Forus

About Forus

Forus is a Groningen-based scale-up. Forus develops and implements an online platform through which social regulations of municipalities and charities are issued. We prefer that as many people as possible receive what they are entitled to. We make the processes, from application to financial settlement, user-friendly, transparent, and efficient. We do this by automating where possible and supporting where necessary. In 2018, our solution for the Child Package was named "Best ICT Project in Government 2018" by Computable based on its "added value in terms of social benefit" and the broad applicability of the system. Earlier that year, the municipality of Zuidhorn also won the Municipality Pioneer Award 2018, where the renewed Child Package was recognized as "the best, most innovative, and most social example of digital service delivery". The Child Package is a budget of 300 euros per year for a child living in poverty, intended for the purchase of, for example, (sports) clothing, school supplies, or toys. The process from application to payout is completely unburdened. The beneficiary pays, for example, when buying school supplies, with a specific code and the entrepreneur receives the money directly credited from a linked, programmable account. This eliminates the need for post-hoc checking of receipts! This way, the municipality can be sure that the money is spent lawfully. Steps in the process (such as: application, award, and settlement) that are typically associated with high administrative costs are made more efficient and cost-saving through issuance via the Forus platform. Links with, for example, DigiD and external data sources (BRP) streamline the application and processing. We are currently linking with the Bank Nederlandse Gemeenten and HaalCentraal (Common Ground). Each step can be automated within the system, making it suitable for all regulations and services related to minimum income, WMO, sustainability, etc. Municipalities can start with a single regulation, but the system provides for all funds and regulations to be brought together in one place.