Rise Up Cambridge

You are eligible if:

1. You are a Cambridge resident; AND
2. Your income falls below 250% of the Federal Poverty Line for your household size; AND
3. You have a child at or under 21 years old in your household; AND
4. You are 18 years or older.

You do not need to be a citizen to apply.

NOTE: If you or another adult in your household is:

• Attending full-time graduate school, OR
• Pursuing a full-time professional degree (including but not limited to an MD, MBA, or JD), OR
• Are a PhD candidate, THEN

You are not eligible for Rise Up Cambridge, even if you meet the other eligibility guidelines. 

A household includes you, your spouse or partner, and any other family members who depend on you to cover most of their expenses (for example: children under 21 years of age, students, or elderly, sick, or disabled family members).

• The same children cannot be claimed in two separate applications. If both parents of a child are Cambridge residents, the child may only be claimed in the application of the parent who claims that child as a dependent on their federal income tax return for that year.
• Roommates or tenants should not be counted as part of your household.
• If you are sharing a home or apartment with another family, who is financially independent, you are considered separate households.

If you share a home or apartment with another family that is financially independent, you are separate households.

• Each family can submit an application.
• Each household must provide proof of address.

Yes, this program is open to all residents irrespective of their citizenship or legal immigration status. The application will not ask questions related to your legal status.

According to the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services, COVID-19 related benefits, including cash assistance, will not be used to determine whether or not an individual was or could become a public charge.

Your household income includes all money you or other adults over 21 years old in the household receive from:

• Wages
• Jobs 
• Capital gains 
• Retirement accounts/pensions 
• Unemployment insurance
• Disability insurance 
• Social Security

Your public benefits do not count toward your household income. Some examples of public benefits include:

• the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)
• Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC)
• Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF).

Please attend an in-person session to receive help calculating your income if:

• You do not have a regular income (weekly or monthly), or
• You have self-employment income (for example, Uber or Lyft drivers).

Yes, you can apply. For documentation, you may need to work with CEOC staff to get a letter certifying that you are a Cambridge family.

Yes. If you or someone in your household is incarcerated, on probation or on parole, you can apply.

Applications will be approved on a rolling basis. All households who meet the eligibility criteria and complete an application can participate in this program.

Applications will be available online starting June 1, 2023. You can apply anytime between June 1, 2023 and July 31, 2023. Only one application is allowed per household. Applications will be approved on a rolling basis (as they are received). 

Community outreach workers can help you fill out an application. 

• Any eligible parent or adult household member can apply.
• It does not matter which parent/adult household member applies. Payments will be sent to the parent/adult household member who applied.
• Each household can only join the program once. Children can only be counted once.

If one parent or guardian lives in Cambridge, and the other does not, the benefit will go to the parent or guardian who lives in Cambridge. If both parents of a child are Cambridge residents, the child may only the parent with whom the child lives over half of the year can claim that child.

Applications open — June 1, 2023, through July 31, 2023.

Selection — Participants will be approved on a rolling basis. All applicants who meet the eligibility requirements will be selected.

Benefits counseling — During your application process, we will identify if you need benefits counseling. CEOC staff can help you understand any possible loss of benefits.

Checking the status of my application — You will receive a link via email or text when you submit your application. You can check the status of you application at that link.

Confirmation — Once your application has been approved, you will receive a confirmation notification via text or email.

Benefit disbursement — Approved applicants will receive monthly payments of $500 for 18 months.

Ongoing support — If you need help or if you are not receiving payments, please contact our team at: (312) 757-7267 or support@riseupcambridge.aidkit.org.

Yes, if the applicant allows you to.

Once the applicant submits their application, they will receive a confirmation text or email to the phone or email address that is included in the application with a link to keep track of their application status.

In the application, you need to prove:

1. your identity; (2)
2. that you live in Cambridge;
3. that your household income is at or below 250% of the federal poverty level;
4. that you have at least one child at or under 21 years old living in your household.

To prove your identity, you will need to provide a selfie and a photo ID. A selfie is a clear photo of your face. A photo ID can be any of the following:

• Driver’s license
• State ID
• US Passport
• Non-United States Passport
• Military ID
• Green Card
• Certification of naturalization (form N-550 or N-570)
• Certificate of citizenship (form N-560 or N-561)
• Permanent resident card (1-551)
• Native American tribal photo ID
• Consular ID Card
• (Foreign) Voter ID Card
• US Employment Authorization
• Learner’s Permit
• Temporary Visitor Driver’s License
• Other government issued photo ID

To prove that you live in Cambridge, you can provide any of the following documents:

• Current (valid/non-expired) government issued photo ID with home address
• Utility bill, landline phone bill, internet bill, or cable bill in the applicant’s name within the last 90 days with service address.
• Mortgage or lease documents with home address, indicating current residency.
• House deed with full address and individual’s name.
• Certified school record for the current year verifying children’s enrollment and home address.

If you do not have access to any of those documents, you can provide one of the following:

• Tax return or receipt with home address from tax year 2022 (Form 1040, Schedule C, or other filed tax form)
• Government benefits document/confirmation letter dated after September 2022 (e.g. benefits confirmation letter for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (“SNAP”))
• Property tax bill with home address, indicating current residency
• Letter from an official third-party business/commercial enterprise with home address, delivered by the U.S. Post Office within the last 90 days.

 
To prove your household is at or below 250% of the federal poverty line, you can provide any of the following documents:

• Enrollment or eligibility confirmation letter from any of the following programs:
  • Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (“SNAP”) – dated September 2022 or later.
  • Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (“TANF”) – dated September 2022 or later.
  • Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (“WIC”) – dated September 2022 or later.
• A paystub along with an attestation/certification that the submitted paystub is reflective of the applicant’s typical income.

If you do not have access to any of those documents, you can provide one of the following:

• Wage documents from 2022 for all adults over 21 years old in the household that earn income:
  • W2 or 1099s
  • Unemployment award letter (last 12 months)
• Tax return or receipt with home address from tax year 2022 (Form 1040, Schedule C, or other filed tax form). 

To prove you have at least one child at or under 21 years old living in your household, you can provide any of the following documents:

• Certified school record for the current year that include the child’s name, DOB, name of parent/guardian, home address.
• Medical or health records that includes the child’s name, DOB, name of parent/guardian, home address.
• Tax transcript from Internal Revenue Service (IRS) listing the names of the dependents in the household.
• Birth certificate for one child in your household (if available) AND an attestation from CEOC staff that the child lives with that parent/guardian at least half of the year.
• Court documentation that includes the child’s name, DOB, name of parent/guardian, and home address, including but not limited to probate and family court documents

If selected, you will receive $500/month for up to 18 months. This is a total of up to $9,000.

No, you do not need to report this money as taxable income. This money counts as "qualified disaster relief." See IRS guidance here.

Rise Up Cambridge will help families thrive and recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. You can use the money for any household expenses, like food, rent, clothing, or utilities.

You cannot use the money for these activities:

• To buy or support anything that would harm the safety and security of project recipients and/or other community members.
• For fraud or corruption
• For the promotion of any criminal activities

No, you do not have to report how you spend this money. However, each Program recipient will be required to certify that they understand that the funds are intended to address the negative impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and may be used for the purchase of food, rent, clothing, utilities and other household expenses.

Payments will be disbursed on the first of each month. If the first of the month is on a weekend, the payment will be disbursed the Friday before. If you choose direct deposit, your bank may take 1-2 business days to deposit the funds in your account. The date of your first payment will be listed in your confirmation notification when your application is approved.

If you move within the City of Cambridge, you should report it to CEOC at support@riseupcambridge.aidkit.org. This will not impact your eligibility. You will continue to receive cash assistance.

If you move out of the City of Cambridge, you should report it to CEOC at support@riseupcambridge.aidkit.org. You will no longer be eligible to receive cash assistance.

If your income changes after you join the program, you do not need to notify anyone. You will continue receiving cash assistance. Income eligibility is confirmed when you apply.

If your household composition changes after you join the program, you do not need to report it. You will continue receiving cash assistance. Household eligibility  is confirmed when you apply.