Speculation about Obama’s Social-Innovation Efforts

While the White House has been quiet about the Office of Social Innovation that it plans to create, Diana Aviv, chief executive of Independent Sector, shed some light on the new government effort.

Ms. Aviv said she expected the Obama administration to officially announce the new office in a few weeks and that Sonal Shah, who used to lead global-development giving at Google.org, will lead it. Ms. Shah was a member of a group that advised the incoming Obama administration on “innovation and civil society” during the transition.

The White House press office declined to comment about personnel appointments to the office.

Ms. Aviv made her remarks to members of the Council on Foundations, who are in town this week to discuss policy issues with members of Congress. The council represents about 2,000 grant makers, and Independent Sector represents about 600 charities and foundations.

The goal of the White House office will be to promote innovative approaches to solving social problems. (Read The Chronicle’s article about the proposals for the social-innovation office.)

Ms. Aviv said the office is considering providing money to new projects and to help nonprofit groups who have demonstrated their success expand their work. She also said the office is considering operating a Web site to promote innovative charities to the American public and donors.

Steve Gunderson, chief executive of the council, said he praised the administration’s pledge to work more closely with the nonprofit world. But he cautioned that with the growing government deficit, the president and Congress will be forced to make tough choices in future years and possibly decrease the money for new programs.

“I want to both encourage us to pursue [partnership] and to encourage us to pursue this with a note of caution,” he said.