# Center for Civic Futures Funds State AI Pilots

The Center for Civic Futures announced **$11 million in grants for 11 projects** using AI to modernize public-benefit administration. The projects address eligibility processing, data use, legacy systems, and caseworker workload, with grants running from six months to two years. For procurement teams and technology providers, the funding supports controlled pilots that may inform later deployments, while emphasizing privacy safeguards, measurable outcomes, and reusable open-source tools.

- State agencies and contractors may find opportunities to support pilots involving benefits eligibility, data coordination, and modernization of legacy systems.
- Companies developing AI for public services should be prepared to demonstrate safeguards, performance across demographic groups, and measurable results; the stated focus includes controlled testing and privacy.
- Because the grants emphasize reusable open-source tools, businesses should evaluate how their offerings can support interoperable implementations and potential follow-on deployments.

**Jurisdictions:** sled
**Industries:** Information Technology
**Topics:** Artificial Intelligence, Grants & Funding
**Published:** October 23, 2026

### Government Entities
- North Carolina state government
- Maryland state government
- Colorado state government
- Mississippi state government
- New Jersey state government

### Key Quotes
> The real criteria are how this tool performs for people with different demographic characteristics and is there something about a particular tool that seems to be systematically disadvantageous to a particular segment of the population who’s receiving that intervention.
> — Danny Mintz, Director of Safety Net Policy at Code for America

> You can’t test and launch an amazing new AI tool that’s going to solve all your problems if you can’t even buy it.
> — Eleanor Davis, Director of the Public Benefit Innovation Fund

### Sources
- [$11M in AI grants aim to help states modernize public benefits | StateScoop](https://statescoop.com/11m-in-ai-grants-aim-to-help-states-modernize-public-benefits) - StateScoop