Philadelphia, PA, January 15, 2020 – Ballmer Group – the philanthropic organization co-founded by Connie and Steve Ballmer – has awarded Benefits Data Trust (BDT) a $5 million, five-year grant to scale its impact and improve economic mobility and health for millions of families. Ballmer Group’s investment in BDT serves as a complement to grants announced in October from The Rockefeller Foundation and Mastercard, totaling $7.5 million.
“Today, millions of low-income people across the nation experience hunger, poor health, and other challenges because they cannot easily tap public benefits,” said Trooper Sanders, CEO of BDT. “This investment from Ballmer Group will accelerate our ability to scale dignified, data-driven, technology-enabled benefits access solutions that will help reduce poverty, lower healthcare costs, and improve people’s chances for economic mobility.”
BDT currently offers benefit enrollment assistance in six states and policy assistance to many more states nationwide. BDT also works with health plans, hospital systems, and health information exchanges to enroll people in benefits essential for good health and wellness. This grant will make it easier for BDT to provide enrollment support and policy assistance in new states and geographies, add new benefits to its portfolio, and enhance its digital products.
“Public benefits provide crucial support for kids and families seeking economic mobility, yet the process to access these benefits is often full of barriers, and awareness of eligibility remains a challenge for many,” said Korey Klein, Ballmer Group’s portfolio manager for technology and data infrastructure. “Benefits Data Trust has proven success in leveraging technology, policy assistance, and customer service to increase awareness of eligibility and break down barriers to accessing critical benefits. We are excited to support their efforts to scale their impact.”
Recent grants from Ballmer Group, The Rockefeller Foundation, and Mastercard are foundational investments in BDT’s plans to dramatically increase its impact to help more families access food, healthcare, and housing. These grants coupled with future commitments will further BDT’s transformation into a data-driven organization that can serve more people with dignity and respect faster, and at a lower cost.
About Benefits Data Trust
Benefits Data Trust (BDT) is a national nonprofit that helps people live healthier, more independent lives by creating smarter ways to access essential benefits and services. Each year, BDT helps tens of thousands of people receive critical supports using data, technology, targeted outreach, and policy change. Since inception in 2005, BDT has screened more than one million households and secured over $7 billion in benefits and services. BDT employs more than 170 people and provides enrollment assistance to individuals in six states and policy assistance to states nationwide. For more information, visit bdtrust.org and follow us on Twitter @BeneDataTrust.
About Ballmer Group
Ballmer Group works to improve economic mobility for children and families in the United States who are disproportionately likely to remain in poverty. We believe that building pathways to opportunity requires broad, systemic change. We invest in many stages of a child’s life by supporting strong community partnerships among public, private, and nonprofit organizations that use data to more effectively serve families. Ballmer Group was co-founded by philanthropist and civic activist Connie Ballmer and her husband Steve Ballmer, former CEO of Microsoft, founder of USAFacts, and chairman of the Los Angeles Clippers. Learn more at www.ballmergroup.org and on Twitter @BallmerGroup.