Cambridge City Council’s Human Services and Veterans Committee met Wednesday to discuss the final research report for Rise Up Cambridge, a citywide program that provided cash assistance for low-income residents.

The report, written by MDRC, an independent non-partisan research organization, found that in just the 18 months it was around, the Rise Up program with the average $9,000 in grants it gave had a substantial impact in reducing material hardship on its participants.

“We all know and understand that $9,000 over 18 months cannot change the trajectory of an individual or family,” said Geeta Pradhan, president of Cambridge Community Foundation, which implemented the program alongside the city and Cambridge Economic Opportunity Committee (CEOC). But she said the cash assistance helped stabilize families that were struggling, and is worth investing in.  

Rise Up launched in 2023 to help support Cambridge’s lowest-income families amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The application-based program, supported by $22 million in private donations and funds from the American Rescue Plan Act, which gave emergency COVID-19 recovery funds to taxpayers and state and local governments across the country, provided monthly payments of $500 in unrestricted cash to 1,927 families. All of those families had children aged 21 years or younger, and combined family income was up to 250 percent of the federal poverty level, or $62,150 for a three-person household, based on the 2023 poverty level of $24,860. The payments did not affect other benefits families may have been receiving.

Help with Basic Needs

Families enrolled in the program could use the monthly payments at their discretion. Common uses for the funds were food, rent, bills, utilities and children’s clothing or shoes, according to the report.

The research report MDRC presented to city councilors combined qualitative and quantitative data from interviews, focus groups and storytelling to compare findings and experiences among different types of families enrolled in the program, according to Mina Addo, an MDRC research associate. Around 67 percent of Rise Up’s enrolled families participated in the study. Because the study did not have a group that did not receive payments, MDRC could not claim that Rise Up directly caused certain outcomes, Addo said.

Respondents in general reported that they were grateful for Rise Up and that the program reduced their stress levels, gave them a sense of empowerment and allowed them to experience meaningful financial relief and more time with family….

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