Ann Arbor Area Community Foundation (AAACF) has partnered with United Way of Washtenaw County (UWWC) to launch a new initiative aimed to support Washtenaw County families with financial insecurity. 

AAACF and UWWC have teamed up with UpTogether, an antipoverty nonprofit that provides families with funds and an online platform for them to share resources, support and connect with others to overcome their financial struggles, on the initiative. 

Over the next two years, UWWC and AAACF plan to serve around 45 families. To identify families in need of this resource, they are partnering with several local nonprofits.

“We were compelled to partner with UpTogether due to the significant longitudinal data they compiled over the past 18 years, which demonstrates that before COVID-19, on average, families who engaged with UpTogether for two years experienced annual income increases of 21%, government subsidy decreases of 42%, and fourfold increases in savings along with a greater sense of community and self-worth,” Shannon Polk, president and CEO of AAACF said.

The pilot program was launched last month, and families selected to participate in the program will receive quarterly payments of $625.

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Read the more about the new initiative.