Two years ago, the Center for American Progress called for service to be focused on priority problems and populations in its “National Service Agenda.” This groundbreaking legislation does both. It also provides a new way for the federal government to leverage private-sector social innovation, and it paves the way for the Corporation for National and Community Service to fulfill its potential as a “Small Business Administration” for the nonprofit sector.

Sagawa commends the passage of the legislation, but also cautions legislators and champions of service and innovation alike against growing complacent. “As bumpy and long as this road has been, however, the hard work is just beginning,” she warns. Sagawa offerd comprehensive advice on how to fully realize the bill’s potential.

To get off to a strong start, the president should put in place a team at the corporation with expertise in the substantive areas—such as education and energy conservation—addressed by the act. Program leadership should work across program areas . . . Similarly, if the corporation is to take on President Obama’s plans for a social entrepreneur agency, manage the Social Investment Fund Network, and implement the new nonprofit capacity building program, it will need to build a broader base of expertise in nonprofit management.

America Forward echoes Sagawa’s excitement about the passage of the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act and we join her in looking forward and identifying ways to maximize the impact of this important legislation.

Read Sagawa’s article in its entirety here.

The bill was named for Senator Edward M. Kennedy, a life-long champion of national service and a strong supporter of social innovation. Senator Kennedy spoke at the historic bill-signing, recalling the call to service “another young president,” John F. Kennedy, issued more than 40 years ago, before introducing President Obama.

In his remarks, President Obama emphasized the transformative potential of high-impact service organizations.

Programs like these are a force multiplier; they leverage small numbers of members into thousands of volunteers. And we will focus their service toward solving today’s most pressing challenges.

We’ll invest in ideas that help us meet our common challenges, no matter where those ideas come from. All across America, there are ideas that could benefit millions of Americans if only they were given a chance to take root and to grow — ideas like the one that Eric Adler and Raj Vinnakota had that led to this school and expanded its model to others.

That’s why this bill includes a new Social Innovation Fund that will bring nonprofits and foundations and faith-based organizations and the private sector to the table with government so that we can learn from one another’s success stories.

We’ll invest in ideas that work, leverage private-sector dollars to encourage innovation, expand successful programs to scale and make them work in cities across America.

The signing of the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act was a watershed event for champions of service and social innovation across the U.S.

America Forward would like to join the President in thanking everyone who made this exciting moment in the history of national service possible.

Read the full transcript of President Obama’s remarks here.

Watch Senator Kennedy and president Obama speak at the bill-signing here.

This legislation is bold and far-reaching, authorizing a series of new initiatives, creating new programs for social innovation and volunteer generation, and making important and helpful changes to our existing operations.

CNCS went on to outline the steps the legislation must still go through, most notably the appropriations process, before it is implemented. Finally, CNCS thanked the many champions of service and social innovation, without whom this groundbreaking legislation would not be possible.

We wouldn’t have reached this historic landmark without the decades of hard work and resulting impact of national service participants and staff. The strong bipartisan votes in the House and Senate are a testament to the value of what our Senior Corps, AmeriCorps, VISTA, NCCC, Learn and Serve America, and other national service programs accomplish every day on the frontlines of communities across America.

We would like to echo CNCS and thank you all for your dedication to social innovation and national service. We look forward to watching as President Obama signs the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act into law!

To read the Corporation for National and Community Service’s entire statement, click here.

Read Broder’s editorial here.

Click here to read more about the House passage of the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act.

…the House of Representatives will consider the version amended and passed by the Senate. If the House passes the bill, the legislation will be sent to President Obama to be signed into law…

We could not be more excited to watch this particular bill become a law!

Read the rest of Amy’s blog post here.

Even as our economy suffers and family budgets tighten, generous Americans are looking for ways to serve and give back to their country. In fact, given the current crises, our neighbors, schools and hospitals need our help more than ever.

Inspiring and incentivizing more Americans to serve their communities and their country will help us tackle the many serious challenges before us and help our economy recover and prosper. That is exactly what the bipartisan Serve America Act does.

We could not agree more. The Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act will expand opportunities for Americans of all ages and backgrounds to participate in national service, and allow government to partner with social innovators to find effective solutions to the challenges we face as a nation.

Read Senator Reid’s full statement here.

The Serve America Act is founded on the fundamental belief in the power of the American people to improve their country and communities at the local level. It is about looking first to community and faith-based institutions to help solve our toughest challenges. It underscores our belief in public-private partnerships that cost the government little and bring a high return on that investment.

We would like to thank Senator Hatch for his tireless support of the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act. Without his leadership this bipartisan victory would not have been possible!

Read Senator Hatch’s full statement here.

I’m so pleased that the Senate overwhelmingly passed the bipartisan Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act — legislation that will usher in a new era of service. I want to applaud all those who have worked so hard to see this bill through, and I am eager to sign it into law.

We would like to join the President in thanking everyone who worked so hard to see this groundbreaking legislation pass! The Edward M. Kennedy Act is truly a victory for champions of social innovation everywhere. We would also like to echo the President – this legislation is not an end in and of itself, but rather a beginning.

Our work is not finished when I sign this bill into law – it has just begun. While our government can provide every opportunity imaginable for us to serve our communities, it is up to each of us to seize those opportunities. To do our part to lift up our fellow Americans. To realize our own true potential. I call on all Americans to stand up and do what they can to serve their communities, shape our history and enrich both their own lives and the lives of others across this country.

Once again, thank you all for your help and support!

Read the President’s statement here.