At the CASH Campaign of Maryland, we believe Maryland families deserve both economic stability today and opportunities to build wealth for the future. That belief is at the heart of our newest initiative: the Maryland Direct Cash Table.
This newly formed statewide table will bring together advocates, philanthropy, researchers, service providers, policy leaders, and community members to better align direct cash policy and pilot priorities across Maryland. After months of planning and collaboration, the table is now fully funded, and we held our first meeting on Monday, May 18th with more than 30 state and national partners joining the conversation.
Across Maryland, organizations are advancing a range of strategies that put resources directly into the hands of families. These include guaranteed income pilots, refundable tax credits, baby bonds and other wealth-building tools, emergency cash assistance, child allowance models, and public benefits such as SNAP and TCA. Each of these strategies plays an important role in helping families meet immediate needs and plan for the future.
But too often, this work happens in silos.
The Maryland Direct Cash Table was created to change that.
Led by CASH Campaign, the table will serve as a shared space for partners to exchange ideas, learn from one another, coordinate advocacy, and identify opportunities to strengthen programs and policies that increase household income, reduce financial hardship, and support long-term financial security.
This work is especially important for Black, brown, and low-income communities that continue to face longstanding barriers to building wealth and achieving economic stability. No single policy or program can close the racial wealth gap or end poverty on its own. Progress requires an aligned ecosystem — one where partners are learning together, building together, and moving toward a shared vision for economic mobility in Maryland.
Through quarterly convenings and smaller working groups, Direct Cash Table partners will explore policy and program design, research, storytelling and narrative strategies, data sharing, outreach, and sustainable funding opportunities. The table will also help identify what is working, where gaps remain, and how Maryland can better connect families to existing programs and benefits.
For CASH Campaign, this effort is a natural extension of our mission to advance economic opportunity for low- to moderate-income individuals and families in Baltimore and across Maryland. We believe families are the experts in their own lives. Direct cash strategies honor that expertise by giving people flexibility and dignity to meet their needs, stabilize their households, and make choices that support their future.
We are excited to begin this next chapter and grateful to the many partners, advocates, funders, and community members helping make this work possible. Together, we can build a stronger, more connected direct cash ecosystem that supports Maryland families today — and helps create more opportunities for tomorrow.