Guaranteed income initiatives have gained significant momentum across the country in recent years, but one of the earliest programs specifically targets low-income homes led by Black mothers.The Magnolia Mother’s Trust (MMT), launched in 2018, provides selected mothers with $1,000 per month in unconditional, no-strings-attached cash payments for a full year.The initiative was created by Springboard to Opportunities, a Jackson, Mississippi-based nonprofit founded in 2013 to support families living in federally subsidized housing.According to the organization’s website, MMT is "the longest-running guaranteed income program in the United States and the first to target extremely low-income families led by Black mothers."Springboard to Opportunities initially focused on traditional social services, such as after-school reading groups and workforce development programs.
However, co-founder and CEO Aisha Nyandoro realized those efforts were not doing enough to lift families out of poverty.MAYORS WANT TO KEEP HANDING OUT FREE CASH AFTER FEDERAL FUNDS DRIED UPGuaranteed income initiatives have gained significant momentum across the country in recent years, but one of the earliest programs specifically targets low-income single Black mothers.(Ozan Kose/AFP via Getty Images)The shift toward direct cash payments came after a conversation with a local mother involved in Springboard’s programs who revealed she couldn't afford to take her children to the movies."In that moment, it clicked.
I was unsettled all weekend," Nyandoro told The Guardian earlier this month."I came back to my team, and I was like: ‘We’re missing something.’ This is a mom that we are intimately involved with...
and she is telling us that she can’t afford something as inconsequential as a pizza".Nyandoro began consulting other residents for feedback."That question just opened up all these stories," Nyandoro said."When we sat down and listened, I said: ‘Oh my God, all of this can be stopped...