The Bridge Project
The first multistate direct-cash program for mothers and babies in the United States. Since 2021 it has enrolled more than 4,400 low-income mothers across 14 states, paying unconditional biweekly cash — typically $500 to $1,000 a month for up to three years from pregnancy — with $99 million committed, and it became the first guaranteed-income effort funded from New York City's own budget.
America's first multistate guaranteed-income program for mothers and babies, at research scale and now partly publicly funded — strong on inclusion, structurally fiat like all direct-cash programs.
M69 Score
Scored against the Money2069 Manifesto — see methodology. Higher = more aligned.
Detailed Rating Breakdown
Issuance Model3x2.0
No money creation — philanthropic and municipal dollars redistributed as unconditional transfers; discretionary funding decisions rather than monetary rules.
Spending Power Stability2x2.0
Benefits denominated in USD; recipients' purchasing power rides entirely on the dollar.
Fiat Independence & Interoperability2x1.0
Fully fiat: bank rails and card disbursement end to end.
Traction2x3.0
4,450+ mothers enrolled across 14 states with $99M committed; university research partnerships and the first city-funded guaranteed-income cohort in New York history; strong growth since the 2021 NYC pilot.
Sovereignty2.0
A nonprofit that can be defunded, but with a multistate footprint and no custody of recipients' money beyond scheduled transfers.
Governance2.0
Foundation-led nonprofit; transparent research and public reporting, but participants hold no governance role.
Resilience2.0
Philanthropy-dependent; multi-year commitments and the first municipal appropriation diversify funding somewhat.
Inclusivity4.0
Unconditional, no-strings cash aimed squarely at low-income mothers — an access-first design serving the financially excluded.