There is a quasi-myth on Wall Street that the first five days of trading set the pattern for the year. If this is the case in the public-private partnership space, then this year is going to build on and develop the themes from last year: the role of business in job creation and urban revitalization, social entrepreneurship, and resilience in the face of a near-crippling economic recession that spanned the globe.

One of the central agencies at the heart of this outreach is Housing and Urban Development (HUD). HUD is led by Shaun Donovan and under his leadership it has already changed several ways that it does business.

Secretary Donovan, in addition to learning in one of the ultimate difficult environments as head of New York’s Department of Housing Preservation and Development, had previous experience in the private sector and the Clinton Administration, and his varied background shows.

HUD was given $13.61 billion under the Recovery Act. While it has quickly allocated funds to address homelessness, urban poverty, and the creation of green jobs, the agency is also exploring innovative approaches to these issues and continuing to solicit ideas. Check out HUD’s website for more details.

HUD also joined the Department of Transportation and Environmental Protection Agency to create the Partnership for Sustainable Communities last year.

Now, Secretary Donovan is co-chairing a working group on Long-Term Disaster Recovery with DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano, and exploring ways to re-shape how the federal government helps communities recover long after the glare of the media lights has faded.

As if that were not enough, HUD is also engaged in comparing notes with its counterparts about the rapid urbanization that is taking place around the world and will participate in the World Urban Forum in Rio in March.

This past week, I think we had four different interactions with HUD — either directly or indirectly — by working on these projects.

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 Upon unveiling a new report, “Partnering For Global Development: The Evolving Links Between Business and

International Development Agencies” (PDF), BCLC Executive Director Stephen Jordan described the study as an attempt to “demystify” who is involved in global development partnerships and how their roles continue to evolve. 

Stephen celebrated the strides that have been made in creating a more collaborative mindset with the business world over the last decade, but he also emphasized the need to improve the use of resources to make sure the right people have the right tools.

David Logan, co-chairman of The Corporate Citizenship Company and co-author of the report, weighed in to dig into the “nuts and bolts” of the report, explaining some of what went into making the report, who was interviewed, and why the information regarding China is presented separately. 

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 Need a quick cheat sheet? Tips shared by the panel for tackling CSR initiatives include: 

*Communicate! There are major gaps among the various US government agencies, so information pertinent to the planning and roll out of a CSR initiative can be impaired when the various agencies find themselves at cross purposes. Business also has communication gaps. The US Trade Development Office sees companies come in and it is clear there is a disconnect of information, approaches, and understanding of goals and roles on CSR subjects, which makes it difficult for the government to facilitate business requested initiatives and programs.

*Show results.  Read more…

As the annual Global Corporate Citizenship Conference is approaching, BCLC, in partnership with Corporate Citizenship, is developing a report which explores international development agencies’ private-sector initiatives and outlines partnership strategies.

The focus of the report is to provide multinational corporations with practical advice about how and where development agencies are operating, as well as ideas on how to identify partnership opportunities and forge strategic relationships.

The report will highlight the following development agencies and their private-sector partnership programs:

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By Sue Santa, Senior Vice President of Public Policy, The Philanthropy Roundtable

The congressional summer recess grants us a moment to pause and think critically about legislation on the horizon. While there are rumblings about energy and education, healthcare is the behemoth that will nearly eclipse the autumn sun.

We can generally expect that a segment of the American people will shoulder the burden of healthcare reform through a mixture of tax increases and reduced tax incentives. Regardless of your personal feelings on the subject, you may want to consider the unintended consequences of this legislation on philanthropy and possibly your corporate giving programs.

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Senator Kennedy championed many issues, including education, immigration, and healthcare, but what many people may not realize is how much the Senator championed service. 

Earlier this year, President Obama signed into law the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act, the most significant expansion of national service in our generation.

But what does this mean for business?… 

Well, for starters, nearly every company we work with, including Siemens, ARAMARK, and IBM, has an employee volunteer program.  And when the President signed Kennedy’s bill, he called on all Americans to participate in our nation’s economic recovery through a targeted summer of service campaign called “United We Serve.” This 81-day campaign will culminate on 9/11, which is now – because of Kennedy – proclaimed a National Day of Service and Remembrance. 

At the Chamber, we have our eyes on 9/11, as the nation will be looking to see how Americans answered the President’s call. The U.S. Chamber’s BCLC will tell the story of how the private sector responded in a big way.

Let me give one great example – GlaxoSmithKline (GSK).  On 9/11, GSK employees will volunteer throughout the Harlem Children’s Zone, leading class discussions with school children about H1N1 prevention and other healthy lifestyle topics. You can read about this and many more on BCLC’s new United We Serve website.

It’s not too late to get your company involved in this national movement. Several tools and resources can make engaging simple and easy.

• To learn about the United We Serve campaign and find a volunteer opportunity in your community for you and your colleagues, visit Serve.gov
• Get tips on planning a volunteer project for yourself and your company
• To learn about 9/11 Day of Service and Remembrance and why it is so meaningful for you and your company to commemorate this day with service, visit 911day.org
• To get your company’s volunteer project posted in the BCLC portal, contact me, Katie Loovis, at 202.463.5407 or KLoovis@uschamber.com. 

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton held a town hall meeting today, where she announced the launch of a review process to ensure the United States delivers on her “smart power” promise.

Reports the U.S. Global Leadership Campaign (a very good source of international development info):

Today, before a town hall meeting at the U.S. Department of State, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announced her intent to undertake a Quadrennial Diplomacy and Development Review (QDDR) to ensure the United States is exercising effective global leadership utilizing the “smart power” tools of diplomacy and development in addressing the global challenges of the 21st century.

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As President Obama travels to Ghana today and tomorrow, it is important to recognize the paramount steps the country has made over the last five to 10 years to reduce poverty.

In one of its most recent news articles, the Brookings Institute regards Ghana as a “beacon of democracy” after two decades of political progress and renewed economic growth. 

One way in which the country has been able to combat poverty is through the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC). In 2006 Ghana was the recipient of a Millennium Challenge Compact.

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By Sue Santa, Senior Vice President of Public Policy, The Philanthropy Roundtable

Imagine that you are the founder or president of a foundation. You receive a letter from a federal agency questioning the racial make-up of your board and challenging how you allocate your charitable giving. How would you respond? 

You might ask “Who are you to tell me how we should donate our money or what my board looks like?”

According to certain Congressmen—and even some figures in the philanthropic sector—your response would be quite wrong. The government, they argue, has a right to greater scrutiny of how foundations or charities are governed and disperse funds.

Underpinning their claims is the “public money” rationale. This idea suggests that the assets of foundations and other nonprofits belong to the government or the public because of these organizations’ federal tax-exempt status, state charters, or oversight by state attorneys general. In effect, the charitable sector has traded its autonomy for tax preferences.

Legally, are the assets of foundations and other charities “public money”?  The Philanthropy Roundtable recently released a new report, How Public is Private Philanthropy? Separating Myth from Reality, that finds the answer is “no!”

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The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is the biggest development agency in the world in terms of foreign assistance spending.  According to the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), the largest donors in 2008, by volume, were the United States, Germany, the United Kingdom, France, and Japan. 

In 2008, net official development assistance (ODA) by the United States was $26 billion, of which USAID managed around $14 billion.  To deliver this package in 2008, the total number of USAID staff was approximately 8,000 individuals – of whom 2,500 were permanent staff members.  There is, currently, an overall goal to double these staffing numbers by 2012.

USAID delivers foreign assistance programs in the areas of economic growth, agriculture, education, health, food security, and good democratic governance, mainly through its 88 missions in developing countries.  A main private sector focus has been to increase the capacity of financial institutions to lend to small businesses – totaling $1.5 billion in FY 2008. 

The relation between USAID and the private sector has always been strong, particularly for its work in developing markets. 

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