As the buzz continues around federal-level efforts to advance social innovation (via the White House Office of Social Innovation and the Social Innovation Fund currently being developed by the Corporation for National and Community Service), the concept is also gaining traction in several states.

Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper opened up the Democratic National Convention in his own city yesterday, speaking of the “New West” and “the politics of the future”. He spoke of “…new ideas of leadership for America that appeal to our optimism, our entrepreneurial spirit, and our rugged individualism” and argued that, “the independent-minded, pro-business, pro-environment, collaborative spirit of the West represents the future of American politics.” He ended by stating emphatically that, “We demand collaboration and common sense.”

While this may seem like par for the course in an election cycle that is emphatically about change, Hickenlooper walks his talk. A business entrepreneur and a strong civic and nonprofit leader in his pre-political life, the Mayor launched the Denver Office of Strategic Partnerships (DOSP) soon after taking office. Its mission is: