Mother Up (Mothers Outreach Network) New

Pilot
Announced 2023. Phase 2 pre-pilot results were published in November 2025 and recruitment for Phase 3 opened thereafter. Organisation reported ~$1.1M revenue and $1.2M total assets in FY2024 with 79% of spending on programmes.

Mother Up is a guaranteed income pilot run by Mothers Outreach Network, a Washington DC nonprofit, paying $500 a month for up to three years to Black mothers living below 250% of the federal poverty level, with a focus on mothers involved in the child welfare system. It is a philanthropically funded, community-lawyering organisation testing cash as an alternative to punitive child-welfare intervention.

Funding
Non-state
Blockchain

None (fiat)

Social identity

Targeted eligibility: Black mothers in Washington DC living below 250% of the federal poverty level, with priority for mothers who are or have been involved with the child welfare system. Enrollment by application and community referral; cash is unconditional once enrolled.

Social mining

$500 per month for up to three years, paid directly to participating mothers with no spending restrictions, alongside optional peer support and legal advocacy.

Token economics

Philanthropic grants and donations to a DC 501(c)(3) public charity, including support from the Greater Washington Community Foundation and other regional funders. Not a city-budget programme, though the organisation advocates for DC public guaranteed income policy.

Governance

Mothers Outreach Network Inc., a Washington DC 501(c)(3) (EIN 27-4647364), with a participatory "Mother Up research group" that includes participants; member of the DC Guaranteed Income Coalition.

Verified users
Small cohorts in the dozens across pre-pilot phases; Phase 3 recruitment open
Key people

Melody Webb (founder and executive director)

Locations
Washington, DC, USA
Notes

- Distinctive framing: cash as a family-preservation tool, testing whether guaranteed income reduces child-welfare system involvement driven by poverty rather than abuse.
- Small scale compared with other US programmes; still in phased pilot form rather than at scale.
- The organisation also campaigns against DC budget cuts to public cash programmes, but its own pilot is philanthropically funded.