With less than 50 days until Election Day, the presidential candidates are working hard to point out their differences. By the tenor of this election, you’d never know there are issues on which the candidates actually agree! But there are, and policies that support the work of social entrepreneurs are among them.

For example, Senators McCain and Obama recently co-sponsored The Serve America Act of 2008, new legislation that recognizes the work of social entrepreneurs and includes several policy ideas that would foster and support social entrepreneurship.

Yep, you read that right: both presidential candidates, in an election year, have co-sponsored legislation that supports social entrepreneurship. This is incredibly exciting, and speaks volumes about the appeal of social entrepreneurship on both sides of the political aisle. The ideas included in the bill include a Community Solutions Fund Network, a Commission on Cross-Sector Solutions, and an Innovation Fellowships Pilot Program.

On the campaign trail, Senators McCain and Obama have both highlighted the work of social entrepreneurs and supported policies that would foster more innovation in the nonprofit sector. Senator McCain has said he would create a “network of private sector venture capital funds matched by government grants” to support job training in high job loss areas. This model of government funding would support the proven, results-driven solutions of social entrepreneurs and remove some of the barriers social entrepreneurs often encounter with federal grants.
 
Senator McCain also said he would establish a White House Service to America office to streamline national service efforts across the federal government. Since many social entrepreneurs rely on national service for human capital, this new efficiency will greatly benefit the work of social entrepreneurs as well.

Senator Obama also continues to champion policy ideas that would support social entrepreneurs, including a Social Investment Fund Network and a Social Entrepreneurship Agency for Nonprofits that would “unleash the potential power of nonprofit organizations.” These ideas have been mentioned in the Democratic Platform, several Obama speeches, and in Senator Obama’s recently released policy book, Change We Can Believe In. In a recent TIME magazine editorial, Senator Obama included these ideas and said “we need to invest in grass-roots ideas, because the ‘next great innovation’ usually doesn’t come from government.”

We couldn’t agree more.
 
 
Kelly Ward is the Director of America Forward.  For more information about America Forward, visit their website and blog at www.AmericaForward.org.