The Magnolia Mother's Trust New

Active
Six cohorts completed or under way, reaching more than 550 mothers since 2018. The sixth cohort has over 100 participants and $1,398,250 in cash was disbursed to families during 2025.

The Magnolia Mother's Trust, run by the Jackson, Mississippi nonprofit Springboard To Opportunities, gives extremely low-income Black mothers living in federally subsidised affordable housing $1,000 a month for 12 months with no restrictions. Launched in 2018, it is the longest-running guaranteed income programme in the current US cash movement and is funded entirely by private donors.

Funding
Non-state
https://springboardto.org/magnolia-mothers-trust/
Blockchain

None (fiat)

Social identity

Targeted, not universal: applicants must be Black mothers heading extremely low-income households in federally subsidised affordable housing communities served by Springboard To Opportunities in Jackson, Mississippi. Selection is by application and lottery/eligibility screening within that population; once enrolled, cash is fully unconditional.

Social mining

$1,000 per month for 12 consecutive months, paid directly to the mother with no spending restrictions. Children of participants also receive 529 college savings accounts. Optional (non-mandatory) goal-setting, mental-health and community programming is offered alongside.

Token economics

Private philanthropy only - the programme is described as fully funded by private donors across the country, including foundations such as the Argosy Foundation. No government money in the transfers.

Governance

Springboard To Opportunities, a Mississippi 501(c)(3), with a participant-informed design; published alumni study and policy briefs.

Verified users
550+ mothers cumulatively; ~100 per cohort
Key people

Aisha Nyandoro (founder and CEO of Springboard To Opportunities; 2026 Elevate Prize winner)

Locations
Jackson, Mississippi, USA
Links
Springboard To Opportunities - The Magnolia Mother's Trust
Springboard To Opportunities - 2025 recap
PBS - private financial assistance program for single mothers in Mississippi
Notes

- Time-limited (12 months per cohort) rather than permanent, so it is a guaranteed-income pilot rather than a true UBI, but it is unconditional and recurring.
- Deliberately structured to avoid benefits cliffs by working with housing authorities.
- Widely cited as the template for the US guaranteed-income wave.