Transition of the Baldrige Performance Excellence Program

• Beginning with the 2026 award cycle, the Alliance for Performance Excellence and the Baldrige Foundation will take on most operations for the Baldrige Program.
• NIST and the Department of Commerce will retain ownership and oversight for the Baldrige Excellence Framework and the Baldrige Award process.
• This transition does not affect the 2025 Award process, and the 2025 recipients will be announced in the coming weeks.

A Bold Next Step for Baldrige—Strengthening Our Public-Private Partnership

The U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has finalized agreements with the Alliance for Performance Excellence and the Baldrige Foundation to transfer most operational responsibilities of the Baldrige Program to the two private-sector organizations. The partnership will ensure the continued success of the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award program, which helps U.S. organizations achieve and sustain high-quality, performance excellence, and long-term success.

Since its establishment in 1988, the Baldrige Program has partnered with the public and private sectors to improve U.S. competitiveness and quality of life by recognizing national role models with the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award; sharing best practices; and fostering the adoption of proven leadership, management, and operational practices. The program has helped to improve thousands of manufacturing and service businesses, health care and education providers, governments, and nonprofit organizations.

New Roles for Baldrige Partners

In alignment with the administration’s efforts to reduce spending and streamline the federal government, operational responsibilities will be distributed as follows: 

The agreement establishes a long-term framework designed to provide continuity and stability for the Baldrige mission. The agreements reflect the three organizations’ commitment to ensuring a successful transition that protects and sustains the rigor, integrity and value of the program’s key offerings. There will be a formal review process to ensure the arrangement remains strong. The review is scheduled no later than December 31, 2026. The Baldrige Award will still be a presidential-level recognition, as long as the requirements articulated in 15 U.S.C. § 3711a, as amended continue to be met and the Secretary of Commerce approves/makes the final selection of the award recipients.

The Baldrige Program has had positive impact on thousands of organizations and the millions of people those organizations serve. We are grateful for the hard work and contributions from the thousands of individuals and organizations that have and will continue to support the Baldrige mission. If you are passionate about learning, improvement, striving for excellence, and helping others, we invite you to engage with the Baldrige community and be a part of this exciting next chapter.