Barack Obama was elected the United States' 44th president last night after the longest - and perhaps most exciting - campaign in American history. The task of tackling the many challenges facing the country and the world now begins - and all signs indicate that greater support for social innovation and entrepreneurship will be part of the strategy. In his campaign platform, Obama had called for the development of both a Social Investment Fund Network and a Social Entrepreneurship Agency for Nonprofits. He also co-sponsored, along with Senator McCain, the recently introduced Serve America Act, which includes several components supportive of social entrepreneurship.

The America Forward coalition is honored to partner with Root Cause and Public Innovators to present new ideas for ways social entrepreneurs and government can work together to solve our nation’s most pressing domestic challenges.  Together, we share the belief that matching social entrepreneurs’ innovative solutions with the policy and political reach of government has the potential to make a profound and lasting positive impact on communities across the nation.  
 

As we enter the general election season, social entrepreneurs have a unique opportunity to help shape and influence the next president’s approach to the non-profit sector. The next president will take office with ambitious goals to tackle our nation’s most serious social challenges, from health care reform to improving the quality of our nation’s schools. At the same time, he will be operating in a climate with limited tolerance for new government spending or government-only solutions. Given this, social entrepreneurs can offer the new president and his administration new, tested solutions to these challenges.