Philadelphia, June 8, 2011 – Code for America (CfA) announced that the City of Philadelphia is a finalist for its 2012 national fellowship program. For the second year in a row, Philadelphia’s selection as a finalist demonstrates cutting-edge thinking and a willingness to invest in long-term innovation through development of web-based technology that improves civic participation.rnrnCfA recruits top talent from the technology industry to give a year of service to build innovative web applications for cities. Through a competitive process, CfA chooses cities whose proposals reflect a deep understanding of the transformative power of technology. In 2011, Code for America hosted inaugural projects in Boston, Philadelphia, and Seattle. For the 2012 program, more than twenty governments applied and Philadelphia is just one of 10 selected as a finalist and the only City to be selected successively the last two years.rnrnIn the current 2011 cycle, CfA and the City Philadelphia are partnering on the development and deployment of an application that will make it easier for civic leaders in and outside of government to plan, resource, and execute civic initiatives and projects across the neighborhoods of Philadelphia. The City intends to continue its partnership with CfA in 2012 to enhance the feature set of the application and to promote its adoption and efficacy.rnrnMayor Michael A. Nutter, who has made investment in information technology and citizen participation cornerstones of his administration, said “I am excited that the City of Philadelphia and Code for America are partnering onward to promote civic participation, technology, and government innovation. The tool that Code for America is creating will further our efforts leveraging resources in and outside of government while reaching out to constituents.â€rnrnJennifer Pahlka, founder and executive director of Code for America said, “One promising aspect of the program is to join the best thinking from the web industry with the best thinking from cities. As part of the program, Code for America conducts brainstorming sessions with each city, where web industry innovators and thought leaders are invited to meet with key stakeholders inside city government to further develop and solidify the conceptual projects they’ve proposed. Once the partnership and problem is clearly defined, three tech-savvy individuals (fellows) recruited by Code for America will begin to develop a light-weight creative solution that solves the problem. Solutions built for one city will be available to other cities that face similar problems.rnrnCfA cities garner national recognition for flying at the forefront of innovative solutions for tough municipal problems. And they become part of a growing network of cities dedicated to bringing nimble design strategies and lightweight, low-cost technology to bear on the work of building respective communities. Philadelphia has and will continue to gain significant national attention as a Code for America city, encouraging businesses and residents to invest in the City. And Philadelphia will distinguish itself as a place that is leading the way on Code for America’s key mission of using openness, efficiency and participation to help governments continuously improve.rnrnRecruiting for the 2012 Fellowshiprn Code for America is now accepting applications for its 2012 Fellowship, based out of San Francisco, California. Web developers, designers, and product managers from across the country are invited to apply for the 11-month program to build the next generation of Gov 2.0 apps for city governments. Selected fellows will not only receive a living-wage stipend, travel expenses, and healthcare, but also the training and support to be positioned as a leader in business, public service, or both. The deadline for applications is July 31: http://codeforamerica.org/fellowsrnrnAbout Code for Americarn Code for America (CfA) connects the talent of the tech industry with local governments to make cities more open, responsive, and efficient. Inspired in part by Teach for America, CfA recruits civic-minded, tech-savvy individuals to work with industry and governmental leaders to develop innovative applications that can be used in cities across the country.http://codeforamerica.org