Support Research That Strengthens Bold Ideas to Fight Poverty
In this season of giving, we want to share with you how the Urban Institute’s impact has grown in 2021. Over the next four weeks, we’ll give you a glimpse into our work this year through the voices of those who help develop our research and those who use it to shape their own endeavors. We hope you enjoy!
Dear Friend,
When the pandemic locked down Washington, DC, in March 2020, a group of four community-based organizations moved swiftly to help largely Black individuals and families in a low-income neighborhood with groceries, transportation, rent, child care—whatever families decided they needed most during the emergency.
The group’s offer? Cash.
The group, THRIVE East of the River, has so far delivered more than $4 million to more than 500 residents in the form of $5,500 one-time payments or monthly infusions of about $1,100. No strings attached. All of it funded by donations from corporations, foundations, and individuals.
THRIVE partners, including George Jones, chief executive officer of Bread for the City, had limited experience with emergency cash transfers, so they sought out the Urban Institute for research insights, technical guidance, and evaluation.
“It wasn’t like we were complete novices,” says George, whose nonprofit manages donations to THRIVE and distributes funds to families. “But Urban really brought expertise in terms of guaranteed income, universal basic income, and the variations on cash transfers that helped inform what we were setting up.”
He calls the collaboration with Urban integral to ensuring THRIVE’s success and bringing credibility to the initiative. “A lot of funders were pleased to hear Urban was evaluating the project.” Today, Urban experts continue to assess the effectiveness of the initiative, particularly in the broader contexts of trust-based philanthropy and racial and economic equity.
“This initiative has convinced us and a lot of our supporters that cash transfers are a really valid way to support people living in poverty,” George says. “This project and Urban's role in it demonstrate the merits of that approach.”
