Project Overview
Every family deserves the opportunity to prosper. Yet those living on low incomes aren’t often able to invest in their education, health, job training, or small business growth that could move them out of poverty. UpTogether (previously named Family Independence Initiative) provides Central Texans with financial and peer support to pursue these opportunities. With improved financial stability and an encouraging community, families can seize opportunities for economic mobility.
It’s not about the funds, it’s about the network — that you pick up all the resources and the fact that they believe in you.
Brenda Miller, Austin Member
How It Helps
UpTogether focuses on families’ strengths and supports their efforts to move above the poverty line. At the heart of its model is the belief that families can improve their own financial health when they are empowered and encouraged. This stability enables them to pay off debt, save for their children’s education, grow their business, and even purchase their first home.
Building on its success in other cities, UpTogether is reaching more than 500 families over the first two years of its expansion into Central Texas. The organization provides:
- Unrestricted cash assistance
- A platform for families to connect with, strengthen, and support their peers
- Tools for families to track progress toward their goals
The structure enables families to motivate each other to take control of their own success. Groups of families — such as neighbors, friends, or coworkers — share resources to help each other accomplish their goals.
UpTogether’s model leverages families’ strengths and community support to move them toward financial self-sufficiency. After two years with UpTogether, families grow their monthly household income by 23% and their liquid savings by 216% on average. Communities also benefit from this success. Residents see a model for how families can drive change by creating solutions from within their own community.
By trusting in people to shape their own paths to prosperity, the UpTogether team aims to change the way organizations see and invest in families living on low incomes. It’s an approach that can empower even more communities to move up together.