What criteria do you use to select partner cities?
Why do cities have to pay to participate?
Our funding model is based on partner cities contributing a portion of the total program costs. Currently, foundations and other donors provide matching funds for our program. This model permits cities to only be required to pay the for the actual costs of the fellow teams (yearly stipend, benefits, and travel). For a team of three fellows the city participation fee is $180,000, and the fee would increase by $60k for each additional fellow.
What types of projects do your fellows work on with cities?
The fellows work on a number of various projects. During the city residency the fellows conduct extensive interviews, gathering data that they then use as the impetus to brainstorm solutions. These prospective projects are discussed with the city. Those projects selected for creation are prioritized and then the fellows begin development in order of priority.
The applications from our 2011 partnerships range from a platform for community engagement in Philadelphia, transportation apps to track real-time subway and bus arrivals, a school selection tool for parents in Boston, to an open suite of municipal icons for everyone. You can check out all the applications, and learn more about each here.
During the year, the fellows also get 20% of their time to work on any civic application or design that they would like pursue. In 2011, projects like ArtMapper and Reroute.it sprouted from“Labs Friday”.
How do you measure the impact from your fellowship program?
Measuring our impact is a continual process. There are a number of different facets which require us to capture this information in various ways. One way is by assessing feedback from our city partners. This often allows us to measure the cultural impacts we’ve had in their cities.
As for the impact of the apps created, we are still evaluating the best means of measurements. It’s easy to count the quantity of users, or number of times the app has been redeployed in another city. However, the fellowship program has a dual purpose: professional development and public service for the fellows themselves, and introducing new possibilities and new ways of thinking to local governments. Feedback from fellows and city staff also help to assess this.
How much city staff time is required during the service year?
The program will require the attention and support of a number of different city staff in a variety of positions throughout the year. Our primary point of contact helps to coordinate and facilitate meetings for the fellows and complete contracting and procurement, which often requires approximately 10 – 15% of their time particularity in the month of February. The primary contact is also responsible for building support for Code for America within their city government. The program also requires project sponsors, who will likely spend between 5 – 10% of their time working with our fellows.
Do you partner with county governments?
Code for America does partner with county governments. Code for America worked with the City & County of Philadelphia in 2011, and again in 2012.
Who are the fellows?
The fellows are talented technologists, community-managers, designers, and project managers that have decided to use their talents to serve their communities for one year. Meet the 2012 fellows.
Do you engage with community groups and local universities in your partner cities?
Community groups and local universities play a significant role in the research phase and longer-term sustainability of the projects. Community input is extremely important to the work of the fellows, and helps to direct and focus the projects.
