Benefits Data Trust (BDT) is a national nonprofit that harnesses the power of data, technology, and policy to provide efficient and dignified access to assistance.

• Access social benefits

A dynamic, open-source reference library for practitioners who are working through complexity to improve access to public benefits and services.

• Access social benefits

Created and published by the Digital Benefits Network, this open dataset and analysis documents identity proofing and authentication practices in online public benefits applications across the US, contributing to field-wide understanding about the digital identity landscape in public benefits, an important issue for equitable benefits access.

• Civic data
• Digital security and privacy
• Access social benefits

The Benefits Enrollment Field Guide looks at the landscape of America’s safety net benefits experience in 2023 and tracks the differences from our 2019 assessment based on expanded evaluation criteria.

• Good health and well-being

• Govtech
• Access social benefits
• Report cards and audits

We partner with agencies to enable human-centered, digitally-assisted public benefits programs.

• Access social benefits

Comparison of online social benefit platforms for all 50 US states

• health
• Good health and well-being

• The Tech
• Engagement tech
• Advocacy tech

By answering just a few questions, this tool can provide a list of benefits from Veterans Affairs Canada that are the most relevant to you.

• The Tech
• Govtech
• Engagement tech

Code for America partnered with the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, and Nava Public Benefit Corporation to conduct pilots in Michigan (in partnership with Civilla), Colorado, Alaska, Vermont (led by Nava PBC) and Louisiana.

• The Tech
• Engagement tech
• Access social benefits

Variations in usage of civic tech across four core countries (US, UK, Kenya and South Africa) and the attitudes of users towards the platforms they are using.

• The People
• Evaluate impact

Create modern web applications that evaluate household data against eligibility rules for 31 different City, State, and Federal benefits programs (including SNAP, Cash Assistance, WIC, HEAP, and more).

• The Tech
• Govtech
• Engagement tech

By Aure Schrock. Out in September. The first detailed history of Code for America that examines how democratically designed government systems can collectively improve technology's impact on society.

• books

• Learn about civic tech
• Books
• Civic tech community surveys

The New Practice Lab's theory of change is deceptively simple: we should design public goods and services the same way we design the most successful private goods and services— in partnership with the people who use them, and suited to the digital age in which we live.

• Reduced inequalities

• Access social benefits
• Service delivery
• Co-design

We offer family reunification services, a phone buddy program, and basic income pilots for people experiencing homelessness

• homelessness
• social isolation

• Access social benefits
• Resource matching and sharing
• Solidarity networks

We’re reimagining the supply chain of social care for the new era.

• Artificial Intelligence
• Bots
• Access social benefits

Internet of Things pilots to improve quality of life in London neighborhoods

• local
• cities

• Smart Cities and sensors

presents the OECD Framework on the Governance of Digital Government and offers a toolkit for policymakers aiming to enhance digital government maturity

• handbooks

• Govtech
• Digital transformation

The Democracy Forum is a not-for-profit NGO which promotes ideals of democracy, pluralism and tolerance through public debate.

• Participatory democracy
• Debate

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced today that it has established a permanent Customer Experience (CX) office to help deliver services that are simple to use, accessible, equitable, protective, transparent, and responsive for all DHS customers.

• Govtech
• Service delivery

Accelerating digital equality and data justice in Africa.

• Research and policy centers
• Information & Communication Tech for Development ICT4D
• Civil society research outfits

With support from the Omidyar Network, the joint team worked with local researchers in Ghana, Kenya, Lesotho, Mozambique, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zimbabwe to extract a snapshot of the state of digital identity, using an evaluation framework specifically designed by CIS for assessing digital identity ecosystems.

• Identity

USAID launched IVR and Facebook chatbot tools that will provide Cambodian citizens clear, transparent information on public services available to them through the Royal Cambodian Government’s One Window Service Offices (OWSO).

• Facebook

• Bots
• Access social benefits
• Interactive Voice Response

A collection of approachable but well-researched primers on emerging tech and potential benefits and risks

• Partnerships for the Goals
• development
• guides

• The Tech
• Learn about civic tech
• Emerging tech

Its over-arching goal is to reinforce trust in public institutions and to unleash multiple measurable positive impacts in terms of efficiency gains and reduction of current administrative burden and costs, rooted on a Toolkit for extended semantic interoperability and on secure, privacy-preserving and trustworthy realisation of fundamental once-only, relevant-only and digital by default principles, through state-of-the-art, usable and high-quality fully online procedures accessible through the Single Digital Gateway (SDG).

• Govtech
• Digital transformation
• Government Interoperability

The [Human Rights Watch] report finds that data collected by the state for administering public services, such as registering for the Covid vaccine, administering tax benefits, and mandatory membership in professional associations, was repurposed to spread Fidesz’s campaign messages.

• reports

• Digital security and privacy
• Organize campaigns
• Reports

Report by the British Red Cross on aid groups' rush to use chatbots, from a skeptical perspective

• reports

• Disaster response and humanitarian tech
• Bots
• Reports

Organised by the European Social Network, the Awards shine a spotlight on successful new approaches and the extraordinary ongoing work of public social services managers, funders, planners, providers, and deliverers of social services, as well as providing opportunities for exchange and mutual learning to improve social work policies and practice.

• Awards and prizes
• Access social benefits

Indus Action helps vulnerable Indians access government entitlements to education, maternity and livelihood support.

• No poverty

• Access social benefits

ConsiliumBots uses technology and data to help people make important decisions by turning complex and underutilized information into virtual assistance and personalized recommendations across education, housing, and other areas of government programs. Research has shown that providing relevant information at the right time can make a significant difference in students' trajectory by reducing school dropouts and introducing education options with better job prospects. They have so far created 36 digital solutions to address information asymmetries, supporting 3.9 million parents, students, and teachers from over 7 countries in the region. Some of these digital solutions have now been adopted as national public policies.

• Access social benefits
• Behavioral economics programs

Join us in building the European way of Digital Transformation for 300 million Europeans

• cities

• Govtech
• Smart Cities and sensors
• Partner networks

A collection of case studies where civic tech interventions have resulted in tangible improvements and benefits for governments/public institutions and their citizens, by People Powered

• Engagement tech
• Evaluate impact

A housing platform that simplifies, centralizes, and makes it easy for people to search and apply for affordable housing.

• housing

• Govtech
• Access social benefits

by Mark Findlay, Sharanya Shanmugam. In this article, through vignettes from the United Kingdom and Singapore’s experience, we highlight how digital transformation can be made more participatory for users affected by digital initiatives.

• Engagement tech
• Participatory democracy
• Digital participation platforms

The Oslo Governance Centre (OGC) is UNDPs dedicated Global Policy Centre for Governance issues. It promotes transformative governance for peaceful, just and inclusive societies.

• Peace, justice, and strong institutions

• Get funding
• Funders & donors

Public Sector Budgeting Software

• Govtech
• Bureaucracy tech
• Internal budgeting tools

In an era of corporate surveillance, artificial intelligence, deep fakes, genetic modification, automation, and more, law often seems to take a back seat to rampant technological change.

• books

• Ethical tech and responsible tech

The Public Technology Leadership Collaborative (PTLC) is a new peer learning collective of scholars, researchers, and government leaders committed to addressing the social and cultural implications of data and technology.

• Research and policy centers
• Academia

The Biden Administration's approach to human-centered design to re-orient government around a core set of "life experience" personas

• Govtech
• Access social benefits
• Design

IT for Change’s Namma Mahiti Kendras are ICT-enabled information centers that aim to break down the barriers to citizens’ right-claiming processes.

• place-based

• Engagement tech
• Access social benefits
• Communicating with the people

Discover social impact jobs supporting the Sustainable Development Goals at mission-driven organizations.

• Find a job or hire someone
• Nonprofit tech
• Job boards

The Federal Agency for Disruptive Innovation SPRIND is creating spaces for innovators, where they can take risks and think radically different.

A virtual assistant for Filipinos on social welfare.

• Facebook

• Artificial Intelligence
• Graveyard
• Bots

"We implemented a pre-registered, citywide experiment to test the effects of three high-pay-off, geographically targeted lotteries designed to motivate adult Philadelphians to get their COVID-19 vaccine...we do not detect evidence of any overall benefits."

• vaccines

• COVID Engagement Projects
• Peer-reviewed research
• Behavioral economics programs

Open spreadsheet to calculate the carbon benefits of protected bikelanes

• cycling
• Climate action

• Carbon calculators

Nft-gated directory of low cost resources

• Blockchain
• Access social benefits
• Emerging Tech Projects

Forage is a USDA approved third-party payment processor (TPP) and a PIN provider that authenticates and processes EBT transactions.

• food
• Zero hunger

• Access social benefits

An interactive scorecard where people can see if they would be flagged for social welfare fraud under the Netherlands' broken system

• Ethical tech and responsible tech
• Access social benefits

Mapping data on economic security, housing, health, education and more in NYC

• Access social benefits
• Civic maps

Compute the impact of public policy

• Climate action

• Engagement tech
• Participatory democracy
• Parliamentary and Legislative Tech

Write rules as code

• Parliamentary and Legislative Tech
• Budget explorers
• Access social benefits