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Marc Freedman Portrait

The Latest from CoGenerate

Event Recording: Book Talk: Cogeneration in the Age of AI

Event Recording: Book Talk: Cogeneration in the Age of AI

Simple question: Do you miss human connection when you use self-checkout at the grocery store? Complex question: How is cogeneration threatened by AI, profit-driven “efficiencies,” and automation — and what can we do about it? Allison Pugh, author of the book The Last...

Putting Two Things Together

Putting Two Things Together

On Friday, May 15, I had the great honor to address the 2026 graduates of Drew University, including the undergraduate College of Liberal Arts, the Theological School, and the Caspersen School of Graduate Studies. I'm very grateful to Drew's remarkable President...

Introducing the CoGen Voices Fellows

Introducing the CoGen Voices Fellows

Across the country, young people and older people are stepping up as civic leaders. But too often, they do this critical work with peers, in age-segregated spaces. Young people work without the benefit of older generations who bring lived experience, networks, and a...

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Warren Kantor

Benefits Data Trust
Purpose Prize Fellow 2008

Helping low-income older adults cut red tape to receive benefits due them.

Warren Kantor managed financial services institutions during a long career. Trying to obtain property rebates for his elderly mother opened his eyes to the tremendous difficulties facing older adults in receiving benefits. In 2002, at 61, he created the Foundation to Benefit Our Seniors in Philadelphia, and in 2005, founded a national program, the Benefits Data Trust, to help older adults apply for and receive the government benefits due them Fewer than half of eligible older adults are now enrolled to receive the government benefits to which they are entitled. Benefits Data Trust uses all the techniques and vendors of the direct nail and credit card industries to identify, find and enroll these individuals in the programs holding benefits for them. Benefits Data Trust enrolled older adults in over 125,000 benefit programs in 2006 and 2007. It costs the organization about $100 in expenses to obtain an average benefit of $3,000 per person per year for 10 years: $30,000 cumulative benefits to the individual. AARP, Kaiser Permanente, The Department of Aging of Pennsylvania, Medicare (CMS), and United Health Care have all contracted with Benefits Data Trust to help them find eligible recipients of their services. “I realized I could help thousands of people by using my organizational and professional skills for a social purpose.”