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Forus provides an open-source platform that allows governments and charitable organizations to issue and manage social benefit policies. The platform supports collaboration between key stakeholders: sponsors, validators, requestors, and providers through a complete set of functionalities that facilitate the entire benefit issuing process.

With Forus, individuals can easily find and apply for available innitiatives (funds). Once eligible, they receive digital vouchers or direct monetary support. These vouchers can then be spent at validated providers, ensuring funds are used as intended. Payments are securely facilitated through the platform, and sponsors benefit from detailed management information to monitor usage and impact effectively.

Each of the four roles represents a distinct type of end-user stakeholder: a person or organization that interacts directly with the platform as part of the benefit issuance process.

• Requestors: Individuals who apply for social benefits such as subsidies, vouchers, or financial support.
• Sponsors: Organizations, such as municipalities or charities, that create and fund social benefit programs.
• Providers: Vendors or service providers that accept vouchers or benefits as payment for their goods or services.
• Validators: Organizations responsible for reviewing and approving applications to ensure eligibility and compliance.

These high-level goals define the long-term outcomes we want to achieve with the Forus platform. They guide product decisions, stakeholder alignment, and the development of platform capabilities.

1. Enable self-service for all stakeholders
   Design a SaaS platform that empowers every end-user — including sponsors, validators, requestors, and providers — to independently onboard, configure, and access all available functionalities. The platform should minimize the need for external support, while optional guidance remains available where necessary.

2. Ensure inclusivity across all user groups
   Support sponsors in reaching every eligible person, regardless of their level of digital literacy. While the platform is digital-first, it must also support offline-compatible methods to ensure no one is excluded from receiving benefits due to lack of digital access.

3. Outperform legacy systems through simplicity and efficiency
   Provide a modern, intuitive alternative to traditional benefit administration tools. By emphasizing self-service, digital-first design, and transparent pricing, the platform eliminates the need for expensive consultancy and complex implementation processes.

4. Promote transparency and public accountability
   Foster trust by ensuring the platform is open and accessible, and that sponsors can operate in a transparent, auditable manner. The platform should support clarity around how social benefit funds are distributed and used, reinforcing responsible governance.

5. Integrate seamlessly with public infrastructure and standards
   Ensure the platform is open, interoperable, and designed to integrate with existing systems used by municipalities, charities, and national agencies. By adopting public standards for authentication, data exchange, and APIs, the platform supports secure integration, aligns with European regulations, and future-proofs its role in the evolving digital public sector.

6. Facilitate collaboration while respecting local autonomy
   Create a connected platform that allows organizations to work together without sacrificing their own identity, policies, or rules. By enabling secure data sharing and offering a unified experience for people in need, the platform reduces fragmentation — while allowing each sponsor to retain full control over how their programs are presented, managed, and accessed.

Forus operates as a collaboration between the Forus Foundation (Stichting Forus) and Forus Operations B.V. Together, they form a collective that values transparency and aims to provide the platform as an alternative to closed traditional IT systems used by governmental and charitable organizations. We believe that software used by governments should be transparent, so citizens have the opportunity to understand how these systems work.

The Forus Foundation is dedicated to developing transparent software for social good. It is the steward of the source code for the Forus platform and the mobile application Me. The foundation guards the open-source values and fosters an open community. All code is publicly available for anyone to review and contribute.

Forus Operations B.V. offers the platform as a SaaS solution for those who cannot deploy the code themselves. This commercial branch ensures independence and continuity by providing surrounding services such as support, updates, integrations, and security maintenance.

The Me app is a companion to the Forus platform, providing a digital wallet and login solution for citizens. With the Me app, citizens can manage their social benefits, track transactions, and use QR codes for payments, all from their mobile devices. Providers can also use the app to accept QR code payments, making transactions efficient and secure.

The Forus platform and Me app are licensed under the GNU Affero General Public License v3 (AGPLv3), allowing users to freely use, modify, and distribute the software. This license ensures transparency, encourages collaboration, and protects the freedom of software for public benefit.

For inquiries, please reach out to us at [email protected] or visit our website at forus.io.