Advancing Social Entrepreneurship: Recommendations for Policy Makers and Government Agencies

By Andrew M. Wolk, Root Cause/MIT, co-published with The Aspen Institute

This report provides 13 recommendations and accompanying models to be used as tools by government leaders who are committed to spurring and supporting social innovation and entrepreneurship. A sampling of these recommendations and models includes:

• Create the structure for a public-private social innovation fund (Models: Small Business Investment Company (SBIC) and Venture Philanthropy/Venture Capital)
• Establish institutions that support and promote social entrepreneurship (Model: Louisiana's Office of Social Entrepreneurship)

Read the full report
Follow this report in weekly segments on the Social Edge blog

Social Entrepreneurship and Government: A New Breed of Entrepreneurs Developing Solutions to Social Problems

A chapter in The Small Business Economy: A Report to the President
Published by The Small Business Administration (SBA) Office of Advocacy, 2007
By Andrew M. Wolk, Root Cause/MIT

This report offers a comprehensive introduction for city, state, and federal government officials to the field of social entrepreneurship and the work to date. It incorporates insights from experts in the field and case studies of eight successful social-entrepreneurial initiatives to address three questions:

1. What is social entrepreneurship?
2. How does social entrepreneurship help government benefit Americans?
3. How is government currently supporting social-entrepreneurial initiatives?

Read the full report
Download the executive summary
Follow this report in weekly segments on the Social Edge blog

Government and Social Innovation: New Summary Document of all Federal, State, and Local Government Initiatives

By Public Innovators

Public Innovators has just compiled a document of all known government offices or initiatives in support of social innovation and strengthening partnerships between government and both the business and nonprofit sectors.

A New Office of Social Entrepreneurship

By Michele Jolin

A chapter in Change for America: A Progressive Blueprint for the 44th President
Edited by Mark Green and Michele Jolin (Click here for additional chapters

The new president will take office with ambitious goals to solve our nation's most urgent problems, but he will be operating in a climate with limited tolerance for new government spending or government-only solutions. The new president has an historic opportunity to turn to leading social entrepreneurs and the non-profit sector to help develop and implement effective solutions

Louisiana Office of Social Entrepreneurship

This powerpoint presentation outlines the mission, model, strategies, and vision of the nation's first Office of Social Entrepreneurship.

The GIVE Act - Generations Invigorating Volunteerism and Education

Introduced into the House as HR 1388 and passed by the House Education and Labor Committee, this bill would improve opportunities for Americans to serve and has strong bipartisan support. An amendment was introduced by Representative Paul Tonko (NY-21) to include a Social Innovation Fund as a part of the GIVE Act.

The Serve America Act

Introduced by United States Senators Orrin Hatch and Edward Kennedy

The America Forward coalition has been instrumental in providing policy recommendations and gathering support for the newly introduced Serve America Act in the U.S. House and Senate.

Read the bill summary
Learn about the social entrepreneurship provisions included in the bill
Link to the full bill text (S3487)
Read America Forward's blog entry about the bill
Find the joint press release from Senators Hatch and Kenned

Mobilizing Change: 10 Nonprofit Policy Proposals to Strengthen U.S. Communities

The Aspen Institute Nonprofit Sector and Philanthropy Program

This set of proposals provides a starting point for a bi-partisan commission to focus on maximizing the relationship between government and civil society. It includes several of Public Innovators' recommendations and references Advancing Social Entrepreneurship, our joint publication with the Aspen Institute

Innovating the White House, Stanford Social Innovation Review

By Michele Jolin, Center for American Progress

An article outlining strategies for the next president of the United States to spur social entrepreneurship

America Forward: Invent, Invest, Involve

A publication of New Profit, Inc.

This briefing book is intended for candidates and policy makers at all levels of government, and for citizens who have high aspirations for the country and are committed to social change. It seeks to put forward fresh thinking about problem solving that can appeal across a multitude of divides to unite the country and help take it forward

Investing in Social Entrepreneurship and Fostering Social Innovation

By Michele Jolin, Center for American Progress

This paper identifies some of the key ways in which policymakers can support the growth and spread of innovative non-profit solutions, and offers some policy guidelines and a framework that the Center for American Progress intends to explore and expand during 2008. It argues that government can do more to expand the impact of the most successful social entrepreneurial models and to create a pipeline of future entrepreneurial efforts in the critical non-profit sector

Business Planning for Enduring Social Impact: A Social-Entrepreneurial Approach to Solving Social Problems

A Root Cause How-to Guide

By Andrew Wolk, Root Cause/MIT and Kelley Kreitz, Root Cause

An introduction to business planning, drawing on Root Cause's consulting engagements with dozens of organizations and work with its own social enterprises.