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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!

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!

We’re thrilled to see America Forward highlighted recently in The Washington Post as an initiative at the forefront of the growing movement calling for government to serve as an investor in proven, innovative ideas in the nonprofit sector for how to solve social challenges! ”Philanthropy can fail in a way that government can’t. But we can catalyze government investment in growing what works,” says Kim Syman, an America Forward co-founder. “These are crises that cannot be solved by the public sector alone,” says Jane Wales, founder of Global Philanthropy Forum, but if “corporate pragmatism, charitable ethos and government investment” are brought together, solutions can be found and scaled. It’s great that public and media awareness of the need for such change is increasing!

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

This Fourth of July weekend, Albert Hunt, Executive Editor of the Washington Bureau for Bloomberg News, spotlighted America Forward and the power of social entrepreneurship in an article in the International Herald Tribune. Hunt connects the America Forward message to the common commitment of both Senator McCain and Senator Obama to national service and public-private partnerships to solve America's pressing social problems. Hunt writes, "Social entrepreneurs are pushing a new paradigm that bridges partisan and philosophical divides," he calls social entrepreneurs "idealists without illusions" and praises the work of coalition members like Teach For America, Year Up, and New Leaders for New Schools.
ders for New Schools.

Senator Obama has once again included the America Forward policy ideas in one of his national speeches! Yesterday he gave a speech in Colorado Springs about citizen service and included the America Forward policy ideas of a Social Investment Fund Network and Social Entrepreneurship Agency in the speech. Click here to read a Washington Post article on the speech. Our ideas are also on his website, under the "Service" Issue tab and categorized as "Investing in the Nonprofit Sector."