July 14, 2011

Mayor Emanuel Announces That Bloomberg Philanthropies Will Fund Innovation Delivery Team

Mayor's Press Office    312.744.3334

Today, Mayor Rahm Emanuel announced that Chicago will receive an investment of $2 million a year for three years from Bloomberg Philanthropies, enhanced by an additional $1 million a year from local donors, to create an Innovation Delivery Team tasked with creating and implementing new solutions to improve the efficiency of City government.                                                                                                                                

“Bloomberg Philanthropies’ generous grant will create a top-notch team in the Mayor’s Office to help us deliver better services to taxpayers for less,” said Mayor Emanuel. “I’m committed to ensuring that Chicago continues as a world-class hub of innovation, technology and business — and we must start by making City government more effective.” 

The Innovation Delivery Team will focus on two priority issues: reducing the time Chicagoans spend in line to access City services, and creating Energy Efficiency Target Zones throughout Chicago to significantly reduce energy use. Driving efficiencies in these areas will help fulfill Mayor Emanuel’s campaign promise to deliver high-quality services to Chicago residents at a lower cost. 

The Innovation Delivery Team grants are the first made through the Mayors Project, the new government innovation program at Bloomberg Philanthropies. The Mayors Project has two goals: develop innovation capacity within municipal government and disseminate effective programs and policies across cities. Chicago was one of five cities selected by Bloomberg Philanthropies to receive the grant. 

“Mayors are uniquely positioned to tackle some of our most pressing challenges — from growing jobs to fighting climate change to keeping quality of life high,” said Mayor Bloomberg. “The Mayors Project will fuel these efforts by spreading effective programs and strategies and helping mayors work together in new ways around solutions. We are excited to kick off this first initiative – the Innovation Delivery Team program — in partnership with Chicago and these other great American cities.” 

Innovation Delivery Teams help mayors effectively design and implement solutions to pressing city challenges. The teams, comprised of high-performing staff, will generate innovative solutions, develop implementation plans, and manage progress towards defined targets. Bloomberg Philanthropies will fund the salaries of these staff members and provide a range of support for the project’s duration. In each city, the Innovation Delivery Teams will focus on top priority issues identified by City Hall.

Chicago’s Innovation Delivery Team will launch in September. The team will deliver its initial progress update to the public within 6 months, with continued reporting over the next three years.

The Innovation Delivery Team model draws from successful approaches used around the world, from New York City, where Mayor Bloomberg established teams to develop and implement bold anti-poverty, sustainability, and efficiency agendas, to the United Kingdom, where Prime Minister Tony Blair formed the Prime Minister’s Delivery Unit to achieve impact in transportation, education, health and criminal justice. 

Bloomberg Philanthropies focuses on the arts, education, the environment, government innovation and public health.

 

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