Every day, in communities across America, promising non-profit organizations direct heroic efforts to implement innovative, effective solutions to our nation’s most daunting social challenges. Tackling a wide variety of issues, from poverty to failing schools, non-profits are at the forefront of what I call the “solutions business.”  The impact of their good work is only hampered by a lack of resources and insufficient capacity to gauge their programs’ impact, improve on them, and grow them to serve more people in more communities.

What if non-profit funding could be better focused on the best solutions?  And what if we could share what works more broadly, so leaders in any community could tackle these challenges with ideas and approaches that have demonstrated success?  The benefits would be enormous. 

A new program called the Social Innovation Fund (SIF) will do just that.  Run by the Corporation for National and Community Service, this fund represents an extraordinary opportunity to drive results-oriented responses to critical social challenges, stimulate innovation in the non-profit sector, and support community-led approaches.

The SIF will drive the best solutions and reward results. Instead of providing resources directly to non-profits, the SIF channels funding through foundations and other grantmakers who will competitively select, fund, and support promising non-profit organizations working in low-income communities over a period of years. Through evaluation and knowledge-sharing, the SIF has the potential to transform how our nation tackles social challenges. 

It’s an approach that has clear benefits. 

• The Best Ideas.  The SIF provides investments to multiple non-profits in an issue area or a geographic area, allowing the best innovations to rise to the top. 

• Capacity Building.  It provides non-profits with critical support for management, staffing, data collection, fundraising and other challenges that they will need to overcome as they grow.

• Accountability.  The SIF provides funding and incentives for non-profits to evaluate their effectiveness.  Grantmakers will be true partners in these evaluation efforts and will be jointly held accountable for results.  This focus on evaluation is a critical part of expanding non-profit capabilities.

• Matching Funds.  The SIF leverages private funding from grantmakers and others.  Each federal dollar will be matched with private funding, enhancing the government’s investment to result in greater impact.. 

First Lady Michelle Obama said: "By focusing on high-impact, results-oriented non-profits, we will ensure that government dollars are spent in a way that is effective, accountable and worthy of public trust.” 

Tomorrow at the White House, the First Lady, Melody Barnes, and I will join over 100 philanthropists, foundations, and innovators for an exciting announcement about progress on the SIF.  We hope you’ll watch it live here at 11:45 AM EDT.

Patrick Corvington is the CEO of the Corporation for National and Community Service

Ed. Note: Read the President's remarks in California as well as the Vice President's statement on the new CBO analysis showing the Recovery Act being responsible for up to 2.8 million jobs.

President Obama is in Fremont, California today to visit Solyndra, Inc, an innovative solar panel manufacturer that is building a new facility with funding made possible by the Recovery Act.  Here's a look at what they're doing:

The direct benefits of this investment are easy to see.  The plant expansion now underway has already enabled the creation of over 3,000 construction-related jobs and Solyndra estimates that the new factory could create as many as 1,000 long-term jobs in operations and supply.  Likewise, a formerly empty field will soon be home to a state-of-the-art manufacturing plant that produces clean energy products that can be exported to the world.
           
What the television cameras won’t capture are the indirect benefits of supporting Solyndra.  The impact of Solyndra’s success is being felt throughout the chain of companies that supply Solyndra with goods and materials.

The project is creating jobs around the country.  Construction materials for the facility itself are being manufactured by workers in Arkansas, Washington, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and 18 other states.  The advanced manufacturing equipment is being made by workers in Michigan, Tennessee, Colorado, and 8 other states.  The raw materials to run the facility will come from 15 states including Wisconsin, Ohio, and Kentucky.  When the first solar panels are shipped in late 2010, they will be delivered by freight companies and installed by even more new workers.

The map below from Solyndra shows where they have ordered the materials to construct the new facility.  Many of the companies in these states have added workers of their own to handle the new orders.

This map from Solyndra shows the states supplying advanced manufacturing equipment to the company.

The Recovery Act’s investment in clean energy is having a ripple effect throughout our economy.  A recent survey by Frost and Sullivan of 676 clean energy companies found that while only 3 percent of those companies directly received Recovery Act funds more than 50 percent recognized a positive impact from that legislation.

We still have a long way to go to get America’s economy back on track and to make the United States the world leader in clean energy technologies, but companies like Solyndra and Recovery Act investments like this one are helping drive progress across the country.

Matt Rogers is Senior Advisor to Secretary of Energy Steven Chu

This afternoon the First Lady welcomed nearly 100 local students to the White House to kick off the South Lawn Series – events throughout the summer season to bring local children, sports leagues, community programs and coaches to the South Lawn to participate in sports, games and activities. Today’s event featured sports trainers from the Washington Redskins, Capitals, Nationals and Wizards as well as PE teachers from DC Public schools who demonstrated ways for kids to get 60 minutes of active play per day. The First Lady, alongside Shellie Pfohl, Executive Director of the President's Council on Physical Fitness, moved too – taking part in obstacle courses, knee lifts and running drills.

The Series is in support of Let’s Move! – the First Lady’s initiative to end childhood obesity within a generation.  In remarks to the very first group of participants,  the First Lady stressed the importance of getting in at least 60 minutes of exercise, not just at the White House today, but everyday:

You know, there’s a report out that says kids should get no less than 60 minutes of exercise every single day.  And around the country we just got a report that shows that in states across the country, a lot of kids aren’t coming close.  They’re not getting just what they need.  And it’s hard if your schools don't have P.E. and gym, right?

If you can’t do it at school, if you don't live in a community where you have sports teams and things like that, if you can’t play outside because neighborhoods aren’t safe, right, so your parents want to keep you inside, if you’re watching too much TV and playing too many computer games -- (laughter) -- sometimes that cuts into your ability to move.

And went on to explain that the series isn’t just to get kids moving on the lawn, but will hopefully inspire lots of children to get active in their own backyards:

And this series that we’re doing on the South Lawn is really to encourage kids, because we got this press all behind you, and they're going to show you guys on TV, and there are going to be a lot of kids going, how do I do that?  You know, how do I get moving like that?  They're at the White House moving.  Maybe I can do this in my own back yard, in my own community.

So you guys are going to be the first example this summer of really encouraging kids to move.  But we are going to need you, not just here today, but you’re going to have to go home and take some of what you’ve learned here and teach your families and folks -- the other kids in your schools who haven’t had a chance to come, and figure out how you guys can get other people in your lives moving. Can you promise me that you’ll help me on this?

CHILDREN:  Yes.

MRS. OBAMA:  You promise?

CHILDREN:  Yes! 

The White House Visitors Office, the Office of Public Engagement, and the First Lady’s office will continue to invite local Sports leagues, community programs and students to the White House throughout the summer to participate in the South Lawn Series and engage them in the Let’s Move! campaign.

First Lady Michelle Obama cheers on local students at one of the physical activity stations set up for the Let’s Move! series kick-off on the South Lawn of the White House, May 25, 2010. (Official White House Photo by Samantha Appleton)

First Lady Michelle Obama visits physical activity stations during the Let’s Move! South Lawn series kick-off on the South Lawn of the White House, May 25, 2010. (Official White House Photo by Samantha Appleton)

This Administration opened its doors to the first class of White House interns in 2009. Since that time, over three hundred promising leaders have come through the program and served a vital role in the White House. These individuals have participated in service project partnerships with nine D.C. high schools and a local soup kitchen. The professional development speaker series has remained a favorite pillar of the program, and interns have worked to build successful professional development groups centered around topics such as International Affairs and Communications.

The application for the Fall 2010 White House Internship Program will be closing on June 6. Don’t miss your chance to apply to become a part of the next class of White House Interns! To learn more about the internship program, the application process, and who is eligible to apply for internships, visit the White House Internship Program page.

Melissa McNeal is the Director of the White House Internship Program

There's no question that the economy has seen a dramatic turnaround since the President came into office -- but the President knows full well that it is not enough.  That's why he continues to look for every opportunity for government to help spur hiring and get the economy growing at an even fast pace than it has been.  And from the beginning of his term, promoting small business has been a central focus of the President's efforts.

Earlier this month, the President sent legislation on the Small Business Lending Fund to Congress along with a new state small business credit initiative that will help expand lending for small businesses and manufacturers at a time when budget shortfalls are forcing states to cut back on lending programs. 

• Read the White House fact sheet on the Small Business Jobs Package (pdf).

President Barack Obama addresses award-winning small business owners from around the country during an event in the Rose Garden of the White House. Listening, from left, are; business owners Tom Sturtevant and Trapper Clark, Small Business Administration Administrator Karen Mills, and business owners Tamara Marquez-Nugent and Charles Reid, May 25, 2010. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

So when the President hosted award-winning small business owners from around the country this morning in the Rose Garden, he honored them not just by recognizing their individual acheivements, but by citing their example to push Congress to pass the Small Business Jobs Package:

Frank and Donna Masley are here.  They are Delaware’s Small Business Owners of the Year.  Where are they?  There they are, right there.  Congratulations.

Ten years ago, they launched a glove-making business to provide flexibility and protection for our men and women in uniform.  When they won a contract to supply gloves for soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan in 2009, they received a Recovery Act loan through the SBA and saved thousands on fees.  It was that loan that allowed Frank and Donna to rehire some employees who had been laid off during this recession, and today their business is growing and thriving once more.

So many people who are here today have stories just like this.  Their success isn’t the result of a heavy-handed government.  It’s the result of a government that lent a helping hand -- that complements the sheer grit and determination of America’s small business owners.  And I believe we need to do even more to give these men and women a boost. 

So that’s why I’m calling on Congress to pass small business jobs -- a small business jobs package as soon as possible.  This legislation should ensure that creditworthy small business owners can get the capital they need to expand and create jobs.  It should include needed tax relief, like our proposal to completely eliminate capital gains taxes for those making key long-term investments in small businesses.  It should include expansions of vital Small Business Administration loan programs that are needed now more than ever.  And it should include two important lending initiatives that I recently sent to Congress. 

The first initiative is the $30 billion Small Business Lending Fund I called for in my State of the Union address.  This fund would target only small community and neighborhood banks, and it would help these institutions increase lending to small businesses.  The second initiative is a new state small business credit program that we recently proposed, working with governors like Governor Doyle and Governor Granholm.  It’s an initiative that will help expand private lending for small businesses and manufacturers at a time when budget shortfalls are leading states to cut back on vitally important lending programs. 

Now, I’m very pleased that elements of this small business jobs package have already passed the House Financial Services Committee last week, and I know that the Senate is working on the issue as well.  I urge both chambers to act on these proposals as soon as possible. 

This shouldn’t be a partisan issue.  This is not a Republican issue or a Democratic issue.  This should not be an issue about big government versus small government.  This is an issue that involves putting government on the side of small business owners who create most of the jobs in this country.  It’s about giving them tax credits and loans and tax cuts so they can keep growing and keep hiring.  It’s about unleashing the great power of our economy and the ingenuity of our people. 

Given the elaborate financial instruments, products, and schemes that helped lead to the financial crisis of the past two years, one might be forgiven for thinking Wall Street Reform is too complex for any normal person to get his or her head around. But while there are plenty of complex details, there are also some core problems, and some fundamental solutions.

A new infographic from the Washington Post lays out those core problems, along with what Wall Street Reform would do to solve them, in a clear, concise way.   It identifies and explains the issues surrounding consumer protections, “Too Big to Fail,” derivatives, risk to the global financial system, and “regulator shopping” – give it a look, and you’ll understand why the President has been so focused on making sure every one of these issues is addressed.

• View the Washington Post infographic on Wall Street Reform.

This morning the President took part in the daily briefing call with Gulf Coast Governors on the BP oil spill.   Governors Jindal of Louisiana, Barbour of Mississippi, Riley of Alabama, and Crist of Florida.  Press Secretary Robert Gibbs issued the following statement about the call:

The President reiterated the Administration’s sense of urgency for dealing with the oil spill, assured the governors that the federal government is bringing the best science and expertise to the table and underscored his commitment to continuing our strong collaboration with the state and local governments. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Napolitano, Rear Admiral Neffinger, EPA Administrator Jackson and Commerce Department Principal Deputy Under Secretary for Oceans and Atmosphere Monica Medina provided the regular daily briefing on operations, leak stabilization, environmental impact and oil trajectories.

President Barack Obama discusses the response to the BP oil spill, during a phone call with Gulf Coast governors in the Oval Office, May 24, 2010. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

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Later this afternoon, the Senate will vote on a motion to instruct conferees on the Brownback Amendment.  That basically means members of the Senate will cast a nonbinding vote on whether or not they think the House and Senate conferees should consider carving out a loophole for auto dealers that make auto loans from the financial reform bill.

The President has been clear on this issue, repeatedly urging members of the Senate to fight efforts of the special interests and their lobbyists to weaken consumer protections.  The fact is, auto dealer-lending is an $850 billion industry, which is larger than the entire credit card industry and they make nearly 80 percent of the automobile loans in our country. 

Is there any question that these lenders should be subject to the same standards as any local or community bank that provides loans?

Auto dealer-lenders sell auto loans to working families every single day, and while most dealers are no doubt above board, some cannot resist the bigger profits that come from inflating rates, hiding fees, and tacking on over-priced add-ons.

These profits can lead some dealers to treat their customers unfairly. There are countless stories of hard-working people who are never even contacted when they are hit with a higher interest rate or who are forced to swallow the cost already paid toward the purchase of their car while giving up the vehicle.

People like Lacie Riso and Jarred Whited, a sailor on the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan, as NPR reported: 

Riso, 18, and Whited, 20, an aviation ordnance man, needed a car because their old one was breaking down. They went to a dealer near their base in San Diego and found a used Hyundai Sonata they  liked. Then, Riso says, the salesman contacted a finance company. 

"And they say, you know, 'We'll approve them. They need to pay $394 a month.' So we are like, you know, we can do that; that's fine," she says. 

Riso and Whited got the keys. They left Riso's old Ford Focus as a trade-in. The next day, they went back to the dealer to set up an automatic payment to the finance company from Whited's military  paycheck. 

But after several weeks, the finance company said the loan wasn't approved after all. The couple then asked the dealer for new payment information. 

"So we say, you know, 'What bank do we pay this to? What's the account number? What's the loan number that you have?' And he told us, 'No, I don't have anything like that. You can pay me cash or  personal check to me at the dealership.'" 

 Riso and Whited turned that offer down and the dealer repossessed the Sonata. They told him to give back the more than $500 they had made in payments, along with Riso's Focus. 

"And he said, 'Oh no, you're never going to see your Focus again. Your car was repossessed for nonpayment and you can pay me $800 to get back in this contract,' " Riso says.

In a letter to the Treasury Department last February, Clifford Stanley, the Undersecretary of Defense also raised concerns about the impact the “unscrupulous practices” of auto dealer-lenders on military families. Army Secretary John McHugh recently sent a letter to Senate Banking Committee Chairman Christopher Dodd, D-Conn., “voicing his objection to Brownback's amendment."  As that same story notes, "Holly Petraeus, wife of U.S. Central Command chief Gen. David Petraeus, also joined the fight. As director of the Council of Better Business Bureau's Military Line Program, she reiterated assertions that many service members are in financial trouble with their auto payments, locked into loans with interest rates of 15 percent or higher.”

The dealer-lenders who engage in such deceptive behavior are struggling to hold on to the unfair advantage that they have over hardworking Americans and responsible dealer-lenders. According to recent news reports, lobbyists and allies of Wall Street are not letting up and they plan to throw millions of dollars toward efforts to weaken provisions including an auto dealer carve out in the bill as it moves to conference.
While the Senate passage last week was a significant step forward for the bill, the President will not rest as attempts are made to weaken the bill.

Jen Psaki is Deputy Communications Director

On Saturday, President Obama delivered the commencement address at the United States Military Academy in West Point, New York.  This year one thousand and two cadets entered into the “Long Gray Line” of West Point graduates. 

The class of 2010 is the ninth consecutive class to graduate while our nation is at war.  Last year, President Obama visited West Point to his strategy on Afghanistan and Pakistan.  During the commencement address the President reflected on the changing nature of the war over the past nine years: .

We face a tough fight in Afghanistan.  Any insurgency that is confronted with a direct challenge will turn to new tactics.  And from Marja to Kandahar, that is what the Taliban has done through assassination and indiscriminate killing and intimidation.  Moreover, any country that has known decades of war will be tested in finding political solutions to its problems, and providing governance that can sustain progress and serve the needs of its people.

So this war has changed over the last nine years, but it’s no less important than it was in those days after 9/11.  We toppled the Taliban regime -- now we must break the momentum of a Taliban insurgency and train Afghan security forces.  We have supported the election of a sovereign government -- now we must strengthen its capacities.  We’ve brought hope to the Afghan people -- now we must see that their country does not fall prey to our common enemies.  Cadets, there will be difficult days ahead.  We will adapt, we will persist, and I have no doubt that together with our Afghan and international partners, we will succeed in Afghanistan. 

The President stressed the importance of looking beyond the immediate task at hand to building a more prosperous and peaceful future for our country and the international community.

Now even as we fight the wars in front of us, we also have to see the horizon beyond these wars -- because unlike a terrorist whose goal is to destroy, our future will be defined by what we build.  We have to see that horizon, and to get there we must pursue a strategy of national renewal and global leadership.  We have to build the sources of America’s strength and influence, and shape a world that’s more peaceful and more prosperous.

Time and again, Americans have risen to meet and to shape moments of change.  This is one of those moments -- an era of economic transformation and individual empowerment; of ancient hatreds and new dangers; of emerging powers and new global challenges.  And we’re going to need all of you to help meet these challenges.  You’ve answered the call.  You, and all who wear America’s uniform, remain the cornerstone of our national defense, the anchor of global security.  And through a period when too many of our institutions have acted irresponsibly, the American military has set a standard of service and sacrifice that is as great as any in this nation’s history.