Link Roundup: America Forward Coalition Members Weigh in on the Social Innovation Fund

Last week, America Forward’s Director, Kelly Ward, gave an interview about the Social Innovation Fund on Change.org’s Social Entrepreneurship blog. She spoke about the potential for the Fund to have widespread impact by scaling innovative programs and by enabling government, philanthropy, and the social sector to better partner to tackle the social challenges we’re facing [...]

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Stimulus Investment in the New, Measured Medicines of Social Entrepreneurs

In light President Obama’s plan to reform the healthcare system, Jason Langheier, Chairman and Founder of Fitness Forward, explores how the innovative solutions of social entrepreneurs can help bring about a new era of healthy living. He calls on government to invest in innovative healthcare programs that have a demonstrated track record of success saying, [...]

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President Obama Launches Office of Public Engagement

President Obama launched the White House Office of Public Engagement (OPE) today. Formerly the Office of Public Liaison, OPE “will seek to engage as many Americans as possible in the difficult work of changing this country.” In its work to foster partnerships between citizens and government, OPE will: …help build relationships with Americans by increasing [...]

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Details on the Social Innovation Fund from the Serve America Act

With the recent passage of the Serve America Act and, with it, an authorization for a Social Innovation Fund, there are a lot of questions about how this Fund is going to work. These details are actively being developed by the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS), which is responsible for forming the Fund’s [...]

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The First Lady’s Remarks Spark National Dialogue on Social Innovation

First Lady Michelle Obama’s speech at the TIME Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People Awards ceremony has sparked conversations about social innovation from Capitol Hill to the red carpet. Her remarks coincided with speeches by Domestic Policy Director Melody Barnes and Secretary of Health and Human Resources Kathleen Sebelius, who both also highlighted the Obama Administration’s [...]

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Michelle Obama Focuses on Social Innovation

Last night as First Lady Michelle Obama was honored at TIME magazine’s 100 Most Influential People Awards, she shared the spotlight with three social entrepreneurs— John Alford, Charles Best, and Rebecca Onie. Mrs. Obama thanked each individual in her speech, describing them as innovators who are “leading the way with their entrepreneurial spirit, energy and [...]

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President Obama Calls on Congress to Provide $50 Million for Social Innovation Fund

Momentum is building behind the social innovation agenda!  Today the White House announced that President Obama will include the Social Innovation Fund in his FY2010 budget and will call for Congress to provide the full $50 million to the Fund as authorized in the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act. See the press release below [...]

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Social Enterprise Alliance Summit 2009 – Keynote Address on Government and Social Enterprise

The 10th annual Enterprise Alliance Summit was held in Louisiana two weeks ago. The summit, hosted by coalition member Social Enterprise Alliance (SEA), is described by SEA as “the premier North American forum for the advancement of social enterprise as a movement.” This year the gathering began with a policy-focused keynote discussion between Andrew Wolk, [...]

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First Lady Engages In Service

First Lady Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden gathered with spouses of Congressional leaders from both sides of the aisle at the Capitol Area Food bank to prepare bags of food for the “Food for Kids” program on Wednesday, April 29. The group of high-profile volunteers rolled up their sleeves and prepared more than 2,000 [...]

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