Blog

This month Senator Orrin Hatch (R-UT) and Senator Edward Kennedy (D-MA) unveiled the Serve America Act of 2008—a landmark piece of legislation that proposes several America Forward policy ideas: a Community Solutions Fund Network to bring effective solutions to scale, a Commission on Cross-Sector Solutions to spur change within the federal government, and Serve America Fellowships to support future social entrepreneurs.

There is definitely something brewing in this country when Al Sharpton gets a standing ovation at the Republican convention. But it happened – we saw it! And it gets better – this very special event was sponsored by Newt Gingrich’s organization American Solutions for Winning the Future. Yep, you read that right—Al Sharpton got a standing ovation at an event sponsored by Newt Gingrich. And what’s more? It was an Education event, with people from both parties agreeing on the same principles for education reform. Incredible!

We’re getting great traction for the America Forward ideas at the Republican National Convention! Today America Forward had the distinct honor of serving on a panel about social entrepreneurship and corporate social responsibility. Along with coalition organizations College Summit and Project HEALTH, we talked about the innovative solutions social entrepreneurs bring to the table and how Senator McCain, should he be elected President, could leverage these solutions to more effectively address the persistent problems facing our communities. We shared the stage with Adolfo Franco, VP for Global Regulatory Affairs at the Direct Selling Association and Policy Advisor to the McCain Campaign. Adolfo has worked extensively with the innovative organization AIDS Responsibility Project (led by social entrepreneur Abner Mason) and believes deeply in the power of social entrepreneurs and the impact of corporate social responsibility. He iterated Senator McCain’s commitment to leveraging the innovation happening in the nonprofit sector, and asked America Forward and the other organizations on the panel to send along more information. We’re planning to follow up the panel with a White Paper to the campaign highlighting ways to invest in what works, foster innovation in the nonprofit sector, encourage public-private partnerships, and bring all sectors together to more effectively and efficiently solve problems. Exciting stuff!

While at the Democratic National Convention last week, I had a chance to wander through The Big Tent, the gathering place for bloggers set up by the folks at Google, Digg, and other organizations. As I watched the bloggers at their desks, heads down, earbuds in, diligently reporting the day’s news and gossip, it occurred to me just how the blogosphere has changed the media landscape. No longer must we rely on the newspaper editor or the national TV stations to determine what news we have access to. With the advent of blogs and other technologies that facilitate mass communication without massive financial resources, the information economy has become far more democratic—with the substance coming from the bottom up and the best material having the greatest influence.

Amid all the pageantry, excitement and confetti of the Democratic National Convention, it’s easy to overlook the fact that, in addition to nominating the party’s candidates for President and Vice President, the purpose of the Convention is also to adopt the party’s platform. But as the pomp and circumstance has subsided in Denver, Democrats emerge with a complete party platform – and America Forward is proud to report that the platform highlights the work of social entrepreneurs and pledges support for their innovative, results-driven ideas!

In the news Tuesday, NPR ran the first of three pieces on their All Things Considered program looking at the great benefits that educational entrepreneurs like Don Feinstein and his Academy of Urban School Leadership (AUSL) have brought to the Chicago school system, revitalizing failing schools with new and innovative ideas while working within the existing public school system. NewSchools Venture Fund, an America Forward coalition member working to advise, invest in, and network educational entrepreneurs, helped NPR connect with AUSL and get their story. Check out the show and keep an eye out – there’ll be two more episodes coming along in the next few weeks, as well as a closer look at NewSchools Venture Fund tomorrow as part of our Focus on Impact series!

Several coalition organizations submitted videos to the RNC as part of their Online Platform Submission process. You can view videos from Computers for Youth, "I Have a Dream" Foundation, and Jumpstart on YouTube. We are excited to see the voice of coalition members in the Republican dialogue on issues and priorities!

Computers for Youth

"I Have a Dream" Foundation

Jumpstart

The high-impact, entrepreneurial organizations that make up America Forward are the driving force behind the coalition. These organizations’ innovations and proven results are demonstrating every day that powerful solutions already exist for many of America’s most pressing social problems. Coalition organizations share many similarities in their goals and approaches to creating widespread change, but each and every one has slightly different inspirations and perspectives. Over the next few weeks we’ll use this blog to spotlight a selection of coalition members, exploring how these organizations got started, highlighting their goals and vision for the future, and sharing recent accomplishments. Check back regularly for a twice-weekly Focus on Impact!