Office of Social Innovation and Civic Participation Blog

America has led the world in developing a national culture of civic participation, but one of the most enduring institutions that we created has been the community foundation.

The Corporation for National and Community Service’s Social Innovation Fund (SIF) announces the federal government’s most robust action to date in support of Pay for Success (PFS), a promising model for expanding innovative, highly effective social programs that achieve better results and can save tax payer dollars.

The Obama administration celebrates the 20th anniversary of the CDFI Fund by convening government officials, business executives, and community leaders at the Treasury Department to mark the fund's achievements and to look at the prospects for its continued success.

As part of the Obama administration’s commitment to create lasting change in Indian Country, we are pleased to announce $3 million in AmeriCorps grants to support Native American communities.

The President launched Power Africa almost one year ago to double access to power in Sub-Saharan Africa. Exploring opportunities to unlock further investment in and growth of small-scale energy systems at the household and village level, the Administration recently hosted two events to engage nearly 60 impact investors and venture philanthropists interested in small-scale energy investment in Africa.

The Governor’s Council on National Service will engage leaders from state agencies, higher education, and the private sector to make recommendations on how to expand national service and volunteer opportunities in Iowa.

Well-conducted randomized controlled trials (RCTs) are widely regarded as the most scientifically-credible means of evaluating the impact of programs operating at scale. That’s why we’re excited about a competition the nonprofit, nonpartisan Coalition for Evidence-Based Policy is running, with funding from the Laura and John Arnold Foundation and the Annie E. Casey Foundation.

A new report by the National Economic Council shows that imposing a dollar cap on itemized deductions would effectively eliminate the charitable deduction for up to 13 million households and for as much as 60 percent of currently deductible giving.

Recently, the Treasury Department announced $186 million in new CDFI investments to 210 organizations. This represents the largest single announcement of award dollars and award recipients in the history of the CDFI Fund.

The SIF is elevating proven community solutions, helping build scale through philanthropic leverage and evaluation of results to fund programs that work.

WorkAdvance, the recipient of a Social Innocation Fund grant, helps people looking for work get the career counseling, interviewing skills, and referrals to full-time jobs with room for advancement.

White House staff and thought leaders in the impact economy are focusing on the Jumpstart Our Business startups (JOBS) Act, which enables "crowdfunding," an innovative approach to raising capital. Rather than depend on a few wealthy individuals or banks, crowdfunding supports startups by letting companies raise up to $1 million in small increments from many investors.

The Social Innovation Fund invests money in nonprofits and foundations so they can accelerate the work of high-impact organizations like the Year Up program and replicate their approaches in new localities and markets.

Naila Bolus, President and Chief Executive Officer of Jumpstart, one of the largest part-time AmeriCorps programs, explains that investing in early education is investing in the future.