[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"doc-seo-586336-105":3,"detail-sidebar-cat-0-en-105":81,"doc-detail-586336-en":130},{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":6},0,"ok",{"site_id":7,"language":8,"slug":9,"title":10,"keywords":11,"description":12,"schema_data":13,"social_meta":74,"head_meta":76,"extra_data":78,"updated_unix":80},105,"en","insight-from-rise-up-cambridge-promoting-economic-stability-through-cash-assistance-executive-summary","Insight from Rise Up Cambridge: Promoting Economic Stability Through Cash Assistance - Executive Summary","","Unrestricted cash assistance programs receive renewed attention as a poverty-alleviation approach, especially after COVID-19-related economic harm. This report summarizes findings from MDRC’s mixed-methods evaluation of Rise Up Cambridge, an 18-month citywide program providing $500 monthly to low-income families with children aged 21 or younger. Participants reported lower stress and improved in-program stability, with limited long-term financial changes and stronger outcomes among higher-income households, informing how to design targeted interventions for economic mobility.",{"@graph":14,"@context":73},[15,34,56],{"@type":16,"itemListElement":17},"BreadcrumbList",[18,23,27,31],{"item":19,"name":20,"@type":21,"position":22},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",1,{"item":24,"name":25,"@type":21,"position":26},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/","Document",2,{"item":28,"name":29,"@type":21,"position":30},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/research-report/","Research & Report",3,{"item":32,"name":10,"@type":21,"position":33},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/insight-from-rise-up-cambridge-promoting-economic-stability-through-cash-assistance-executive-summary/586336/",4,{"url":32,"name":10,"@type":35,"image":36,"author":41,"headline":10,"publisher":44,"fileFormat":47,"inLanguage":8,"description":12,"dateModified":48,"datePublished":49,"encodingFormat":47,"isAccessibleForFree":50,"interactionStatistic":51},"DigitalDocument",{"url":37,"@type":38,"width":39,"height":40},"https://docshare.wps.com/thumbnails/insight-from-rise-up-cambridge-promoting-economic-stability-through-cash-assistance-executive-summary/586336.png","ImageObject",300,407,{"name":42,"@type":43},"Quinn Holloway","Person",{"url":19,"name":45,"@type":46},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-11-10","2026-10-15",true,{"@type":52,"interactionType":53,"userInteractionCount":55},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":54},"ViewAction",5,{"@type":57,"mainEntity":58},"FAQPage",[59,65,69],{"name":60,"@type":61,"acceptedAnswer":62},"What is Rise Up Cambridge and who did it serve?","Question",{"text":63,"@type":64},"Rise Up Cambridge is an 18-month citywide cash assistance program launched in 2023. It provided $500 per month to families with low incomes, including households with at least one child aged 21 or younger.","Answer",{"name":66,"@type":61,"acceptedAnswer":67},"What main benefits did participants report?",{"text":68,"@type":64},"Participants reported experiencing less stress during the program. Modest monthly payments supported economic stability during the program, though few long-term changes were observed.",{"name":70,"@type":61,"acceptedAnswer":71},"Did outcomes differ across families?",{"text":72,"@type":64},"Yes. Higher-income families were better positioned during Rise Up and after, with greater likelihood of savings and feeling better prepared for the program’s end.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":32,"og:type":75,"og:title":10,"og:site_name":45,"og:description":12},"article",{"robots":77,"canonical":32},"index,follow",{"doc_id":79,"site_id":7},586336,1792295564,{"code":4,"msg":82,"data":83},"success",[84,88,92,96,100,105,110,114,119,122,126],{"id":22,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":85,"show_sort_weight":86,"slug":87},"Story & Novel",90,"story-novel",{"id":26,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":89,"show_sort_weight":90,"slug":91},"Literature",80,"literature",{"id":33,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":93,"show_sort_weight":94,"slug":95},"Exam",70,"exam",{"id":55,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":97,"show_sort_weight":98,"slug":99},"Comic",60,"comic",{"id":101,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":102,"show_sort_weight":103,"slug":104},6,"Technology",50,"technology",{"id":106,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":107,"show_sort_weight":108,"slug":109},7,"Healthcare",40,"healthcare",{"id":111,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":29,"show_sort_weight":112,"slug":113},8,30,"research-report",{"id":115,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":116,"show_sort_weight":117,"slug":118},9,"Religion & Spirituality",20,"religion-spirituality",{"id":117,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":120,"show_sort_weight":117,"slug":121},"World Cup","world-cup",{"id":123,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":124,"show_sort_weight":123,"slug":125},10,"Lifestyle","lifestyle",{"id":127,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":128,"show_sort_weight":55,"slug":129},19,"General","general",{"code":4,"msg":82,"data":131},{"doc_id":79,"user_id":132,"nickname":42,"user_avatar":133,"doc_module":4,"category_id":111,"category_name":29,"doc_title":10,"doc_description":12,"doc_content":134,"file_id":135,"file_url":136,"file_type":137,"file_size":138,"view_count":55,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":22,"is_downloadable":22,"audit_status":22,"page_count":139,"language":140,"language_code":8,"site_id":7,"html_lang":8,"table_of_contents":141,"faqs":142,"seo_title":143,"seo_description":12,"update_tm":144,"read_time":145,"preview_page_count":4},2336474466712,"https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/davatar_a8503ba1806abce46bf441b54a3ca4cd","Insight from Rise Up Cambridge  \nPromoting Economic Stability Through Cash Assistance  \nMina Addo Katerina Galkin Crystal Ganges-Reid Aleksandra Yusim  \nFebruary 2026  \nInsight from Rise Up Cambridge  \nPromoting Economic Stability Through Cash Assistance  \nMina Addo, Katerina Galkin, Crystal Ganges-Reid, and Aleksandra Yusim  \nFEBRUARY 2026  \nFUNDERS  \nThis report is funded by the City of Cambridge and Cambridge Community Foundation and its donors.  \nThe following organizations support dissemination of MDRC publications and our efforts to communicate with policymakers, practitioners, and others: Arnold Ventures, Ascendium Education Group, Yield Giving/MacKenzie Scott, and earnings from the MDRC Endowment. Contributors to the MDRC Endowment include Alcoa Foundation, The Ambrose Monell Foundation, AnheuserBusch Foundation, Bristol-Myers Squibb Foundation, Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, Ford Foundation, The George Gund Foundation, The Grable Foundation, The Lizabeth and Frank Newman Charitable Foundation, The New York Times Company Foundation, Jan Nicholson, Paul H. O’Neill Charitable Foundation, John S. Reed, Sandler Foundation, and The Stupski Family Fund, as well as other individual contributors.  \nThe findings and conclusions in this report do not necessarily represent the official positions or policies of the funders.  \nFor information about MDRC and copies of our publications, [see our website: www.mdrc.org](see our website: www.mdrc.org).  \nCopyright © 2026 by MDRC®. All rights reserved.  \nOVERVIEW  \nIn recent years, there has been renewed attention to unrestricted cash assistance programs as a means of alleviating poverty. This attention is due, in part, to pilot program initiatives that were launched to address the negative economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. It is difficult to draw conclusions from the resulting body of evidence on these programs, due to variations in their design and their target populations. In addition, these programs are generally temporary but aim to address long-term, complex challenges. Evidence does consistently show that cash assistance alleviates material hardships and promotes a sense of agency when participants can choose how to best meet their needs.  \nThere is more to be learned about how families with different characteristics experience and benefit from these programs. This report presents findings from MDRC’s mixed-methods evaluation of Rise Up Cambridge, an 18-month-long citywide cash assistance program that provided $500 per month to families with low incomes (up to 250 percent of the federal poverty level) with at least one child aged 21 years or younger in the home. Launched in 2023, Rise Up Cambridge (referred to as Rise Up throughout) was designed to address the growing economic divide and racial inequities in Cambridge, alleviate the negative economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, and support families as they took steps toward economic mobility (that is, increased household earnings and assets) . Through unrestricted payments, the program provided meaningful financial relief to families with low incomes, helping them meet basic needs, buffer financial shocks, and reduce stress. Extensive outreach efforts and enrollment support contributed to a citywide reach.  \nIn addition to describing the outcomes and experiences of families with varied characteristics, this report attempts to answer an ambitious question: How can unrestricted cash assistance programs support families’ efforts to reach financial stability and promote economic mobility?  \nFindings  \n• Rise Up participants reported experiencing less stress during the program.  \n• The modest monthly payments bolstered participants’ economic stability during the program, but there were few long-term changes to participants’ financial circumstances.  \n• Higher-income families were on a stronger financial footing during Rise Up and afterward; they were more likely to have savings and felt better prepared for the end of t","cbCaih0i2VnRUykn","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaih0i2VnRUykn","pdf",3248655,108,"English","# Overview\n# Findings\n# Contents\n## Introduction\n## Background\n## The Evaluation\n## Participant Characteristics\n## Outcomes\n## Financial Security\n## Economic Mobility\n## Participant Perspectives on Rise Up Cambridge\n## Agency and Self-Determination\n## Comparison with Other Safety Net Programs\n## Comparative Analysis: Outcomes and Experiences Across Families and Over Time\n## Looking Ahead\n## Reflections\n## Appendix\n## References","[{\"question\":\"What is Rise Up Cambridge and who did it serve?\",\"answer\":\"Rise Up Cambridge is an 18-month citywide cash assistance program launched in 2023. It provided $500 per month to families with low incomes, including households with at least one child aged 21 or younger.\"},{\"question\":\"What main benefits did participants report?\",\"answer\":\"Participants reported experiencing less stress during the program. Modest monthly payments supported economic stability during the program, though few long-term changes were observed.\"},{\"question\":\"Did outcomes differ across families?\",\"answer\":\"Yes. Higher-income families were better positioned during Rise Up and after, with greater likelihood of savings and feeling better prepared for the program’s end.\"}]","Insight from Rise Up Cambridge: Promoting Economic Stability Through Cash Assistance - Executive Summary | PDF",1792057622,272]