MDC Partners Presents 2012 MDC Partners Humanitarian Award to Code for America

NEW YORK, May 1, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- MDC Partners announced today that it has presented Code for America with the 2012 MDC Partners Humanitarian Award, recognizing groundbreaking, entrepreneurial innovation in support of humanitarian efforts. The $20,000 award, in its second year, was presented today by Chairman and CEO of MDC Partners Miles Nadal during the fourth annual WIRED Business Conference: Disruptive by Design in Partnership with MDC Partners. Jennifer Pahlka accepted on behalf of Code for America, which she founded in late 2009.

"Code for America is thoroughly innovative not just in the trailblazing work it does, but in the very way it operates as an organization," said Nadal. "That disruptive, entrepreneurial spirit has driven MDC Partners since its inception, and we are pleased to be able to reward the kind of reimagining we believe is the spark to real, tangible positive change in the world. We, like Jen, believe that there is a better way to do things, and she and the talent at Code for America are proving it every day.  We're thrilled to celebrate what they've accomplished and hopefully play a small part in furthering their efforts."  

The Code for America Fellowship is a service-year program for talented tech and design professionals, partnering them with city governments. Code for America fellows function as startup teams within the bureaucracies of local government, creating and implementing reusable civic applications, and demonstrating what's possible with technology and design today. Through its work, Code For America not only enacts real change in communities, but cultivates a culture of collaboration, experimentation, and technology in city governments.  

"It's an honor to be recognized by the MDC team," said Pahlka. "Disruptive by Design is not just the theme of this amazing conference, is also a key characteristic of Code for America's mission. By choosing Code for America to receive this award, the visionaries at MDC Partners have signaled how important it is that government benefit from the creative and generative disruption that has transformed business and society. We're grateful for their support."

Through Code For America's initiatives, the organization is building a network of cities, citizens, community groups, and startups, all committed to reimagining government for the 21st century.  Code for America operates through three primary programs: its Fellowship program connects technologists with cities to work together to innovate and provides an opportunity for the web generation to rebuild our public institutions; the CfA Accelerator, which supports disruptive civic startups; and the CfA Brigade, which helps local, community groups reuse and deploy civic software. Through these initiatives, Code for America helps governments become more connected, efficient, and participatory through new opportunities for public service -- both inside and outside government.  The organization not only makes a direct impact everyday, but also successfully encourages the web generation to give back and creates the relationships and network for lasting change.

About Code for America
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 and the Peace Coprs, 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

About MDC Partners Inc.
MDC Partners is one of the world's largest Business Transformation Organizations that utilizes technology, marketing communications, data analytics, insights and strategic consulting solutions to drive meaningful returns on Marketing and Communications Investments for multinational clients in the United States, Canada, Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean. 

MDC Partners' durable competitive advantage is to Empower the Most Talented Entrepreneurial Thought Leaders to Drive Business Success to new levels of Achievement, for both our Clients and our Shareholders, reinforcing MDC Partners' reputation as "The Place Where Great Talent Lives."

MDC Partners' Class A shares are publicly traded on NASDAQ under the symbol "MDCA" and on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol "MDZ.A".

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CONTACT:
Alexandra Delanghe
VP, Corporate Communications
646-429-1845
[email protected]

SOURCE MDC Partners Inc.