The Bridge Project in Milwaukee
Launched in New York in 2021, The Bridge Project provides mothers and their babies with regular, unrestricted cash assistance. By investing directly and flexibly in early childhood, the program aims to break the cycle of stress and poverty passed down through generations, and enhance socioeconomic mobility of families. The goal is to build a foundation for prosperity that transcends generations. In 2024, the Zilber Family Foundation worked with the Bridge Project to expand to Milwaukee, ultimately supporting 122 Milwaukee mothers with direct, unrestricted cash support. After one year, participants saw a 67% decrease in housing instability and a 33% reduction in food insecurity. Milwaukee was the first location beyond New York to introduce The Bridge Project to its residents — and has since helped fuel the program’s growth into a national model now operating in more than a dozen cities.
The Zilber Family Foundation is further supporting the Bridge Project’s expansion along with other private funders and the City of Milwaukee to open applications again in October 2026.
Nearly 1 in 4 children in Milwaukee County lives in poverty — roughly twice the statewide rate, and the second-highest poverty rate among the top 50 most populated U.S. cities.
How It Works
The Bridge Project provides unrestricted cash to eligible low-income, pregnant women in Milwaukee for three years. The cash can be spent on anything – food, formula, rent, childcare, diapers – truly, whatever the parent decides, no strings attached.
Program participants receive:
Why Cash?
Cash offers simplicity and versatility, allowing mothers the freedom to spend it on anything – food and formula, rent or car repairs, childcare or diapers – recognizing their right to make their own financial decisions. This approach challenges the stigma that low-income families can’t manage their finances, promoting autonomy and dignity by trusting them to know what’s best for their families.
How to Apply
Applications for The Bridge Project in Milwaukee open online on October 1, 2026 here: Bridge Project. Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis and will remain open until all program slots have been filled. Eligible participants are chosen through a randomized selection process and must be 18 years or older; be 23 weeks pregnant or less; live in the City of Milwaukee; and have an annual household income of less than $39,000. The program is open citywide, though some funding is designated to prioritize eligible participants living in specific neighborhoods and ZIP codes. Visit our FAQs to learn more, or follow the Zilber Family Foundation on Facebook for updates.
GET INVOLVED
If your organization is interested in providing a resource for The Bridge Project participants, please fill out the interest form here.
About the partnership
Launched in New York in 2021 by The Monarch Foundation, The Bridge Project invests directly and flexibly in early childhood through unrestricted cash transfers with an aim to break the cycle of stress and poverty passed down generationally and to enhance socioeconomic mobility of families. Through trust, cash and community, The Bridge Project now supports 4,450 moms across 14 states in tackling child poverty.
Cash transfer aligns with The Zilber Family Foundation priorities as an intervention to meet the needs of today, interrupt cycles of generational poverty, and reduce racial inequality.
For more than 15 years, The Zilber Family Foundation has been investing in Lindsay Heights, Clarke Square, Layton Boulevard West to increase access to social and economic opportunity and improve the quality of community life. Unrestricted cash delivers more than a check; it plants seeds of economic opportunity and empowers low- and moderate-income people to build their lives, provide for their families, and contribute to society.
Milwaukee was the first location beyond New York to introduce The Bridge Project to its residents — and has since helped fuel the program’s growth into a national model now operating in more than a dozen cities. The Zilber Family Foundation, together with other private funders and the City of Milwaukee, is proud to support this pioneering public-private partnership in Milwaukee as it expands to support at least 180 pregnant women.
