News

State agencies play new role in route to affiliation
March 1, 2008, Westbrook, ME

Several state agencies are collaborating with ITNAmerica to help develop dignified and sustainable transportation across their states. This approach of establishing clusters of affiliates, aided by initial funding from the State, is expected to generate valuable economic and operational efficiencies.

The Connecticut Department of Social Services recently issued a Request for Applications (RFA) for matching grants of up to $50,000 to help establish four affiliates. The $50,000 may be applied toward the initial start-up funds required for the development and implementation of an ITN affiliate.

In 2008, the New York State Office for the Aging (NYSoFA) will be requesting applications for grants to establish four ITN affiliates in New York State. The communities selected through the RFA will each be awarded a $55,000 grant from NYSoFA to be used as start-up funds for their first year. The selected communities will also receive an additional $25,000 from the Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation during the first year and another $25,000 for the second year which will be administered by ITNAmerica.

A number of different government organizations, such as a Department of Transportation or Department of Aging, could be the catalyst for exploring your senior mobility issues.

If you are interested in helping start an ITN affiliate in your community and you want to explore how your state might get involved, contact your local state legislator, or urge your legislator to contact us directly at (207) 857-9001. We welcome your interest.

ITNAmerica featured in Report to the President
December, 2007, Washington, D.C.

ITNAmerica was featured in The Small Business Economy: A Report to the President, an annual series used by policymakers, academics, librarians, and others to learn more about small firms.

ITNAmerica is one of eight examples of social entrepreneurship included in a chapter by Andrew Wolk of Root Cause titled "Social Entrepreneurship and Government: A New Breed of Entrepreneurs Developing Solutions to Social Problems."

Chad Moutray, Ph.D, Chief Economist & Director of Economic Research for the Small Business Administration, said, "Congratulations on being on the leading edge of this exciting phenomenon!"

Wolk, a senior lecturer in social entrepreneurship at MIT, describes social entrepreneurship as emerging at the nexus of the public, private, and nonprofit sectors. Innovation is a key role of the private sector; providing public goods and services is a role of government; and engaging individuals in action to achieve social goals is a role of the nonprofit sector. Social entrepreneurship has emerged where these roles intersect.

Wolk's chapter represents one of the first explorations of the relationship between social entrepreneurship and government, and each case study showed a social-entrepreneurial initiative responding to some type of market failure, ranging from older Americans who must choose between their safety and their mobility, to building high-quality playgrounds in underserved communities.

Seven other specific programs used as case studies illustrating social entrepreneurial approaches include City Year, Benetech, KaBOOM!, New Leaders for New Schools, Resolve to Stop the Violence Program, Outside the Classroom, and Triangle Resident Options for Substance Abusers, Inc.

The chapter above can be found at http://www.rootcause.org/assets/files/SE_and_Gov_Wolk.pdf.