We’re excited to share that Xiente’s Guaranteed Income Pilot was recently featured in WHYY’s PlanPhilly coverage. The article, written by Kristen Mosbrucker-Garza and published on March 27, 2025, explores how our program is rethinking poverty reduction in Philadelphia.
📖 Read the full article here:
Philly nonprofit is giving cash to families to jumpstart their way to the middle class
By Kristen Mosbrucker-Garza, WHYY
About the Pilot
Xiente’s Guaranteed Income Pilot is part of our Prosperity Project. The program provides ten families with:
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$500/month in unrestricted cash
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Affordable housing through our Mi Casa initiative
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Ongoing coaching from an Economic Mobility Concierge and a HUD-Certified Housing Counselor
Participants were selected based on household income (30%–60% of Area Median Income), family composition, and their active participation in Xiente programs. Families spend less than 30% of their income on rent, allowing them to build savings and plan for homeownership.
Why Guaranteed Income?
For years, low-income families have been offered financial literacy and budgeting workshops—but those tools don’t work if there’s not enough money to begin with. As our CEO Dr. Michelle Carrera Morales said in the article:
“We need to figure out how to do things differently… At some point as a society, we need to understand the [financial] gap and say we’re OK with trusting people that they will make the right decisions.”
This pilot trusts families to make choices that are best for them.
To ensure we understand the impact of this work, we’re partnering with the University of Pennsylvania’s Center for Guaranteed Income Research. Researchers are studying changes in financial stability, employment, and well-being among participating families.
Looking Ahead
While this first pilot includes 10 families, over 50 families are receiving coaching support through the Prosperity Lab. Our goal is to reach 500 families in the coming years. The program is privately funded by The Vanguard Group Foundation and the Local Initiatives Support Corporation, and we are actively seeking additional partners to expand this model.
For more information or to partner with us, visit www.xiente.org or contact:
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Dr. Michelle Carrera Morales, CEO — mcarrera@xiente.org
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Félix Quiñones, VP of Strategic Initiatives & Research — fquinones@xiente.org
