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Category Archives: Politics
Former SIF Director Outlines Steps to Increase Innovation
Paul Carttar, former director of the Social Innovation Fund, has written a piece for Forbes on the need for the federal government to take a stronger role in promoting innovation in the nonprofit sector. According to Carrtar: [P]roductive federal government … Continue reading
Posted in Performance Management (General), Politics, Social Innovation Fund
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Social Innovation Fund Experience Suggests Advocacy Is Needed to Move Performance-based Nonprofits Forward
A new report from The Bridgespan Group about the experience of Social Innovation Fund (SIF) subgrantees suggested that advocacy may be a needed if more resources are to be redirected to nonprofits and programs that work. The report is based … Continue reading
Posted in Performance Management (General), Politics, Social Innovation Fund
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Social Services Funding Outlook Improves for 2013
The outlook for public funding of U.S. social services programs has taken a notably positive turn in recent months, with state budgets continuing to stabilize. However, federal and local spending levels remain uncertain. According to a report released May 2 … Continue reading
Posted in Politics
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Groups Back Competitive Education Grants
Performance politics in the education world took a turn last week when a number of civil rights and education groups backed the Obama administration’s competitive grant programs, including Race to the Top, Investing in Innovation, and Promise Neighborhoods. While competitive … Continue reading
More Debate on Social Innovation vs. the “Social Services Industrial Complex”
Congratulations to Daniel Stid at the Bridgespan Group for shedding light on a topic that is vitally important to the future of social impact in this country: the power of social services organizations to thwart social innovation. Daniel and I … Continue reading
Posted in Politics
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Social Services Industrial Complex?
Daniel Stid at the Bridgespan Group has written a provocative new piece on the politics of performance management for the Washington Post entitled “The Social Services Industrial Complex.” In it, Stid compares the national network of nonprofit organizations that provide … Continue reading
Posted in Politics
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Politics vs. Performance Management? The Case of Community Action Agencies
What happens when the drive for increased performance runs into entrenched political resistance? The answer may say something about the durability of performance management as a trend in the nonprofit and public sectors. One recent example is the Community Services … Continue reading
Posted in Politics
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