LIFT

Every year, millions of families in the United States remain trapped in cycles of poverty that persist across generations. LIFT exists to change that reality by investing in parents as the primary agents of change for their families. Founded in 1998 by Yale University students Brian Kreiter and Kirsten Lodal, LIFT began as National Student Partnerships and rebranded in 2009 to better reflect its mission of providing comprehensive support to low-income families.

Today, LIFT operates as a national nonprofit organization with sites in Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, and Washington, D.C. The organization's innovative approach combines one-on-one economic mobility coaching with direct cash support, helping parents achieve goals such as increasing household income, improving credit, eliminating debt, pursuing education, and securing living-wage employment. LIFT measures success through tangible outcomes: among members who make progress, families experience an average annual income increase of $17,880, savings increase of $3,600, and debt decrease of $4,000.

Central to LIFT's model is the philosophy that supporting parents creates cascading benefits for children and communities. The organization works not only with individual families but also partners with hospitals, schools, government agencies, and early childhood programs to embed its coaching model where families already receive services. Through policy and advocacy efforts, LIFT amplifies parent voices to drive systemic change and advance economic justice.