THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
____________________________________________________________________
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE May 5, 2009
White House Office of Social Innovation and Civic Participation to Coordinate Efforts
WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama, in his FY2010 budget, will ask
Congress to provide $50 million in seed capital for the Social
Innovation Fund to identify the most promising, results-oriented
non-profit programs and expand their reach throughout the country.
Many solutions to our nation’s most challenging social problems are
being generated outside of Washington; the Social Innovation Fund will
identify what is working in communities across the country, provide
growth capital for these programs, and improve the use of data and
evaluation to raise the bar on what programs the government funds.
"The idea is simple: to find the most effective programs out there and
then provide the capital needed to replicate their success in
communities around the country that are facing similar challenges,"
First Lady Michelle Obama will say Tuesday at the Time 100 Most
Influential People Awards in New York City, according to her prepared
remarks. "By focusing on high-impact, result-oriented non-profits, we
will ensure that government dollars are spent in a way that is
effective, accountable and worthy of the public trust."
Melody Barnes, Assistant to the President and Director of the Domestic
Policy Council, also highlighted the Fund Tuesday in a keynote speech
to the Council on Foundations. "The Social Innovation Fund reflects
the President’s new governing philosophy: finding and investing in what
works; and partnering with and supporting others who are leading change
in their communities," Barnes said. "We are also working with Federal
agencies across the government to identify new solutions to problems
that have resisted traditional approaches."
The Social Innovation Fund was authorized in the recent Edward M.
Kennedy Serve America Act. The Fund will focus on priority policy
areas, including education, health care, and economic opportunity. It
will partner with foundations, philanthropists, and corporations which
will commit matching resources, funding, and technical assistance.
The White House Office of Social Innovation and Civic Participation
will coordinate efforts to enlist all Americans –individuals,
non-profits, social entrepreneurs, corporations and foundations – as
partners in solving our great challenges. Located within the Domestic
Policy Council, it will:
- Catalyze partnerships between the government and nonprofits, businesses and philanthropists in order to make progress on the President’s policy agenda
- Identify and support the rigorous evaluation and scaling of innovative, promising ideas that are transforming communities like, for example, Harlem Children’s Zone, YouthVillages, Nurse-Family Partnership, and Citizen Schools.
- Support greater civic participation through new media tools
- Promote national service.
Mrs. Obama’s full remarks at the Time 100 Most Influential People Awards in New York City will be released later in the day.
Comments