National Journal's Ron Brownstein: "Rewriting Uncle Sam's Role"

National Journal and LA Times political columnist, Ron Brownstein, wrote today on the America Forward campaign and the effort to drive a public policy agenda that will expand the reach and effectiveness of social entrepreneurship:

Following familiar grooves, the Republican and Democratic presidential contenders are already arguing about whether Washington should expand or reduce its role in confronting domestic problems such as education and health care. Americans are hearing much less about how the federal government should play whatever role it ultimately accepts.

Vanessa Kirsch wants to change that. In 1990, Kirsch co-founded Public Allies, a group that guides young people to community service. In 1998, she helped start New Profit, a "venture philanthropy" fund that invests in nonprofits tackling some of society's toughest problems -- nurturing children in chaotic inner-city neighborhoods, for example, or reclaiming troubled teens.

Together with representatives from 60 other nonprofit organizations, Kirsch has now helped to assemble a coalition called America Forward. Its goal is to promote more-effective collaboration between government and a new generation of nonprofit leaders who call themselves social entrepreneurs and combine the charitable impulse to serve with the business school imperatives of planning, accountability, and measurable results. When Washington asks how to deliver social services, the coalition argues, it should think first about involving social entrepreneurs.

Check out the full column at NationalJournal.com.