With support from The Kresge Foundation, coalition includes 70+ partners across 27 states tackling barriers to economic mobility

With support from The Kresge Foundation, the Martha O’Bryan Center is expanding Beyond the Cliff, a national coalition of more than 70 organizations working to eliminate the benefits cliff, a major barrier to upward mobility for working families with low income.

The coalition now spans 27 states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico, and unites nonprofit workforce and social service organizations, state and local governments, and collaboratives around helping families achieve lasting economic prosperity.

Beyond the Cliff builds on the work of coalition members seeking solutions to the benefits cliff in a variety of ways across the country.

Last month, coalition members met in Washington, D.C., to present a set of six policy reforms – developed with coalition members, advocates, policy experts, and individuals directly impacted by the benefits cliff – aimed at supporting families as they transition off public benefits like SNAP, Medicaid, and childcare subsidies, programs that often decrease abruptly as earnings rise, leaving families worse off financially.

Read the full Policy Agenda here.

In Tennessee, the Martha O’Bryan leads the Tennessee Alliance for Economic Mobility (TAEM), a public-private partnership of 32 organizations funded by the Tennessee Opportunity Act Pilot Initiative. With this funding, TAEM launched the Our ChanceTN pilot demonstration, one of the largest in the state, to support 1,200+ families in moving beyond the benefits cliff in Middle Tennessee.

“As an anti-poverty organization, we believe families can move towards lasting social and economic mobility in one generation,” said Marsha Edwards, President & CEO of the Martha O’Bryan Center. “Eliminating the benefits cliff is key to expanding the landscape of opportunity for all, and we’re excited to lead this growing coalition to that end.”

Beyond the Cliff coalition members include:

Multi-State

• Circles USA + Circles Salt Lake & Poverty Solutions Group, lead organization for Circles Central Florida
• Economic Mobility Pathways (EMPath)
• Goodwill Collaborative: Goodwill Industries of the Southern Piedmont, Goodwill Kentucky, Goodwill-Easter Seals Minnesota, Goodwill Industries of Northwest North Carolina, Goodwill of North Georgia, Goodwill Columbus
• Leap Fund
• LIFT, Inc.
• Living Wage For US
• McCourt School of Public Policy, Georgetown University
• The Prosperity Agenda
• UpTogether

 State Partners

• Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families + Circles NWA – Arkansas
• Interfaith Community Services – Arizona
• Benefits Access and Equity Initiative – California
• Chief Executive Office (CEO) Poverty Alleviation Initiative (PAI) – California
• Colorado collaborative: Colorado Department of Human Services, Torch Technology Solutions, Innovate + Educate – Colorado
• Connecticut Two-Generational Initiative: Connecticut Department of Social Services + Connecticut Office of Early Childhood – Connecticut
• DC Department of Human Services – Washington, D.C.
• Hispanic Unity of Florida – Florida
• Georgia Center for Opportunity – Georgia
• Chicago Commons Association – Illinois
• Inasmuch Ministry/Circles of Allen County – Indiana
• Shaping Our Appalachian Region, Inc. – Kentucky
• Geaux Far Louisiana: Louisiana Policy Institute for Children + For Providers by Providers Louisiana – Louisiana
• United Way of Southeast Louisiana – Louisiana
• Springfield WORKS/Western Mass Economic Development Council – Massachusetts
• Jamaica Plain Neighborhood Development Corporation – Massachusetts
• Maine Department of Health and Human Services + Maine Department of Labor – Maine
• Thumb Community Health Partnership – Michigan
• Economic Mobility Hub for American Indians + Ramsey County – Minnesota
• Hennepin County – Minnesota
• United Way of Greensboro – North Carolina
• Buffalo Niagara Partnership – New York
• Onondaga County Department of Social Services – New York
• Baby University – Ohio
• Community Action Committee of Pike County – Ohio
• Home for Families – Ohio
• New Directions Career Center – Ohio
• Towards Employment + Ohio Workforce Coalition – Ohio
• United Way of Greater Cleveland – Ohio
• Women’s Fund of Greater Cincinnati Foundation – Ohio
• Along the Way – Pennsylvania
• Episcopal Community Services of Philadelphia – Pennsylvania
• United Way of Pennsylvania – Pennsylvania
• Instituto del Desarrollo de la Juventud – Puerto Rico
• One Neighborhood Builders – Rhode Island
• Martha O’Bryan Center – Tennessee
• Empower Upper Cumberland – Tennessee
• United Way for Greater Austin – Texas
• Sutherland Institute – Utah
• Workforce Development Council of Seattle-King County – Washington
• Dane County Employment & Training Network & Parsley Solutions – Wisconsin

Beyond the Cliff is a national network of practitioners focused on eliminating benefits cliffs through policy and innovation, ensuring all families have the resources and opportunities to advance economically. The coalition is convened by the nonprofit Martha O’Bryan Center. Learn more at www.beyondthecliffcoalition.org.

The Kresge Foundation was founded in 1924 to promote human progress. Today, Kresge fulfills that mission by building and strengthening pathways to equity and opportunity for low-income people in America’s cities, seeking to dismantle structural and systemic barriers to equality and justice. Using a full array of grants, loans, and other investment tools, Kresge invests more than $160 million annually to foster economic and social change. For more information, visit kresge.org.