CiviForm, the City of Seattle’s unified benefits application tool, was recognized today with a 2024 Anthem Award. The program makes it easier for residents to find and apply for multiple City discounts and benefits in one place. It received a Silver Award in the Humanitarian Action & Services – Product category.
CiviForm was co-designed with residents as a simple tool to quickly and conveniently apply for City services to save residents time and money on basic living expenses such as childcare, transportation, and food. During the pandemic, the City of Seattle launched CiviForm for residents and community organizations to find and apply to programs in their preferred language. Since its launch, CiviForm has helped over 14,000 residents apply to City programs with 19% reusing their information to quickly apply to two or more programs.
The tool was developed by Seattle’s Innovation and Performance team and Seattle Information Technology Department, with pro-bono support from Google.org Fellows – a program through Google’s philanthropic arm that provides technical expertise to help nonprofits and civic entities solve their biggest technical challenges. As an open-source tool, CiviForm benefits from collaborative development by the four governments that currently use it, with support from Google.org and Exygy. Additional governments are expected to join the CiviForm initiative, replicating the tool initially developed at the City of Seattle to improve access to government programs in other jurisdictions.
CiviForm delivers impact for residents and government staff. The program reduced time for residents to apply to City discount programs by 80% and offers up to $23,000 in total possible savings for qualified households. CiviForm is continuing to grow in Seattle, with more programs coming on board through Mayor Harrell’s Executive Order expanding the Affordable Seattle initiative.
CiviForm is the result of dedicated individuals at Google.org, Exygy, the City of Seattle, the City of Bloomington, the State of Arkansas, the City of Charlotte, and many other public benefit champions. Thank you to everyone who has been a part of this work!
Read more about the CiviForm Anthem Award. Learn about CiviForm, and check out Seattle’s benefit and discount programs at https://seattle.gov/affordable.