National-Service Agency Plans Conference Call on Social-Innovation Fund

The Corporation for National and Community Service plans to hold a conference call next week to answer questions about the Social Innovation Fund, the new federal program that will provide millions of dollars to help nonprofit groups start or expand promising social projects.

The call will take place from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. Eastern time on Thursday, October 15. Information about how to participate is available on the corporation’s Web site.

The corporation and the White House Office of Social Innovation and Civic Participation have conducted more than 50 meetings with nonprofit groups, foundations, evaluation experts, academics, and others about how to design the fund, Nicola Goren, the corporation’s acting chief executive, writes today on the White House blog.

They have also conducted five listening sessions around the country and plan to hold several more during the next several months, she writes.

President Obama proposed spending $50-million in 2010 on the Social Innovation Fund, which will be managed by the corporation. The Senate Appropriations Committee endorsed that amount, but the House voted to cut the budget to $35-million. The full Senate has not yet weighed in.