Last week, Google.org announced that One Degree had been selected—out of a global pool of 3,000 applicants—to join a cohort of social sector organizations working to harness the power of AI to serve their communities and advance their missions.

Over the next two years, we will be reimagining the possibilities of the One Degree platform—using generative AI to cut through paperwork, strengthen collaboration, and improve access to critical social services and benefits.

America’s Social Safety Net Is Broken

Currently, millions of families struggle to access services that could transform their lives. Today’s social safety net has become a patchwork of nonprofits and government providers doing their best to operate without the digital tools needed to communicate, coordinate, and collaborate effectively in a changing world. Without these solutions, families are left to navigate an increasingly unhelpful system filled with unreliable data, incompatible systems, inaccessible waitlists, impenetrable eligibility requirements, offline enrollment forms, and even illegal scams.

An Opportunity for Change

One Degree sees this as an extraordinary opportunity to drive meaningful change. Being part of the Accelerator will give us the resources and support needed to explore new and better ways to deliver benefits and services. We believe that generative AI will be an essential tool for scaling personalized support in social services, reducing administrative burden, and improving accessibility.

“We believe that generative AI will be an essential tool for scaling personalized support in social services, reducing administrative burden, and improving accessibility.”

Traditional rule-based systems can’t handle complex eligibility rules, multilingual support, or unstructured data such as PDFs and case notes. AI can access siloed data sources, pre-fill applications, summarize case files, and generate personalized care plans. With AI-enhanced workflows and predictive recommendations, we can help prevent more families from falling through the gaps in the safety net by connecting them to the right resources before they reach a crisis point.

Leveraging the Power of Philanthropy

Thanks to philanthropy, we will now have the opportunity to pursue that vision.

We are deeply grateful to Google.org for investing in this work and excited to help build a stronger, more connected social safety net for our communities.

Stay tuned for updates as we move this initiative forward—together.