Rise Up Cambridge
Rise Up Cambridge was a $22 million, citywide direct cash assistance program run by the City of Cambridge, in partnership with the Office of the Mayor, the Cambridge Economic Opportunity Committee (CEOC), and the Cambridge Community Foundation. Funded with federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) dollars, it gave every eligible low-income Cambridge household with a child 21 or under, earning at or below 250% of the Federal Poverty Level, $500 per month for 18 months. Roughly 1,923 households (about 6,400 people, including 3,200 children) enrolled after a registration period from June 1 to July 31, 2023. It was a scaled-up, non-lottery successor to the smaller, philanthropically funded Cambridge RISE pilot. MDRC, an independent research organization, evaluated the program's effects on financial stability, stress, and employment.
Citywide, Non-lottery, ARPA-funded, Families with children, Successor to Cambridge RISE pilot
Headquarters
- Organization Name
- City of Cambridge
- City
- Cambridge
- State / Province
- Massachusetts
- Country
- United States
Contact
- Phone
- 617-812-5124
Status & Funding
- Organization status
- Active
- Program status
- Inactive
- Application status
- Timed
- Number of recipients
- 1,923
- Funding type
- Government
Benefits
- Currency Type
- Fiat
- Currency
- USD
- Total Amount
- 9,000 USD
- Avg. Per Month
- 500 USD
- Payment frequency
- Monthly
- How long the program lasts
- 18 months
- Distribution Type
- Direct Deposit
- Benefit details
Enrolled households received $500 per month, unconditional and with no restrictions on use, for 18 months, beginning with initial payments on June 30, 2023. Participation and payments did not affect other public benefits such as SNAP, TANF, SSI, or subsidized housing. Households without a bank account were assisted in opening one so payments could be made by direct deposit rather than prepaid debit cards. All households that applied and were verified as eligible received funds; there was no lottery or waitlist.
Eligibility
Overview
- Eligibility details
Eligible households had to reside in Cambridge and include at least one child age 21 or younger, with household income at or below 250% of the Federal Poverty Level (e.g., $49,300 for a family of two, up to $87,850 for a family of five, at 2023 levels). No employment, banking, immigration, or other demographic status was required. Applications were accepted only during the June 1-July 31, 2023 registration window; approximately 50% of eligible families applied within the first 24 hours.
Family
- Family Status
- Parent
- Number of dependents (minimum)
- 1
- Household size (minimum)
- 2
Financial
- Income limit (annual household)
- $87,850
- Income as % of Federal Poverty Level
- 2,502,023 %
Geography
- US states covered
- Massachusetts
- Countries covered
- United States
- Cities covered
- Cambridge
- Counties covered
- Middlesex
- Residency of Target Geography
- Yes
Participation
- Research / data sharing
- Optional
- Research / participation requirements
The City of Cambridge and the Cambridge Community Foundation commissioned MDRC, an independent nonprofit social policy research organization, to evaluate Rise Up Cambridge's impact on participants' financial stability, stress, and employment. MDRC's final report, released in April 2026 ('Insight from Rise Up Cambridge: Promoting Economic Stability Through Cash Assistance'), found the payments produced meaningful short-term relief -- reduced financial stress and help meeting basic needs -- but effects faded after payments ended, and about half of participants remained below the federal poverty line even with the payments.
Application Process
- How to apply
Applications were accepted online during a defined registration period, June 1 through July 31, 2023, via a portal linked from cambridgema.gov/riseup (built on the AidKit platform). The application period has since closed and the program is no longer accepting new applicants.
- Selection process
Rise Up Cambridge was explicitly designed as a non-lottery, universal program: every household that applied during the registration window and was verified to meet the income and dependent-child eligibility criteria was enrolled, rather than a subset chosen by lottery or waitlist, distinguishing it from many other city guaranteed-income pilots.
