UpTogether

UpTogether is a national organization with a bold goal. We aim to change policies, systems, and underlying beliefs so that all people in the United States are seen and invested in for their strengths and are able to build power, reinforce their autonomy, and drive their own economic and social mobility.

We do this by investing in people in historically undervalued communities and by amplifying their true lived experiences, working together to influence policies and rallying for systems change.

We recognize and honor the initiatives, abilities and self-determination of people experiencing financial hardship and we focus on their strengths and not their deficits.

Our focus on people’s strengths guides our strength-based approach to socioeconomic mobility: community, capital, and choice.

From our founding in 2001 as Family Independence Initiative, changing systems has always been a focus of ours. However, we prioritized investing cash in people and families and learning how they work together in community to support each other.

After speaking with our members, partners, staff and board members, we recognized that to have the largest impact, we need to prioritize our systems change work, and made this shift in January 2023.
Our systems change strategy is threefold. In collaboration with our members, partners, community organizations and other supporters, we:

- Invest in families and individuals with limited incomes by providing them with cash they can use however they wish, no strings attached
- Amplify stories to change the narrative and tell the true lived experiences of people facing financial hardship and financially under-resourced communities
- Rally for state and local policies and practices that support and accelerate socioeconomic mobility

Our members are the center of UpTogether and are viewed as the fountain of innovation, wisdom, and leadership. UpTogether members, and prospective members, with whom we partner are resilient, strong and talented. They want more for themselves and their families and are working hard to achieve it, despite systems often working against them. Too often, they are perceived as vulnerable and weak, when in fact, they are highly creative and resourceful. They have clear financial, career and family goals, and are working toward them.

Inspired by UpTogether’s members, our executive leadership team consists of a small group of individuals who bring passion, creativity, and ingenuity to the work every day. Our work is deeply personal and we share a collective compass for social justice.

UpTogether is led by CEO Jesús Gerena and an executive team composed of Chief Operating Officer Elliot Ling, Chief People Officer, Michelle Chao-Nguyen, Chief Communications Officer, Rae Oglesby, and Chief Data & Learning Officer, Ann Kovalchick. This executive team is supported by staff who oversee day-to-day site operations, finances, communications, fundraising, technology, member support, and data analytics.

UpTogether is a national nonprofit that aims to change policies, systems, and underlying beliefs so that all people in the United States are seen and invested in for their strengths and are able to build power, reinforce their autonomy, and drive their own economic and social mobility. UpTogether was founded as Family Independence Initiative (FII) in Oakland, California in 2001 after our founder saw firsthand the faults of the United States social services system. He was frustrated watching the same families cycle in and out of social service agencies, while the financial resources designed to support them did nothing to build their economic or social mobility.

As the son of a hardworking single mother who immigrated to the U.S. from Mexico, he saw that his mother, a talented dressmaker who worked hard to “make it” in the U.S., wanted more access and opportunity for him and his sister. He was certain there was a better way to invest in people’s initiative than what his mother had experienced. He also knew firsthand the harmful stereotypes and belief systems that perpetuated biased practices and policies, undermining the pride of those being “helped” and their chances for success.
Our founder believed if families had access to resources and community support, they would decide for themselves how to implement them—as his mother had—and they could move up, together, out of poverty. He founded FII based on this philosophy.

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit and devastated communities across the country, we shifted our model to meet the heightened needs of our members. Throughout the height of the pandemic we expanded our partnerships with philanthropy and government to distribute over $130 Million to over 200,000 individuals and families experiencing financial hardship as a result of the crisis.

After more than 20 years since our founding, our commitment to community and to disrupting the norms of a harmful, white-dominant philanthropic system remains at the forefront. But how we operate has changed. Our engagement with individuals and families is now primarily — but not exclusively — online through our social media-like site, the UpTogether Community. In addition, we have renewed our focus on our bold goal of systems change — influencing policies and underlying beliefs — so all people in the United States are seen and invested in for their strengths and are able to build power, reinforce their autonomy, and drive their own economic and social mobility.