What Code for America does

Code for America is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit civic technology organization founded in 2009 and headquartered in Oakland, California, that builds digital products and policy infrastructure to modernize how U.S. government agencies deliver public benefits, administer tax credits, and seal criminal records. Its core products include the SNAP Policy Navigator (a Claude-powered AI tool built on Anthropic's Model Context Protocol for caseworker policy lookup), MarylandBenefits.gov (a unified mobile benefits application), BenefitsCal and GetYourRefund/GetCTC (tax and benefits filing tools), Clear My Record (automated criminal record sealing), and the AI Studio Accessibility Project (generative AI for PDF ADA compliance). Technology stack combines generative AI, entity resolution, document automation, and process-automation layers, applied through direct partnerships with state, county, and federal agencies across all 50 states.

The organization operates a nonprofit revenue model funded by philanthropic donations from major foundations and corporate partners (JPMorganChase, Google.org, Ballmer Group, Blue Meridian Partners, The Tepper Foundation) alongside government grants and contracts for technology implementation projects. Its go-to-market is relationship-driven enterprise field sales into government, complemented by event-driven community building through the annual Summit (800+ attendees) and FormFest (2,000+ registrants). End-user products are free to the public; the organization monetizes only via donations and government engagements.

In 2025, Code for America reported helping 7 million people access $22 billion in benefits across 27 states and Washington, D.C., a substantial scale-up from approximately 2.6 million people and $4.4 billion in 2024. The organization employs 251–500 staff in a remote-first model and has worked with over 500 government partners cumulatively. Its 2026 strategic moves include a partnership with Anthropic to deploy Claude-based AI tools into government benefits workflows and the appointment of a former State of California CTO as its incoming Chief Technology Officer.

Name

Code for America

Legal name

Code for America Labs, Inc.

Website

https://codeforamerica.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Code for America is a 501(c)(3) civic technology nonprofit founded in 2009 that builds AI-enabled digital products and policy infrastructure to help U.S. state, local, and federal government agencies modernize benefits delivery, tax filing, and criminal record sealing for low-income Americans.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

NAICS

Regulation, Licensing, and Inspection of Miscellaneous Commercial Sectors (926150)

SIC

Services-Prepackaged Software (7372)

akta.pro primary industry

Taxpayer Registration, Identity & Account Management (BPAIADAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Image/Document Quality Assurance (QC), Redaction & Compliance Prep (BPAAAKAK), Government Benefit & EBT / Social Program Cards (FSAMANAF)

Keywords

• Government technology solutions
• Public benefits administration
• Civic technology services
• Criminal record sealing
• Integrated benefits enrollment

Headquarters

HQ city

San Francisco

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Philanthropic Donations: Code for America operates as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization funded by individual and organizational donations. Major funders include JPMorganChase, Google.org, Ballmer Group, The Tepper Foundation, and Blue Meridian Partners. Donations support program delivery and organizational operations.
2. Government Grants and Contracts: Revenue from partnerships with government agencies at state, local, and federal levels for technology development and implementation projects.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Code for America is a 501(c)(3) civic technology nonprofit that designs, builds, and deploys digital products and AI tools for U.S. government agencies to modernize the delivery of public benefits. Its portfolio includes AI-powered caseworker tools (SNAP Policy Navigator built on Anthropic Claude, ASAP PDF accessibility automation, AI entity resolution), integrated multi-benefit enrollment portals (MarylandBenefits.gov, BenefitsCal), tax filing platforms (GetYourRefund, GetCTC, FileYourStateTaxes), and Clear My Record criminal record sealing technology.

Product overview

Code for America offers a portfolio of digital products and services focused on improving government service delivery across social safety net benefits, tax benefits, and criminal justice. The product portfolio includes AI-powered tools (SNAP Policy Navigator with Anthropic Claude, AI Studio Accessibility Project, AI entity resolution), integrated benefits enrollment platforms (MarylandBenefits.gov), tax filing tools (GetYourRefund, GetCTC, FileYourStateTaxes, GetStateCTC), record sealing technology (Clear My Record), and implementation resources (Work Requirements Implementation Toolkit, Government AI Landscape Assessment). Many products leverage Anthropic's Claude AI through the Model Context Protocol (MCP) standard for secure AI deployments in government settings. The offerings work alongside government agencies to build digital tools, change policies, and improve programs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• GetCalFresh: Digital assister tool for California SNAP applications (now sunset, transitioned to BenefitsCal)
• GetYourRefund
• GetCTC
• FileYourStateTaxes
• Clear My Record
• BenefitsCal
• MarylandBenefits.gov
• LA County Recovers
• SNAP Policy Navigator
• AI Studio Accessibility Project (ASAP)
• Summer EBT Enrollment Checker

Quantifiable outcome

• In 2025, helped 7 million people access $22 billion in benefits across safety net, criminal justice, and tax systems
• +8 more outcomes

Named customers11 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability8 records

Feature10 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• AnthropiccoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 8 May 2026Partnership to develop Claude-based AI tools to help government caseworkers administer public benefits, starting with SNAP. The SNAP Policy Navigator, built on Anthropic's Model Context Protocol (MCP), allows caseworkers to access real-time SNAP policy information across federal, state, and county levels. Partnership includes reusable tools adaptable across states and counties for modernizing government service delivery.
• Share Our StrengthcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to support Summer EBT program and build technology solutions to end childhood hunger. Goal to reach 30 million children through Summer EBT, the first new permanent federal food assistance program in almost 50 years.
• Beeck Center for Social Impact + InnovationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-host of FormFest, the annual virtual event on form design and service delivery. Partnership brings together participants from around the world to share knowledge about improving government forms.
• The Clean Slate InitiativecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on automatic record sealing policy design and implementation. Code for America provides technical expertise while The Clean Slate Initiative leads advocacy efforts. Together they work with advocates and government agencies in states passing Clean Slate policies.
• Washington, D.C.coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to facilitate timely and accurate delivery of SNAP, Medicaid, and TANF benefits using AI-powered entity resolution and error-prevention tools. Work addressing DC's high SNAP payment error rate.
• Pennsylvania Department of Human ServicescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner22-month partnership to reduce SNAP payment error rates, improve caseworker efficiency, and support customer service through accurate and efficient case processing.
• Maryland Department of Human ServicescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to launch Maryland Benefits One Application (MarylandBenefits.gov), a mobile-friendly integrated benefits application for SNAP, Medicaid, TANF, Energy Assistance, and WIC. Launched July 2025, served 510,000+ Marylanders.
• Los Angeles CountyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRapid response partnership after January 2025 wildfires to deliver service blueprint and redesigned mobile-friendly LA County Recovers website to help survivors rebuild.
• Texas Health and Human Services CommissioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to improve Medicaid renewal process, estimated to save 220,000 caseworker hours annually and help 500,000+ eligible clients retain health care coverage. Insights guiding improved workflow and eligibility system design for SNAP and TANF.

Scale indicators13 records

Recent moves1 record

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Civilla: Civic tech product studio that partners with state and local governments to redesign benefits, workforce, and human services experiences. Closely aligned mission and operating model with Code for America's safety net work.
• Findhelp (formerly Aunt Bertha): Largest social services network connecting people to public benefits (SNAP, Medicaid, housing, food assistance) across all 50 states. Directly competes in the benefits access and enrollment space with overlapping government agency customers.
• Nava: Public benefit corporation that designs, builds, and maintains digital services for federal and state government agencies (healthcare, housing, disaster recovery). Directly comparable as a civic tech firm partnering shoulder-to-shoulder with government to modernize service delivery.

Broad incumbents

• Intuit (TurboTax): Dominant commercial tax-preparation platform. Serves the same broad taxpayer population but as a for-profit product with paid tiers; competes with Code for America's free GetYourRefund, GetCTC, and FileYourStateTaxes tools at the low-income end of the market.
• H&R Block: Established tax preparation retailer with online and assisted channels. Competes for the same low- and middle-income filers that Code for America's free VITA-based tools serve, especially as the IRS Direct File ecosystem expands.

Regional players

• IRS Direct File: Government-built free federal tax filing tool that Code for America's GetYourRefund and FileYourStateTaxes complement and in some cases interoperate with. A directly adjacent government-built product competing for the same low-income filer audience.
• U.S. Digital Service (USDS): Federal government digital services team that modernizes federal agency technology. Operates inside government rather than as an independent nonprofit, but works on adjacent problems (benefits delivery, caseworker tools) for the same population.

Emerging players

• Center for Civic Design: Research and design organization focused on improving government forms and service delivery usability. Co-host of FormFest with Code for America; addresses adjacent problems with significant product and methodology overlap.
• Benefit Kitchen: Benefits eligibility screening platform that helps users identify programs they qualify for (SNAP, Medicaid, TANF, housing). Smaller and narrower in scope than Code for America, but overlapping in the benefits-discovery mission.

Others

• New America: Public policy think tank with active programs in public interest technology, economic mobility, and benefits policy. Not a direct competitor but a peer institution shaping the civic tech policy ecosystem in which Code for America operates.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/codeforamerica
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/CodeforAmerica
• Facebookfacebook.com/codeforamerica
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/660862
• Instagraminstagram.com/codeforamerica

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments2 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Code for America