July 26,2023

Wyden Appoints David Wilkinson to the Federal Commission on Social Impact Partnerships

Washington, D.C. – Senate Finance Committee Chairman Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today proudly announced his selection of David Wilkinson to serve as a member of the Federal Commission on Social Impact Partnerships. Wilkinson is Executive Director of The Tobin Center for Economic Policy at Yale.

“David Wilkinson is a dedicated leader in evidence-based policy, innovative finance, and community-driven improvement with deep experience on both the national and state levels,” Wyden said. “His leadership developing and designing bills that laid the groundwork for the Social Impact Pay for Results Act, coupled with his dedication to evidence-based policymaking to improve the lives of youth and families, will make him an excellent member of the Commission.”

Wilkinson served as head of the White House Office of Social Innovation under President Obama and was closely involved in the design and development of predecessor bills to the Social Impact Pay for Results Act (SIPPRA) and made Pay for Success (PFS), a core tenet of SIPPRA, a top priority for the Obama Administration’s social innovation agenda. In his role, Wilkinson catalyzed deployment of over $100 million in federal funding to advance PFS, including through projects to help veterans find jobs, increase access to high-quality pre-K nationwide, reduce childhood asthma, support at-risk women and children, reduce homelessness and recidivism, and promote natural resources conservation. 

After his time at the White House, Wilkinson continued to advance PFS modeling and investment in his role as Commissioner of Early Childhood and Chief Performance Officer of the State of Connecticut. Under his leadership, Connecticut became a national leader in results-based funding in the spirit of SIPPRA. His notable achievements as Commissioner include launching three first-in-the-nation PFS contracts in home visiting, family homelessness prevention, and parental job attainment.

The Commission on Social Impact Partnerships was established by the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018 (Public Law No: 115-123), which included the Social Impact Partnerships to Pay for Results Act. The law provided designated funding for newly proposed public-private partnerships aimed at improving social outcomes. The Commission consists of nine individuals nominated by the President and bipartisan congressional leaders and is charged with assisting the Secretary of the Treasury in reviewing, recommending, and providing other assistance pertaining to social impact partnership proposals.

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