Public Benefit Innovation Fund (PBIF) Summer 2025 Open Call: Funding Opportunity is sponsored by Public Benefit Innovation Fund (PBIF). Awards non-dilutive funding to accelerate AI-enabled solutions that help governments respond to recent federal policy changes and funding constraints in safety net programs, focusing on solutions that support state, local, and tribal administered public benefit programs.

responsible experimentation, Summer 2025 Open Call: Funding Opportunity The Public Benefit Innovation Fund (PBIF) is awarding $5 million in non-dilutive funding to accelerate AI-enabled solutions that help governments respond to recent federal policy changes and funding constraints in safety net programs.

Awards will be 2 year grants ranging from $500,000 to $2 million, supporting 5–10 projects to be piloted or deployed with production data within 12 months.

This Open Call seeks proposals for AI enabled technology that directly support state, local, and tribal administered public benefit programs—including Medicaid and SNAP—by reducing administrative burden, improving system performance, and ensuring eligible families can access the help they need.

When we talk about public benefit programs, we mean programs where: There is a meaningful participation gap That gap is driven by administrative burdens There is robust evidence that accessing those benefits leads to improved economic mobility outcomes.

We are especially interested in solutions that focus on: Income and employment verification to streamline eligibility, ensure compliance and reduce manual review burdens SNAP error rate reduction, including tools that reduce improper denials or overpayments Clear and accessible beneficiary communication, helping users understand requirements, complete applications, and navigate changes confidently Application, verification, and appeal backlog reduction, improving both client experience and staff capacity Click here to download the application as a PDF.

Recent changes in federal policy and funding are increasing pressure on public benefit systems. State and local agencies must implement new rules with fewer resources and tighter timelines—often using outdated tools and fragmented data systems. For families, this means more paperwork, more confusion, and greater risk of losing access to critical supports like health care and food.

PBIF’s Summer Open Call is designed to meet this moment—mobilizing technologists, researchers, public-interest startups, and state governments to work together on practical, scalable solutions. The Public Benefit Innovation Fund (PBIF) is a philanthropic venture fund and R&D lab backing teams building emerging technologies—especially AI—to improve access to public benefits and strengthen the delivery of social services.

PBIF is a program of the Center for Civic Futures, which is a fiscally sponsored project of the Digital Harbor Foundation, and receives strategic and technical support from Renaissance Philanthropy. Our mission is to equip government leaders with the tools, resources, and expertise to responsibly leverage emerging technologies in service of people.

Over the next two years, PBIF plans to support projects that leverage AI and other emerging technologies to: Streamline benefits applications and renewals , including auto-filled forms, eligibility recommendations, agentic navigation, document collection, and data integration Reduce backlogs and administrative burden through human-in-the-loop automation or workflow optimization.

Improve personalization and accessibility across languages, reading levels, and digital literacy Build high-quality, open datasets or benchmarking tools that improve testing, evaluation, and transparency in AI deployments Improve benefits access by enabling bold, unconventional applications of AI This is the first of several open calls that will be released over the next 12 months.

Beyond Funding: A Cohort Built for Public Sector Success We believe meaningful public impact requires more than funding. That’s why PBIF pairs capital with a light-touch accelerator experience tailored to teams working on public sector AI solutions.

Each funded team will join a cohort of peers and gain structured support designed to help them navigate the complex realities of government implementation, including technical, regulatory, and political considerations.

Participating teams will receive: Workshops and strategy sessions focused on helping teams understand public sector challenges and design solutions that work within real government systems Engagement with a peer cohort of builders and service partners working across state, county, tribal, and territorial governments.

Hands-on technical assistance and expert coaching , including guidance on data management, AI system design, procurement, product strategy, and ethical deployment Opportunities to engage with government leaders and end users , stress-testing solutions against real-world constraints Visibility with funders, policymakers, and public sector innovators , creating future opportunities for scale and sustained impact Whether you're building a prototype or scaling a live tool, the cohort is designed to help you go further, faster—and with more lasting public value.

Proposal requirements and evaluation This Open Call is designed to accelerate promising projects that are already in motion and need funding and support to pilot, expand, or scale. We are open to funding early-stage teams, established orgs, non-profit, for-profit, and government agencies that are able to build and deploy/pilot an AI solution in the 12 month time frame.

In addition to a complete application, strong proposals will demonstrate: A deep understanding of the problem space , grounded in staff and beneficiary experience and supported by qualitative and/or quantitative data A clear implementation path : For government-focused solutions: at least one identified government partner (e.g., letter of support or similar commitment) and a strategy for making the solution accessible for other governments For beneficiary-facing tools: a viable plan for outreach, adoption, and trust-building Technical feasibility , including: A functional proof of concept and mapped infrastructure Data use agreements (executed or in progress), or a clear plan and timeline for securing them A documented evaluation strategy with meaningful success benchmarks Milestones that can be reached by July 2026 A credible path to financial sustainability and long-term scale A technically ambitious but realistic approach Submissions do not need to: Be in production with real data (but goal would be to be in production by July 2026) Proposals must be submitted between July 17th, 2025 and 11:59 PM Pacific Time on August 16th, 2025.

If you have a proposal that does not meet these criteria, please stay in touch. PBIF is planning additional open calls in the near future. How Proposals Will Be Evaluated We are committed to a transparent and thoughtful evaluation process that balances rigor with respect for applicants' time.

Our goal is to support projects that are technically sound, ethically responsible, feasible to implement, and positioned to deliver meaningful public impact. PBIF will award approximately $5 million in non-dilutive funding to 5–10 grantees through this Open Call. Grant sizes will range from $500,000 to $2,000,000 .

Finalists will be notified by September 30, 2025 , with funds distributed no later than November 15th, 2025 . Proposals will be evaluated on the following: Impact: Does the project address a clearly defined and evidence-based barrier to accessing safety net programs—such as a service gap, operational challenge, or user experience issue?

If successful: Will the solution deliver meaningful and measurable improvement for beneficiaries and the staff who serve them? Is there a clear plan to track, measure, and report on impact? Responsible AI: Does the solution prioritize data privacy, transparency, and fairness in its design and implementation?

Are potential risks—such as bias, misuse, or unintended consequences—identified and appropriately mitigated? Technical & Practical Feasibility: Is the proposed solution technically sound and achievable within the project timeline, budget and plan? Can the solution integrate with existing government systems?

Does the team have the necessary expertise, capacity, and partnerships to implement the project effectively, and drive adoption? Are government partners and/or beneficiaries engaged in the solution development and design? Strategic Alignment: Does the opportunity represent an area or thesis that, without catalytic funding or space to take risk, would either not manifest, or take much longer to do so?

Shared Learning and Scale: Does the project include a clear and intentional plan for sharing findings, lessons learned, and—where appropriate—tools, data, or code with the broader public benefits community and other relevant stakeholders? Is there a reasonable path to scalability, if the solution is successful?

Applications will be reviewed in three rounds: Round 1 – Eligibility and Completeness The PBIF team will screen applications for completeness and alignment with eligibility criteria. Round 2 – Comprehensive Review Selected proposals will be evaluated by a panel of reviewers with expertise in product, policy , engineering, operations, and public benefits systems.

Each proposal will be reviewed by 3 evaluators, scored across the five criteria above, and assessed for strategic fit with PBIF’s portfolio. Round 3 – Technical Deep Dive Finalists will meet with reviewers to answer clarifying questions, share technical details, and provide additional documentation (e.g., system architecture, partnership commitments).

Based on these reviews and conversations, a final slate of 5–10 grantees will be awarded funding. Applications will be reviewed by a diverse group of evaluators, including technologists, government leaders, product strategists, and public benefits experts. Each brings deep experience in building or implementing systems that serve the public.

The full list of questions are in the application here. Proposal Submission Deadline The mid point or final report should include a demonstration and mitigation plans for potential harms (ex. Harm bounty).

Click here to download the application as a PDF. For questions or clarifications regarding this RFP, please contact info@publicbenefitinnovationfund. org.