Senate Panel Votes to Restore Obama's National-Service Budget

By Grant Williams , The Chronicle of Philanthopy - July 18th ,2009

In a break with the House of Representatives, a key Senate subcommittee has voted to provide the Corporation for National and Community Service with about $1.15-billion, approximately the amount that President Obama requested for the agency in his proposed budget for 2010.

The House of Representatives earlier had voted to cut $90-million from Mr. Obama’s budget request for the corporation, which operates AmeriCorps and other service programs.

The Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education recommended spending $50-million on a new Social Innovation Fund that would provide money for “social entrepreneurs” and nonprofit groups that are developing creative solutions to national and local problems.

The House had voted to spend $35-million on the fund; Mr. Obama had requested $50-million.

The Senate subcommittee also suggested spending $8-million for the Volunteer Generation Fund and $2-million for the Nonprofit Capacity Building Program.