Far too often, governments on all levels are seen as slow, out of date and adhering far too strictly to the status quo.

The Harvard Kennedy School’s Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation is putting up a $100,000 grant prize for the program or idea that can best “demonstrate creative and effective government at its best.” At Reset, we’re always looking for the freshest and most innovative ideas on how to improve government accountability, efficiency and responsibility. Thankfully, we’re not the only ones.

The Harvard Kennedy School’s Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation is putting up a $100,000 grant prize for the program or idea that can best “demonstrate creative and effective government at its best.”

All areas of government – be they federal or territorial – can enter, and programs from all policy areas are accepted. The deadline is tonight, March 15 at 8pm, and the winner gets the cash “to support replication and dissemination activities” in order to foster their idea. Those finalists who finish among the top will also receive cash grants.

We’re eager to see some of these innovative ideas come to fruition and applaud the idea of the Innovations Award itself. Who knows, maybe someone will submit an idea on how to help MUNI hit all green lights or how to create one centralized taxi cab database. Regardless, getting folks thinking about ways to make government more innovative and effective is always a good thing. For more information on the award, visit www.innovationsaward.harvard.edu.

While not quite the same as the Harvard program, San Francisco is also handing out some awards for good government innovations. On Monday, the 32nd Annual Good Government Awards will be presented at San Francisco City Hall. From the Rec and Park Department to SFMTA, the awards will highlight some of the very best work that’s been done for the City and County of San Francisco over the last year. More information about this event can be found at http://www.spur.org/events/good-government-awards-2012.