Funding Social Programs That Work

I'm not a fan of throwing money at problems without making sure the solution actually works.  So I'm really intrigued by this article about the White House seeking to identify social programs that show measurable improvements so that they can be funded and expanded.  If you know of a local or regional program in your area that is working, consider tipping them to this.

White House Embraces Social Innovation

We all know that our nation is currently struggling with serious social problems ranging from increasing homelessness, to worsening public health, to failing schools. 

However, there's tremendous hope in the capacity of social innovators to address these far-reaching problems.

It's in this spirit that the White House just launched new regulations for the Social Innovation Fund, which aims to identify some of the most promising, results-oriented nonprofit programs and to expand their reach throughout the country.  

Policy strategist Tom Sheridan – the man that The Hill newspaper has dubbed "A powerbroker for those without a voice" - writes for Change.org this week that this Social Innovation Fund has the power to radically shift the way Washington addresses social problems.

http://socialentrepreneurship.change.org/blog/view/white_house_embraces_social_innovation

Rather than continuing to attempt to solve community problems in a top-down way from Washington, the Social Innovation Fund will invest in programs run by social innovators already showing measurable results on the ground in their communities.

This makes the Social Innovation Fund one of the most promising new vehicles for scaling social change in the country, and one of the most important steps the Obama administration has taken thus far to support innovative nonprofit solutions to the problems Americans faces. It's also why we'll continue reporting on its progress at Change.org in the weeks and months ahead.

As always, visit www.change.org for all the top stories across the world of Change.