The Hub Joins the Beyond the Cliff Coalition
The Economic Mobility Hub for American Indians joins the national Beyond the Cliff coalition to address the upward mobility of families with low income
With support from The Kresge Foundation, the coalition includes 70+ partners across 27 states, tackling barriers to economic mobility
The Economic Mobility Hub for American Indians, a partnership of the Department of Indian Work (at Interfaith Action of Greater Saint Paul) and the Montessori American Indian Childcare Center, and Ramsey County announces our participation in the newly expanded Beyond the Cliff coalition, 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.
The Economic Mobility Hub for American Indians and Ramsey County are working together to support low-income American Indian families with children living in Ramsey County to increase their stability and economic mobility. Part of this effort is finding better ways to mitigate and ameliorate the benefits cliff that American Indian families, and all low-income families in Ramsey County, face as they are working to increase their earned income. We are working to ensure that no family experiences financial disincentives for earning more income through employment. The benefits cliff is created by state and federal social safety net program policies, and it can be eliminated through policy change.
Theresa Halvorson-Lee, Director of the Department of Indian Work said, “It’s hard enough being poor without the added stress of having to worry about losing your childcare assistance, housing support, food assistance, or health care coverage when you get a raise or accept a promotion at work! We should be supporting, not punishing, families, as they are working toward greater stability and economic mobility.”
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
About Beyond the Cliff
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.
About the Martha O’Bryan Center
The nonprofit Martha O’Bryan Center is dedicated to improving lives and solving for the root causes of generational poverty. Based in Cayce Homes, the largest housing project in Nashville, and rooted in a foundation of Christian faith, MOBC serves more than 12,000 individuals annually across an innovative and comprehensive support system including its Family Success Network, a top-rated Early Learning Center, two K-8 public charter schools, out-of-school care, post-secondary access and coaching, whole-family services, adult education, employment training, and place-based community connection. Additionally, MOBC leads statewide and nationally to address barriers to economic mobility. Through strategic partnerships and community engagement, it remains committed to fostering hope, resilience, and opportunity for all. Learn more at marthaobryan.org.
About the Montessori American Indian Childcare Center
The Montessori American Indian Child Care Center (MAICC) blends the holistic Montessori approach with Indigenous language and culture to empower children and families. As the only AMI-recognized, Native-led Montessori program in Minnesota, MAICC fills a critical gap in early-childhood education by serving American Indian children from infancy through age six and offering family-support and educator-training programs rooted in cultural strength and community wellbeing. Learn more at maiccmn.org.