UpTogether Michigan Community Fund
The UpTogether Michigan Community Fund is a statewide guaranteed income pilot launched in September 2024 by the national nonprofit UpTogether, funded by a $306,000 gift from an anonymous private donor. The program provides 51 Michigan households with $500 per month in unrestricted cash for 12 months, totaling $6,000 per household. Eligible participants earn up to 80% of Michigan's statewide median income and reside anywhere in Michigan outside the City of Detroit. The pilot is intended to demonstrate the impact of direct cash investment and encourage municipalities and philanthropic partners to adopt similar guaranteed income strategies.
Statewide, Anonymous Donor, Unrestricted Cash, Excludes Detroit
Headquarters
- Organization Name
- UpTogether
- City
- Oakland
- State / Province
- California
- Country
- United States
Contact
- Website
- https://www.uptogether.org/
- Phone
- +1 878 444 2932
- help@uptogether.org
- Social media links
Status & Funding
- Organization status
- Active
- Program status
- Inactive
- Application status
- Timed
- Number of recipients
- 51
- Funding type
- Philanthropic
Benefits
- Currency Type
- Fiat
- Currency
- USD
- Total Amount
- 6,000 USD
- Avg. Per Month
- 500 USD
- Payment frequency
- Monthly
- How long the program lasts
- 12 months
- Distribution Type
- Direct deposit to bank account, Pre-paid debit card, Digital/Virtual payment card
- Benefit details
Participants receive $500 per month for 12 consecutive months, for a total benefit of $6,000 per household, distributed via UpTogether's standard virtual wallet/prepaid card and/or direct deposit system. Funds are unrestricted with no reporting or spend requirements. The fund was fully financed by a single anonymous private donor with a total pool of $306,000 for the 51-participant cohort. The exact mix of payment channels used for this specific fund (e.g., mobile wallet options) was not independently confirmed.
Eligibility
Overview
- Eligibility details
Eligible households must reside in Michigan outside the City of Detroit and earn no more than 80% of Michigan's statewide median income. Participants must be members of the UpTogether Connect platform, which generally requires being at least 18 years old and a U.S. resident. Enrollment for this fund was managed through invitation codes distributed by UpTogether's community partners rather than an open public application.
Financial
- Income as % of Area Median Income
- 802,024 %
Geography
- US states covered
- Michigan
- Countries covered
- United States
- Cities covered
- All Michigan cities except Detroit
- Residency of Target Geography
- Yes
Application Process
- How to apply
Applicants must be members of the UpTogether Connect platform. For this fund, enrollment was managed via invitation codes distributed by UpTogether's community partners (a "Code Application"), rather than a general open application; UpTogether's support team cannot issue these codes directly.
