Pilot phase three

The Application Process Opened in December 2025 !

 Phase 3 application period opened in December 2025 on a rolling basis until cohort capacity is reached. 

Phase 3 Summary: 

Mother Up is a guaranteed income research pilot, operated by the nonprofit Mother’s Outreach Network and evaluated by the independent researchers at the Access to Justice Lab at Harvard Law School.  This pilot underscores the importance of policymakers prioritizing poverty eradication as a strategy for decreasing instances of child neglect. Our third phase is enrolling biological mothers with custodial responsibilities who have had a child, aged 14 or under , removed from their home by DC Child & Family Services Agency (CFSA) / Child Protective Services (CPS) within the past 12 months. If you end up entering the Mother Up research pilot, you will also be entering a research study with Access to Justice Lab at Harvard Law School. Individuals selected will be in either a payment and research group (direct cash transfer group) or in the compensated research group. 

The direct cash transfer group will receive:

• $500 a month for 36 months. 
• Incentive payments for completion of research activities. 

The compensated research group will receive:

• Incentive payments for completion of research activities. 

How do I know if I am eligible?

Please see the research pilot eligibility requirements below. If you have any questions or are unsure about any of the criteria, please feel free to contact a member of the Mother’s Outreach Network Staff for assistance. 

To be eligible, You must:

• Be age 18 or older.
• Speak English.
• Live in Washington, DC – specifically in wards 4,5,6,7 or 8 – or are currently experiencing housing instability.
• Be eligible to receive public benefits (such as TANF, SNAP etc.).
• Not receive Supplemental Security Income (SSI) Benefits.**
• Be a biological mother with custodial responsibilities to a child aged 14 or younger who was removed from the home by CFSA within the last year prior to research pilot enrollment.
  • The eligible child has been or was removed from the home of the qualifying mother at the initiation of legal action by the DC Child & Family Services Agency (CFSA) / Child Protective Services (CPS) within the last year prior to research pilot enrollment.
  • The eligible child has been removed from the qualifying mother’s home as a result of action outside of the court system by the DC CFSA/CPS within the last year prior to research pilot enrollment (For example: Informal custodial changes, formal third-party custody changes by the court).

Disclaimers: 

*Not all eligible applicants are guaranteed to be selected for the Mother Up research pilot.

**Participation in the Mother Up research pilot could result in the loss of some or all of your SSI benefits, if it were permitted.