What is the Office of Social Innovation?

And who is Sonal Shah, who heads up the fund? I don't speak Obama and am having trouble getting a handle on this. "Office of Social Innovation" has an ominous ring.

From WhiteHouse.gov on May 5:

The Social Innovation Fund was authorized in the recent Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act. The Fund will focus on priority policy areas, including education, health care, and economic opportunity. It will partner with foundations, philanthropists, and corporations which will commit matching resources, funding, and technical assistance.

The White House Office of Social Innovation and Civic Participation will coordinate efforts to enlist all Americans –individuals, non-profits, social entrepreneurs, corporations and foundations – as partners in solving our great challenges. Located within the Domestic Policy Council, it will:

• Catalyze partnerships between the government and nonprofits, businesses and philanthropists in order to make progress on the President’s policy agenda
• Identify and support the rigorous evaluation and scaling of innovative, promising ideas that are transforming communities like, for example, Harlem Children’s Zone, YouthVillages, Nurse-Family Partnership, and Citizen Schools.
• Support greater civic participation through new media tools

What are "Youth Villages"?

I'm reassured by the dollar figure, though. How much trouble can they cause with a mere 50 million?

Creeping Sharia has background on Sonal Shah.

*Update: Linked by RS McCain, who declares that Big Brother is here.

*And linked by Paco, who thinks Barry might want to dial back the social engineering.

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