America Forward » News Archive

CNCS Announces Social Innovation Fund Intermediaries

America Forward — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 14:38:56 +0000

Today, the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) announced its selection of the 2010 intermediary organization recipients of the Social Innovation Fund (SIF). We applaud the Corporation for its leadership in making the ideas of this initiative a reality.

For more information on the SIF and today’s announcement, including a full list of intermediary organizations, please visit www.nationalservice.gov/innovation.

Legislation Calls for Study of How Government can Better Partner with the Nonprofit Sector

America Forward — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 16:03:28 +0000

Last week, a press conference was held in recognition of Congresswoman Betty McCollum’s (MN-04) leadership through the introduction of the Nonprofit Sector and Community Solutions Act in the House of Representatives. This bill seeks to transform the way government thinks about and partners with the nonprofit community across the country.

With rare exceptions, the nonprofit sector is invisible to the federal government. We have entire agencies devoted to supporting small business, trade, commerce, and other industries. And yet, the nonprofit sector is just as vital to our economy, employing one out of ten individuals and delivering critical human, social, educational, and cultural services. Innovation in the social sector is as important as it is in the business world. This legislation will help the federal government do a better job supporting innovation in this realm.

To read more about the legislation, click here: http://www.councilofnonprofits.org/nscsact. To read Congresswoman McCollum’s press release click here: http://mccollum.house.gov/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=948&Itemid=146.

The New York Times Covers “A Plan for Nonprofits, with a Nod to Innovators”

America Forward — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 02:54:11 +0000

Yesterday, The New York Times featured an article on the Social Innovation Fund, covering the lively discussion taking place in the philanthropic, social, and public sectors on the Fund’s potential to change the way we solve social problems in America. The article featured many opinions from leaders across sectors on the goals of the fund, the way in which it will be executed, and its capacity to provide critical support for organizations looking to scale in this economically challenging environment. Concerning fund grantees, Melody Barnes, Director of the Domestic Policy Council, said, “We’re not looking to make marginal or incremental progress here….we’re looking for programs that are nothing short of transformative.”

Click here to read this article in full.

Audio available from CNCS briefing call on the Social Innovation Fund

America Forward — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 14:34:38 +0000

Last week the Corporation for National and Community Service hosted a briefing call on the Social Innovation Fund. Marta Urquilla, Senior Adviser for Social Innovation, and Bob Grimm, Director of Research and Policy Development, represented the Corporation on the call, reviewing the Fund’s structure as outlined in the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act and answering questions that had been submitted in advance by listeners.

If you were unable to participate last week, an audio recording is available for download on the CNCS website.

President announces his intent to nominate CNCS CEO

America Forward — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 22:08:24 +0000

We are pleased to share that President Obama has announced his intention to nominate Patrick Corvington for the position of Chief Executive Officer at the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS). Patrick is a recognized leader and expert on nonprofit sector leadership and capacity issues, new and emerging philanthropy, evaluation and performance measurement, and volunteerism. He possesses the skills, experience, and networks to capitalize on the opportunity before us—to more strategically direct resources, both human and financial, toward proven solutions and promising new ideas to solve our most pressing social problems.

The challenges before us are significant. But so too are the opportunities. National service will need to be more inclusive and connect with new populations to reach 250,000 members by 2017. The nonprofit sector has the fastest rate of job growth, but we need to accelerate the pipeline of talent to effectively scale proven solutions. The current economic crisis demands greater efficiency in public spending—we can no longer afford to invest in what does not work. The Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act created a new and bold program that the Corporation for National and Community Service now has the responsibility to implement. The Social Innovation Fund is one of the most promising new initiatives of the Obama Administration and has the potential to foster community solutions and transform the nonprofit sector overall. Patrick’s leadership and management skills will be essential as the Corporation for National and Community Service implements this agenda.

We applaud this announcement and urge the Senate to quickly confirm Patrick Corvington so that the work of advancing service, innovation, and solutions can begin in earnest.

America Forward and the Service Community Salute Senator Tom Harkin

America Forward — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 18:50:25 +0000

Last week, America Forward partnered with ServiceNation and Voices for National Service to recognize Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) at an event in his home state of Iowa for his commitment to national service and social innovation. Senator Harkin is a true champion, and his leadership—especially in the appropriations process for the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act and the Social Innovation Fund—has been critical in the effort to expand service opportunities and foster innovation and impact in the social sector. The event brought together more than 200 citizens involved in service in Cedar Rapids, along with leading Iowa figures like Congressman David Loebsack (D-IA) and actor Brandon Routh, to celebrate of the power of social innovation and service in social problem solving.

Throughout the day, event participants engaged in service projects, from rebuilding homes to cleaning up neighborhoods, in support of flood recovery efforts across the city. Senator Harkin and Brandon Routh joined the volunteers in these recovery efforts immediately following the event.

See below for pictures:

Senator Tom Harkin speaks before the crowd about national service.

Senator Harkin helps rebuild a porch on a house that was damaged by the flood of 2008.

America Forward Remembers Senator Edward Kennedy

America Forward — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 15:15:31 +0000

We are truly saddened at the news of Senator Edward Kennedy’s death. Not only has the nation lost a true statesman and public servant, but the service movement has lost its leading champion. Senator Kennedy believed deeply in our nation’s social entrepreneurs and in the power of young people to solve problems and make a difference in our world. The Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act is a testament to the Senator’s leadership on these issues, and it will go down in history as a signature part of his legacy. Our hearts go out to his family, friends, and colleagues.

Kelly Ward on “The role of government, and why I’m going to SOCAP09″

America Forward — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 18:45:57 +0000

The 2009 Social Capital Markets conference recently posted an interview on their blog with Kelly Ward, Director of America Forward, about the role of government in social capital markets and her upcoming panel at SoCap09. If you are planning to attend the conference, make sure to attend Kelly’s panel on Wednesday at 1:30pm (more details below).

Growth Capital for Nonprofit Social Entrepreneurs

Date: Wednesday, September 2nd
Time: 1:30pm

Moderator: Nell Edgington, Social Velocity
Greg Baldwin, VolunteerMatch
Darell Hammond, KaBOOM!
Kelly Ward, New Profit and America Forward

Nonprofit social entrepreneurs like Volunteer Match and KaBoom! have become, over the past decade, very successful, national, multi-million dollar nonprofit organizations working to solve critical social problems. They’ve achieved this impressive scale through growth capital from individuals, foundations and venture philanthropy funds. Greg Baldwin from Volunteer Match and Darell Hammond from Kaboom will be joined by Kelly Ward from America Forward and New Profit, a pioneer venture philanthropy fund in Boston, to discuss the various financial tools available and necessary to scale nonprofit social entrepreneurs.

Social Innovation News Digest: Aug 12-21

America Forward — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 20:58:45 +0000

Nonprofit Quarterly: The Cohen Report
August 12, 2009: Senate and House Divergence in FY2010 Appropriations for Nonprofits
Rick Cohen compares differences in the Senate and House appropriations for the FY2010 budget for nonprofits.

Social Velocity Blog
August 18, 2009: Two weeks to SoCAP
Nell Edgington profiles the panel at SoCap 09 featuring Kelly Ward, Director of America Forward.

Christian Science Monitor
August 19, 2009: Public Service is Cool Again

Social Innovation News Digest: Aug 4-8

America Forward — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 19:08:23 +0000

The dialogue on the Social Innovation Fund and its potential to effect change continued this week online and in the media. At the White House, Melody Barnes, Director of the Domestic Policy Council, began her nationwide tour to sweep the country for innovative community solutions. Check out the links below for news and updates:

Chronicle of Philanthropy: Government and Politics Watch
August 4, 2009: White House Begins Search for Nonprofit ‘Hidden Gems’

The White House Blog
A Community Solution that Helps Everyone Win: My Visit to an Innovative Program in Iowa
Melody Barnes, Director of the Domestic Policy Council, reflects on her visit to EverybodyWins! on the White House Blog. Barnes was asked by President Obama to visit innovative nonprofits across the country in June when he announced his Community Solutions Agenda.

Chronicle of Philanthropy: Philanthropy this Week
Episode 7: Update from Washington: The Charitable Deduction and the Social Innovation Fund
Andrew Wolk, Founder and Chief Executive of Root Cause, discusses the exciting potential in the Social Innovation Fund.