The American Idea Foundation (AIF) and Digital Asset — a developer of blockchain infrastructure for financial markets and large institutional participants — have announced a collaboration to launch RISE pilot programs in several US states. The technological foundation of the project will be the Canton blockchain network, developed by Digital Asset. AIF is a non-profit organization focused on public policy and social innovation.
RISE stands for Resources for Independence, Stability, and Employment. The program aims to simplify access to state benefits. Currently, families can receive different types of social assistance simultaneously, each with its own conditions, payment schedules, and reporting requirements.
Several types of social assistance will be paid out once a month or twice a month. Payment amounts will be able to change automatically based on family income, including after a person starts a job. The system will also support identity verification, fraud protection, mobile device access, and programmable rules for fund usage.
Canton will provide the infrastructure for conducting operations, managing access, configuring payment conditions, and controlling their distribution. Authorized government agencies, employees of non-profit organizations accompanying benefit recipients, and independent researchers will be able to access data on transactions and compliance.
The initial pilot projects will assess the program's impact on employment, income, benefit receipt, education, housing stability, and other indicators of families' economic well-being. The results obtained will help determine how to develop RISE further and which elements of the program should be scaled or changed.
Image: Magnific
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