UpTogether

Breakthrough No. 26 — UpTogether
Founded 2001 | U.S. national model | 200,000+ families reached in 20+ cities | 2023 budget: $30.8 M

What if the best way to fight poverty in America wasn’t more programs, but more trust?

That’s the premise behind UpTogether, formerly the Family Independence Initiative—a national nonprofit that flips the poverty playbook. Instead of delivering aid through rigid rules and caseworkers, UpTogether gives direct cash investments to families, then lets them lead their own path forward—often in peer groups that meet, share strategies, and build each other up.

The result: rising incomes, growing savings, stronger networks—and families who say they finally feel seen.

Founded by Mauricio Lim Miller, a former social service leader turned MacArthur “Genius” and Ashoka Fellow, UpTogether has grown from a bold Oakland experiment into a national platform with 200,000+ participants and deep partnerships in cities like Boston, San Antonio, and Chicago. During COVID, they helped move over $150 M in direct relief. In 2021, MacKenzie Scott backed the model with a $40 M gift.

Their philosophy?

Low‑income families don’t need fixing. They need backing.

UpTogether is also playing a central role in the growing U.S. movement for direct cash transfers and guaranteed income—helping make the case that trust, not surveillance, is the foundation of economic mobility.

uptogether.org
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