Partnering with UpTogether

UpTogether’s mission and vision depends on philanthropic and government partners. These are two examples of successful partnerships that centered UpTogether’s strength-based approach. 

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MOMentum partnership with Marin Community Foundation

UpTogether and the Marin Community Foundation launched the MOMentum fund to invest in 125 moms of color with children under the age of 18 living in Marin County, California. These moms are receiving $1,000 per month for two years and have the opportunity to collaborate on the UpTogether Community platform to connect with other moms, facilitate networking, develop goals and share information and resources. This fund is designed to give moms an opportunity for greater independence over their lives, finances and futures, for them and their children.

A few members of the fund formed a working group called MOMentors. These MOMentors participate in quarterly advisory council meetings and participate in the evaluation design process, ensuring that member voice is present in all key decisions. 

As the Marin Community Foundation engages in their own strategic planning process with a refocused eye towards systems change, they share strong alignment with our strength-based approach and have adopted a mindset of “solidarity not charity.”

Alongside the Marin Community Foundation, we actively seek opportunities to share our partnership and learnings and our making progress towards furthering our collaboration with Marin County government to inform local benefits structures, waiver procurement, and potentially launch a county-level guaranteed income project.

 

The Ann Arbor Area Community Foundation (AAACF) and United Way of Washtenaw County (UWWC)

The Ann Arbor Area Community Foundation (AAACF) and United Way of Washtenaw County (UWWC) partnered with UpTogether to create a fund to support families in the Ann Arbor/Washtenaw County region. In collaboration with local nonprofits*, we identified 45 families to receive $5,000, quarterly, over two years. Families will receive their final payments in April 2024. 

This fund was a true testament to the power of community. Private foundations joined together with a total of seven grassroots organizations to identify families to receive funds. Both AAACF and UWWC continue to be champions of our work at the city level, uplifting and advocating for our strength-based approach. 




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Testimonials

“We are honored to be in partnership with UpTogether. UpTogether values, and yields to the power, dignity, and autonomy of their members. This is further reflected in how UpTogether members drive data and proposed innovative policy solutions to support families and communities moving up together.” 

-Dr. Raquel Hatter, Managing Director National Human Services Program, and Wendy Jackson, Managing Director Detroit Program.

“Through our COVID-19 relief efforts, our organizations saw the power of mutual aid in the form of cash assistance to families. UpTogether members work alongside each other to build social capital, financial knowledge, as they use their cash investments to manage their individual household needs. We feel urgency around piloting a permanent solution to the continued financial insecurity experienced by Washtenaw County families…We must do something radically different to shift these community conditions.”

-Pam Smith, President & CEO of UWWC.

“Texas Women’s Foundation is excited to fund UpTogether’s Targeted Eviction Prevention Project (TEPP) in Dallas as a part of our Housing Stability Fund. We see this approach of trusting and investing in people as a powerful initiative to keep families in their homes and promote economic stability for women and their families. People show us that they’re experts in their own lives, capable of making the decisions best for their families. We are proud to partner with an organization that sees individuals experiencing poverty and financial hardship for their strengths, not their deficits.” 

– Dena Jackson, Chief Strategy Officer at Texas Women’s Foundation

“The City of Austin and the Equity Office are grateful for our partnership with UpTogether on guaranteed income and the opportunity to invest directly in Austinites facing housing insecurity. UpTogether’s model of seeing people for their strengths, not their deficits, sets the organization apart. We strongly believe this approach is disrupting the status quo and is helping create a more equitable city.”

– Kellee Coleman, Interim Chief Equity Officer, City of Austin