Policy
The Bridge Project is committed to driving policy change by demonstrating that trust-based cash support leads to stronger outcomes for children and families. By proving what’s possible when we invest directly in moms, we are shifting both public perception and policy—transforming how society supports families experiencing poverty.
Awareness building
Investing time, energy, and political capital to grow public awareness of the power of unconditional cash, cultivate political leaders as allies, and build support from political influencers, including potential funders.
Raising public funds
Partnering with elected officials to introduce budget proposals to drive new public funding toward unconditional cash, either as a new publicly-funded program or as a joint investment with private funds.
Legislative advocacy
Working with elected officials, grassroots organizers, and other coalitions to advocate for the passage of legislation that enables unconditional cash programs and for programs that directly increase the cash available to low-income moms and babies.
New York Policy Case Study
Our work in NYC and the state of New York demonstrates the effectiveness of evidence-based advocacy. By collaborating with local leaders, we shaped targeted policies that improved outcomes for families. This project is a template for scaling our strategy beyond New York.
Strategic philanthropic investment in mother/infant direct programs is a powerful catalyst to unlock public funding and influence long-term policy change. At Bridge, we have demonstrated how targeted, privately-funded programs can not only deliver immediate impact to families, but also drive legislative action and investment at municipal, state, and federal levels.
We began this work in New York, where early philanthropic backing enabled a scalable model for maternal and infant cash transfers. Since then, our influence has helped unlock city general funds, supported the launch of a county-led TANF-funded pilot in one of the state’s largest cities, and inspired the nation’s first baby allowance program for TANF families.
We are not alone, with programs in California, Michigan, and Pennsylvania also successfully translating philanthropic seed funding into public financing. These cases underscore a national trend: targeted private investment can build the evidence and momentum needed to shift public policy.