Healthy Futures

Please indicate which of the following letters of support for a PFS project you have included with your application:

Letter of support from Governor’s/County Executive’s/Mayor’s Office or equivalent

Letter of support from your jurisdiction’s central budget office or equivalent

Letter of support from the agency that may lead implementation efforts (e.g., Department of Health and Human Services).

Memorandum of understanding—to be considered eligible for the selection process, governments will need to be willing to enter into an MOU with Harvard University over the terms of the pro bono technical assistance.

Knowledge sharing—if selected, Government Collaborators should, to the extent legally permissible, be willing to make key final documents from the project development process publically available, including feasibility studies, contracts, and evaluation plans.

Low-Income Communities and FY16 SIF Focus Areas—projects must benefit Low-Income Communities and must address one or more of the FY16 SIF Focus Areas Youth Development, Economic Opportunity, and Healthy Futures.

The Government Performance Lab is located within the Taubman Center for State and Local Government at the Harvard Kennedy School. This assistance is made possible by generous grants from the Corporation for National and Community Service Social Innovation Fund, Laura & John Arnold Foundation, and the Pritzker Children’s Initiative.

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