III: Open Government and the Corporation’s Mission

Work to fulfill the vision of the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act by focusing on four key areas.

Other Information:

The Corporation annually engages more than five million Americans in service through its core programs, Senior Corps, AmeriCorps, and Learn and Serve America, and leads President Obama’s national call to service initiative, United We Serve. As the nation’s largest grant maker for service and volunteering, the Corporation plays a critical role in strengthening America’s nonprofit sector and addressing our nation’s challenges through service. As our nation continues on the road to economic recovery, volunteer service plays a vital role in addressing our national and local challenges. Given the many social needs facing our communities– and the growing interest in service by Americans of all ages – this is a moment of unprecedented need and opportunity for the Corporation. The Corporation’s mission meshes naturally with the concept of open government. Transparency, participation, and collaboration are guiding principles for all of our work. We regularly share data and information with the public and seek input about policies and initiatives, both formally and informally. Our programs operate through collaboration with thousands of nonprofit, faith‐based, community, and educational organizations. The Corporation’s commitment to the principles of open government comes not just out of a desire to increase accountability and make government more effective. We also believe citizen participation is essential to democracy. Since the early days of our nation, volunteers have helped us through our greatest challenges and triumphs – patriots who fought for our founding ideals, women who reached for the ballot, firefighters who rushed into burning towers, and ordinary citizens who came to the aid of a disaster‐stricken coast. As President Obama has said, “In the end, when it comes to the challenges we face, the need for action always exceeds the limits of government. While there's plenty that government can do and must do to keep our families safe, and our planet clean, and our markets free and fair, there's a lot that government can't – and shouldn't – do. And that's where active, engaged citizens come in. That's the purpose of service in this nation. And that's the point I want to emphasize today: that service isn't separate from our national priorities, or secondary to our national priorities – it's integral to achieving our national priorities. It's how we will meet the challenges of our time.” The economic and social problems of today require a new generation of service, and we need more Americans to answer that call. We believe that the best solutions come from outside Washington, D.C., where everyday people are finding ways solve problems in their communities. In 2009, Congress enacted The Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act, providing an extraordinary opportunity to usher in a new era of service for our country, focused on engaging citizens in a lifetime of service directed at finding community solutions to some of our nation’s most pressing and persistent challenges. The Corporation is working to fulfill the vision of this act by focusing on four key areas.

Objective(s):

III.1: Service as a Solution

III.2: Service Opportunities

III.3: Capacity

III.4: Innovation

III.5: Open Government Plan

III.5.a: Resources

III.5.b: Understanding and Accountability

III.5.c: National Culture

III.5.d: Ideas

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