Conference Presentation, Keynote
Modernizing America's Safety Net Through Public Interest Technology
- The SNAP program is projected to distribute approximately $100 billion in benefits in 2022, serving about a quarter of all American households, with 70% of program graduates expected to re-enter within two years.
- Propel serves over 5 million families monthly and has helped more than 500,000 SNAP recipients find jobs and assisted 200,000 families in accessing subsidized internet services.
- The company receives approximately $3 million in cash grants quarterly, such as in Q3 of the current year, and acts as a community partner for the Affordable Connectivity Program launch this summer.
- Propel is working with the CFPB to secure data rights for EBT cards equivalent to checking accounts, aiming to modernize the user experience by aggregating state-mandated data into a dignified interface.
- The organization defines its business model as public interest technology, relying on private sector monetization through marketing channels like employers paying to fill vacancies and merchants publishing coupons, rather than direct public contracts.
- Strategic expectations include the 2023 Farm Bill funding for programs like SNAP and the Child Tax Credit, alongside continued reliance on policymakers to maintain these safety net structures.
- The speaker identifies significant risks including the "sticky" nature of poverty, a financial services sector that offers only neutral support, and state administrators who prioritize fraud metrics and paperwork over user-friendly software.
- The outlook posits that solving poverty for tens of millions of Americans is a challenge too large for any single entity, requiring a combined approach from public, nonprofit, and private sectors.
- A significant portion of the US population, 90 million people, earn under $40,000 annually, yet the consumer tech industry has historically overlooked their needs in favor of middle to higher-income demographics.
- Current plans involve expanding the app's utility to help families navigate private sector services, treating government payments as primary funding sources, and utilizing a support staff comprised of former app users.