Code for America invites city governments to apply to host a CFA web development team for the 2011 program.   Phase 1 applications are due February 19, 2010.

What is Code for America?

CFA is a new non-profit organization that helps city governments by enlisting the nation’s most promising developers to apply the principles of Web 2.0 to civic problems.  Loosely based on Teach for America, CFA works with five cities per year to identify projects that increase the city’s transparency, participation, and efficiency.  CFA recruits from among the top talent in the web industry and puts together teams who build open-source applications for their host cities.

Benefits of Participation

• Delivery of an open-source web application custom developed or modified to fit the city’s requirements
• Because we recruit top design and development talent from the consumer web industry, CFA projects are true Web 2.0 applications, featuring streamlined user interfaces, user-centered design, and cutting-edge open source technology
• Because CFA fellows are motivated by a desire to serve the public need and benefit from the status of the program, the cost of development is dramatically less than it would be from a commercial vendor, at a higher quality
• Access to the CFA teams for the entire year.  The program is designed to build relationships between the fellows and the staff at City Hall, such that each learns from each other.  City Hall staffers absorb web 2.0 thinking, and fellows learn how government works.
• Collaboration with other cities.  Each participating city has access to the development plans of the other four, and because the projects are all released under an open source license, each can use any application built or modified through the program.  In addition, the program provides opportunities for the cities to set the technical direction of future CFA projects, share challenges and strategies, and set common priorities.

Who are the CFA fellows?

Recruitment for the development teams will occur in the summer of 2010.  The program is designed to attract the most talented professionals, by providing them a unique opportunity to serve their country and a high-status program with the opportunity to network with the top names in both technology and government.  We expect the team of fellows to be split between mid- and late-career professionals with the resources to devote a year to public service and young talent hoping to have an impact, make valuable connections and add an impressive project to their resumes.

Who is CFA?

The organization grew out of two movements closely associated with CFA board member Tim O’Reilly: Web 2.0, or the power of the web as a platform, and Gov 2.0, the power of government as a platform.  CFA’s founder, Jennifer Pahlka, worked under Tim on the Web 2.0 and Gov 2.0 events, chairing the Web 2.0 Expo since its inception.  The organization’s technical and strategic leader is Leonard Lin, who co-founded Upcoming, which he sold to Yahoo!, helped build MyBarackObama.com at Blue State Digital, and has contributed to a wide variety of civic projects.  A diverse set of technology and government leaders serve as directors and advisors to the organization.

The Program

Recruitment: Both cities and fellows go through a competitive application process. Cities must prove that they have the means and the will to overcome the bureaucratic obstacles, can obtain the funding, and can identify a project that fits the CFA criteria, including a business case.  Fellows must show a successful Web 2.0 application they’ve built (or significantly contributed to) and demonstrate talent and professionalism.

Orientation/CFA Institute: The selected CFA fellows come together at the headquarters for a month of training, team building, working on internal tools, and project research. We bring in prominent guest speakers to provide inspiration and to build the fellows’ network.  The fellows are divided to teams of five, each team assigned to a host city and that city’s project.

City Tour: Next, fellows split into groups of five and visit their host cities for one month.  Their job is to learn how city government works, build a network of contacts in City Hall, and identify where CFA can have the most impact.  The city sponsor serves as host, orienting the fellows, setting up meetings for them with a broad array of stakeholders and answering questions.  The goal is to be able to represent the needs of their host city when they return for the development phase.

Development: Each team then has seven months to develop their application for their city.  Teams work together at headquarters, sharing resources where appropriate.  They are all driving towards the same launch date.  Ongoing training and guest speaker series continue through this phase.

Launch and Launch Conference: At month nine of the cycle, teams launch their applications.  Staff from all the host cities come to headquarters for a launch conference, where each of the projects is demoed.  This is an opportunity for the cities to strengthen their relationships with each other and discuss common priorities, including common technology needs and open data standards.
Maintenance and hand-off: In the final months, the fellows document their work, fix bugs and add final features, and work with the city to transition maintenance of the application to their own IT department (or other option).

Requirements of Participation
Cities wishing to participate may apply on the CFA website beginning January 1.  Cities should be prepared to:

• Pay a one-time participation fee of $225,000 for the year.  This covers the stipends of the five fellows as well as some of their benefits and travel expenses
• Identify a project that meets the goals for the CFA program.  Projects should leverage the web as a platform, increase transparency, participation and efficiency, and be achievable by a team of five developers and designers in approximately nine months.  Each project proposal will include a business analysis, showing the internal ROI to the city.
• Support the program. The point of contact within the city will be responsible for the recruit team during their City Tour month, will facilitate ongoing communication with the necessary departments within the city, and agrees to participate (along with other appropriate staff) at the Launch Conference in September 2011.
• Support the project.  The city must be committed to the success of the project the fellows work on, including support from the relevant internal departments, adequate resourcing of technology needs to implement the project, and a well-developed plan for transition from any legacy systems.
• Demonstrate internal alignment around the CFA effort.  An outside team developing a Web 2.0 project faces many obstacles within the bureaucracy of city government.  Applicant cities are encouraged to have honest internal discussions about the willingness of all the stakeholders to support the project and be frank about the chances for success.

How to Apply
In Phase 1, cities are asked to state their interest, describe the technology environment and strategic direction of the city, and suggest up to three possible projects for development through the program.
Phase 1 applications will be reviewed by a team of technology and government leaders and the cities who appear most likely to succeed with a CFA team will be asked to submit applications for Phase 2, which will ask for greater detail on the proposed projects.

Key dates are as follows:
•    January 1: City application available
•    February 19: City applications Round 1 due
•    March 1: Round 1 decisions announced
•    March 15: Round 2 applications due
•    April 1: Final decisions announced
•    April –  December: Advance work on the project specs and requirements with CFA staff
•    January 1, 2011: Program begins (see Development Cycle document for detail on 2011)

Next Steps

Cities may apply online here starting January 1.

The application form is seven pages long. We recommend that you collect all of your answers before you fill out the online application, as we don’t yet offer the ability to save your work and return. The text of the questions you will be asked in the online form is saved as one web page.

Questions?
For more information, contact Jennifer Pahlka at jen@codeforamerica.org