About the Foundation

Founded in 1994, The Lincoln Foundation for Performance Excellence is a not-for-profit organization backed by both private and public funding.  The Foundation seeks to help Illinois organizations continuously improve their performance by encouraging, developing and highlighting excellence among five sectors: industrial enterprises, service providers, health care organizations, educational institutions, and government agencies.

Organizations seeking to improve their performance and competitive position by using The Lincoln Award Criteria for Performance Excellence may also receive statewide recognition if they become award recipients.  These efforts, strongly supported by the State of Illinois, enable organizations to share each other's best practices.  Without this statewide drive for excellence, Illinois would find it difficult to keep up with the fast pace of competition and ever-accelerating technological changes that constantly challenge our business acumen, our education and health care delivery systems, and our public service providers.

The Lincoln Award criteria provide a model for continuous improvement, along with the Lincoln Award recognition program, to candidate organizations in search of excellence in five sectors: Industry, Service, Health Care, Education, and Government. The continuous improvement model is patterned after the Malcolm Baldrige criteria. So long as organizations attain the necessary level of excellence, there is no limit to the number of Awards presented.  Recognition aside, The Lincoln Awards for Excellence are the culmination of a thorough analytical process that encourages organizations to achieve their full potential every step of the way.

DOES PERFORMANCE EXCELLENCE PAY?
Studies by the National Institute for Standards and Technology, universities, business organizations, and the U.S. General Accounting Office have found that investing in quality principles and performance excellence pays off in increased productivity, satisfied employees and customers, and improved profitability - both for customers and investors.

Do you want to improve your organization’s performance on the critical factors that drive success? Are you looking for a cost-effective way to gain outside perspective on your organization’s strengths and opportunities for improvement? Are you looking for ways to energize and motivate your employees? Do you want to improve your organization’s bottom line?

Attend The Lincoln Foundation workshops or events to learn more about the best, most cost-effective, and comprehensive performance assessments available to your organization.