The Cook County Promise Guaranteed Income Pilot will provide $500 monthly cash payments to 3,250 low-income families for 24 months. GiveDirectly, a global NGO specializing in direct giving, has been selected as the county’s payment administration partner. GiveDirectly selected AidKit as its technology partner for the pilot. In this role, AidKit will build and host applications and issue payments through its secure, scalable and mobile-friendly technology platform for direct cash programs.
AidKit eliminates the stress and inequity of obtaining assistance while providing the utmost in security and fraud protection. The entire sign-up process is being designed to be completed virtually, on a mobile device, in less than 30 minutes, and applicants can upload required documents at their convenience with robust online and in-person support options. AidKit’s application forms are multilingual and can be read out to the applicant using text-to-voice technology, so literacy is no barrier. And applicants can receive payments via bank transfer, debit card or virtual card, making aid easily accessible to the unbanked–an important consideration given that an estimated 5.4 percent of U.S. households do not have a checking or savings account.
“AidKit shares our passion for eliminating barriers to aid and ensuring that people have a positive experience when applying for our programs. We want our participants to feel empowered and hopeful, not confused and stressed. AidKit’s platform is intuitive, secure and designed for anyone to be able to use,” said GiveDirectly US Country Director Sarah Moran.
Nonprofits and government agencies have used AidKit to distribute over $50 million dollars to more than 34,000 people in some of the largest, most prominent income pilots in America. Earlier this year, AidKit and GiveDirectly partnered to launch Chicago’s Resilient Communities Pilot, which is in the process of disbursing $31.5 million to low-income households affected by COVID-19. In that program, 64% of applicants lived below the poverty line, with a full 40% experiencing deep poverty — the most challenging group for any poverty aid program to reach.
With the Cook County pilot, AidKit and GiveDirectly will use that same proven approach to reach an even larger group of families in need.
“With a $42 million investment, this two-year pilot is the largest publicly funded guaranteed income initiative in American history and will provide thousands of our residents with a stable economic foundation — many for the first time in their lives,” said Cook County Board of Commissioners President Toni Preckwinkle. “We are grateful to AidKit and GiveDirectly for their partnership in this effort as we work to get cash in the hands of folks who need it most in a manner that’s safe, secure and efficient.”
“Our highest goal at AidKit is to leverage technology to improve people’s lives. Cook County Promise represents an unprecedented opportunity to do that at scale. We’re honored to work with GiveDirectly and Cook County’s Bureau of Economic Development to provide a technology platform that meets people where they are -- one that helps advance equity while preventing fraud and keeping vital data secure, to help maximize the impact of this timely and important program,” said AidKit CEO and cofounder Katrina Van Gasse.
Applications for the Cook County Promise Guaranteed Income Pilot will open Thursday, October 6, 2022. For more information on eligibility and application details, visit the Cook County website at www.engagecookcounty.com/promise.
About AidKitAidKit is an advanced technology platform for delivering cash assistance and guaranteed income to those who need it most. It works with nonprofits and government organizations to serve diverse populations including the unhoused, the undocumented, and the unbanked. Applicants can register for aid on their mobile devices and receive payments via bank transfer, debit card or virtual card. AidKit balances convenience with security, protecting against fraud while ensuring the highest degree of data protection. AidKit powers some of the nation’s largest direct cash and guaranteed income pilots with tools that reduce administrative burden, increase impact, and protect participants’ personal information.
About GiveDirectlyGiveDirectly is a nonprofit that sends money directly to the world’s poorest, no strings attached. In the last decade, GiveDirectly has delivered $550M+ to over 1.25 million people across eleven countries, including $205M+ to over 200,000 low-income American households. GiveDirectly brings over a decade of expertise in deploying end-to-end cash programs for both disaster response and longer-term poverty alleviation programs, including guaranteed income programs.
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