Responsive.
Resilient.
2024 was a year marked by change—some of it exhilarating, some of it daunting, but all of it underscoring the urgency and importance of Code for America’s mission.
Working as changemakers is far from easy. We must navigate layers of complexity knowing the next challenge is always on the horizon. Though our work never feels done, there’s quiet power in pausing to reflect on what we’ve achieved.
In 2024, we leaned into change at every opportunity. We embraced new programs and new technologies, working shoulder to shoulder with government to ensure that changing systems delivered real results for all.
We knew 2024 would be an inflection point for the civic tech community, and we were ready to meet the moment. We were standing by to respond to new opportunities and new challenges with agility and our unique Code for America approach. And we were confident that all of these changes would ultimately lead to a government that is more resilient.
It’s an especially meaningful moment for reflection, as Code for America has hit a major milestone: our 15th anniversary. The traditional 15th anniversary gift is crystal, which symbolizes light, clarity, and durability—three values that we are holding close as we navigate opportunities and challenges that lie ahead of us.
I’m proud to share highlights of our 2024 impact, as a reminder of what we can achieve when we believe in the power and potential of change for good.
Amanda Renteria
Chief Executive Officer
Table of contents.
Our impact.
Our greatest strength is being able to meet the moment—whether it’s a national crisis, an administration transition, or a new or changed policy.
2.6 million
apply for or renew benefits,
or file a tax return
$4.3 billion
in benefits
2024 highlights.
In 2024, we helped government serve people by modernizing government services, aligning policy with implementation, building scalable solutions nationwide, and leading the civic technology field.
Modernizing government services to deliver better for all
We’re driving modernization that goes beyond improving access to government services—we’re transforming the way government works by enhancing effectiveness and meeting people’s needs in real time. We’re going deeper into states to address complex issues in complicated systems so that government services are accessible, reliable, and future-ready.
Building a best-in-class benefits application in Arizona
In 2024, we partnered with Arizona’s Department of Economic Security (ADES) to lay the groundwork for launching a best-in-class online integrated benefits application form that brings together five programs: Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), medical assistance, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), and child care.
We’re committed to simplifying the path for Arizona residents to access the food, nutrition, and energy assistance they deserve. By streamlining the process, we can unlock life-changing opportunities:
600,000+
More than 600,000 households receive SNAP benefits in Arizona—and many among that subset likely are eligible for other assistance programs.
80%
From prior experience, we know that an integrated benefits process can reduce the time it takes to complete an application by 80%.
Making access to benefits easier for Marylanders
In partnership with the Maryland Department of Human Services and Maryland Total Human-Services Integrated Network (MD THINK), we set out to make it easier and faster for Marylanders to access their public benefits. Over three months, we piloted MarylandBenefits in two counties, testing improvements to the online application process—with the goal of delivering benefits in a way that works for the people who rely on them.
1,300+
More than 1,300 eligible people applied for food assistance, cash assistance, and/or energy assistance during the pilot.
1,180 hrs
Average completion time was 18 minutes, down from 70 minutes—a total savings of 1,180 hours for applicants in the pilot.
We’re excited to apply the insights and designs from the pilot to enhance Maryland’s benefits application on the MD THINK portal. The updated application—set to launch in 2025—will streamline access to SNAP, cash assistance programs, and energy assistance, making it easier for Marylanders to get the support they need.
Scaling solutions that change lives nationwide
From coast to coast, we’re taking what works and expanding it. We deliver meaningful change to millions of families and communities by scaling proven solutions across states, ensuring the best ideas and tools create the broadest impact.
Making tax filing easy and (dare we say it) delightful
In early 2024, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) launched the first-ever free public online tax filing product—Direct File—which simplified the process of filing a federal tax return. Code for America partnered with Arizona and New York to build FileYourStateTaxes, a companion product that allowed Direct File taxpayers to also file their state returns for free. The product was essential to making state tax filing seamless and easy for Direct File users.
Code for America played an instrumental role in raising awareness of Direct File and shepherding its expansion alongside community-based groups from across the country. Now, following a successful pilot phase, the tax filing tool—previously available in 12 states—is a permanent federal program available to taxpayers in 25 states. Through new partnerships in Idaho, Maryland, New Jersey, and North Carolina, we will continue to advance access to free and easy online state tax filing for Direct File users in these states.
96%
FileYourStateTaxes achieved a 96% satisfaction rate among users, who reported being “satisfied” or “very satisfied” with their tax filing experience.
< 15 min
The product enabled nine out of 10 users to complete their state returns in under 15 minutes.
Funder spotlight
Direct File is expected to help families with low incomes access up to $12 billion in unclaimed federal tax benefits each year. FileYourStateTaxes builds on years of our work to simplify the tax filing process for millions of people through partnership with the IRS and our tools like GetCTC and GetYourRefund. We are grateful for the philanthropic support of this critical work by the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Philanthropies, Gates Foundation, Ballmer Group, William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, and more incredible partners.
Celebrating five years of GetYourRefund
In 2024, GetYourRefund—the trusted digital front door to free tax filing assistance for low- to moderate-income households—marked its fifth tax season. This milestone came during a transformative year for tax filing, with the launch of IRS Direct File underscoring the growing momentum for free, user-friendly solutions that allow people to file directly with the government. To date, GetYourRefund has helped more than 243,000 people file their taxes—30,000 of them in 2024 alone.
Supported by the IRS and offered in partnership with Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) organizations nationwide, GetYourRefund connects people to flexible cash that helps them meet basic needs, find and keep living wage jobs, and handle unexpected emergencies.
Our work on GetYourRefund has been a key contributor to the development of FileYourStateTaxes, our companion state tax filing tool with IRS Direct File. In 2020, we developed a simplified filing process to help people access pandemic-era stimulus payments. We subsequently published a report about simplified filing, which led to a partnership with the Department of Treasury, and ultimately, to GetCTC, a simplified web filing application that facilitated access to the Child Tax Credit and Economic Impact Payments. The infrastructure behind GetCTC was the foundation for FileYourStateTaxes, which made it possible for taxpayers in two states to file a state tax return online for free in 2024 and expanded to include four more states in 2025.
$43 million
We helped distribute $43 million in flexible cash through GetYourRefund.
$4.8 million
We contributed to $4.8 million in taxpayer savings on filing fees.
Helping people retain their Medicaid coverage
We’re working to ensure everyone—regardless of income—has access to health care. In 2024, we partnered with Colorado, Minnesota, and Pennsylvania to maximize automatic Medicaid renewals when up-to-date client information is available, helping alleviate administrative burden for clients and government agencies alike. Ultimately, successful automatic renewals result in clients receiving continuous coverage without needing to fill out forms, turn in documents, or wait in an office, and government agencies saving critical staff hours while ensuring eligible people stay enrolled in Medicaid.
215,000
Our work on automatic Medicaid renewals reached 215,000 people.
$3.2 billion
We delivered $3.2 billion in benefits.
Funder spotlight
The Public Health Emergency unwinding resulted in a lot of eligible people losing their healthcare coverage because of paperwork and other administrative challenges. With the generous support of the AARP Foundation, Arnold Ventures, and The Families and Workers Fund, we're helping millions retain medical coverage and saving state governments money and time.
Bridging the gap between policy and practice
We’re turning bold ideas into actionable change. By drafting policies and implementation plans grounded in real-world needs, we’re helping leaders turn visions into tangible outcomes. Our approach ensures that policies work as intended and deliver results that matter.
Streamlining processes to clear eligible records automatically
Code for America continues to be a leader in the movement to ensure people with a criminal record can access employment, housing, and other critical opportunities for a better life. In just over five years, we’ve helped more than 20 states design implementable automatic record clearance policies— and helped 11 of the 12 states with Clean Slate laws pass their policies.
We’ve helped advance Clean Slate policies nationwide by tackling implementation challenges, demonstrating proven solutions to government agencies, and offering technical guidance to eight states across the political spectrum. To further support this work, we created the Advocate’s Guide to Automatic Record Clearance and a 38-State Implementation Readiness Assessment—two essential resources designed to build capacity and accelerate progress on the ground.
30+
Our team provided 30+ technical policy recommendations across eight states, setting a foundation that will better enable states to clear records once they pass a Clean Slate policy.
1000s/mo
We developed two technology solutions used by Utah courts to automatically identify thousands of records per month that are eligible to be cleared.
Streamlining child care assistance applications for families and providers
In Illinois, we worked with the Illinois Department of Human Services to create an online application for the Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP) that is simple, accessible, and easy for families and providers to use. This first-of-its-kind product adapts federal best practices and implements them at the state level.
Through this mobile-friendly product, which is available in both English and Spanish, we’re creating a model for the child care assistance application process. In addition to making it easier for families to access child care, our work is streamlining the approval process for providers who wish to participate in CCAP, thus expanding the supply of child care providers in Illinois.
200,000
Our efforts laid the groundwork to help more parents in Illinois access child care assistance for their children, nearly 200,000 of whom are enrolled in the state’s child care assistance program.
< 20 min
The online product made it possible for families to complete an application for child care assistance—a process that previously took days or weeks—in less than 20 minutes.
Leading the way to a stronger civic tech ecosystem
As a trusted leader in the civic tech field, we’re shaping the future of government by setting the standard for best practices. Through collaboration, innovation, and thought leadership, we’re influencing how governments across the nation approach modernization and service delivery.
A historic chance to combat childhood hunger with Summer EBT
Summer EBT—the first new permanent federal food assistance program in nearly 50 years—marks a historic step in addressing child hunger. Building on our experience providing states with technical assistance to distribute Pandemic-EBT (P-EBT) and creating online P-EBT applications in California and Minnesota during the COVID-19 pandemic, we knew we could play a critical role in helping states successfully implement this new program.
That’s why we worked with No Kid Hungry, a campaign of Share Our Strength, to create the Summer EBT Playbook, a comprehensive, free resource designed to help state agencies plan for and implement a human-centered Summer EBT program. In 2024, our team also shared our expertise with states via additional in-depth resources that supplement the playbook.
50 states
The playbook has been distributed to all 50 states by the USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service.
2,500
It has been downloaded more than 2,500 times since its publication.
In partnership with Share Our Strength, we provided technical assistance to three states (New York, Vermont, and Arkansas) and one Tribal Nation (Cherokee Nation) and will be working with five additional jurisdictions (Kentucky, Pennsylvania, Maryland, North Dakota, and Washington, D.C.) on administering Summer EBT in 2025.
Funder spotlight
As a funder and programmatic partner through its No Kid Hungry campaign, Share Our Strength is aligned in our commitment to helping kids, families, and communities. Together, we're working to ensure states are able to implement a human-centered Summer EBT program.
Sharing decades of experience in benefits accessibility
Over the last decade, Code for America has gained substantial expertise in making online safety net benefits enrollment simpler, faster, more responsive to clients, and more effective for states. In 2024, we brought together our fundamental best practices for client-centered digital enrollment in the Benefits Playbook for Designing Human-Centered Applications: a one-stop resource for leaders within state human service agencies who want their websites to be more accessible to people who need them most.
The playbook has:
550
The playbook has garnered more than 550 downloads.
great synthesis
It has received resounding praise from members of staff at government agencies and peer nonprofit organizations, one of whom called it “a great synthesis of best practices and lessons learned.”
Spotlight
The power of place
Memphis has one of the highest populations nationwide of young adults (aged 16 to 24) who have not been enrolled in school or employed for the last 12 months. To help Memphis address this challenge, we completed a discovery and research phase to understand the barriers they face in connecting to education and employment services.
As a result, government and local partners are implementing a new digital platform to make their services more accessible to youth, and we are providing technical assistance to ensure it meets the needs of youth and partners. This work will help Memphis meet its goal of connecting 1,000 youth to education and employment opportunities in 2025.
Shaping the ecosystem.
Code for America also holds a critical role as a convener for the civic tech community—bringing thousands of people together to learn, connect, and chart a collective path forward.
Code for America Summit 2024
Building a new digital age that works for all
In May, Code for America Summit returned home to Oakland, CA for our flagship event focused on tackling some of government’s biggest challenges.
- 1,041 registrants
- 66% first-time attendees
- 39% government attendees
Notable speakers included:
- Dr. Safiyah Noble, UCLA professor and MacArthur Fellow
- Robin Carnahan, Administrator, U.S. General Services Administration
- Introductions by Governors Tim Walz (MN), Kathy Hochul (NY), and Josh Shapiro (PA)
FormFest 2024
Better government, one form at a time
Our second annual FormFest, cohosted with the Beeck Center for Social Impact + Innovation at Georgetown University, brought together an international community of form enthusiasts to share their knowledge and passion for improving forms as a gateway to government.
- 2,000+ registrants
- Attendees from 30 countries
- 70 speakers from 20+ organizations
Thought leadership for the civic tech ecosystem
Leadership and board.
Board members
- Amanda Renteria, Chief Executive Officer
- John Lilly, Board Chair
- Shona Brown, Board Finance Chair
- Angela Blanton, Board Member
- Brett Loper, Board Member
- David Singleton, Board Member
- Suzan Kereere, Board Member
- Tim O’Reilly, Board Member
- Wendy De La Rosa, Board Member
- Spencer Kympton, Board Observer
Executive team
- Amanda Renteria, Chief Executive Officer
- Arlene Corbin Lewis, Chief Communications and Marketing Officer
- David Schlendorf, Chief Financial Officer
- Scott Johnston, Chief Product Officer
- Yasmin Fodil, Chief Operating Officer
Looking ahead.
On the path of making government work well for everyone, we know that change is constant. Our task is to lean into the change that will help us maximize our impact, and to help our government partners do the same. We’ve seen an eagerness to embrace change in government over the past few years that we never could have imagined in the early days of the civic tech movement.
Now, our charge is to keep the momentum going even as the world around us changes.
It’s a fitting time to reflect on those early days, as we’ve entered a milestone year in 2025: Code for America’s 15th anniversary. We’re immensely proud of how much we’ve grown, and how much the entire community has grown alongside us. We are no longer banging down government’s door, but being given a seat at the table as human-centered technology practices are integrated directly into program and policy crafting. We’ve come a long way—and we know we have a long way to go before our vision for a government that works well for everyone is truly realized. Now, our charge is to keep the momentum going even as the world around us changes.
With this community, we’re ready to keep building, strengthening, and delivering where it matters most.
- For donor inquiries: giving@codeforamerica.org
- For press inquiries: media@codeforamerica.org
- View our financial statementsarrow_right_alt