The Martha O’Bryan Center (MOBC) is convening a national network of practitioners focused on increasing opportunities for families across the country. With the recent expansion of their national Beyond the Cliff coalition to 27 states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico, more than 70 organizations are now collaborating to eliminate a significant hurdle in the American public benefits system: the benefits cliff.

For many working families with low incomes, public benefits like SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program), Medicaid, housing and childcare subsidies are lifelines for well-being and stability. But as families work to increase their incomes, even just slightly, these supports can abruptly end or be significantly reduced, leaving families worse off financially. This is known as the “benefits cliff.” When families are essentially penalized for increasing their earnings, many are forced to turn down promotions, reduce working hours, or leave jobs altogether to avoid losing essential support to meet their basic needs. Households that participate in more than one benefit are more at risk of experiencing cliff effects.

The Martha O’Bryan Center, an anti-poverty organization based in Tennessee, believes families can move toward lasting social and economic mobility in one generation. Marsha Edwards, president & CEO of the Martha O’Bryan Center says, “eliminating the benefits cliff is key to expanding the landscape of opportunity for all, and we’re excited to lead this growing coalition to that end.”

The Beyond the Cliff coalition brings together a diverse network of nonprofit workforce and social service organizations, state and local governments, and advocacy/policy groups. Through policy change and innovative solutions, their shared mission is to help families transition off public benefits, while ensuring that families aren’t penalized for earning higher incomes. Coalition members recently gathered in Washington, D.C. to unveil a set of six policy reforms. Developed in collaboration with advocates, policy experts and those directly impacted by the benefits cliff, the reforms urge federal policymakers to strengthen economic opportunity; improve public benefits programs; and create pathways to good careers.

The coalition’s work is both broad and deeply local. In Tennessee, the Martha O’Bryan Center leads the Tennessee Alliance for Economic Mobility (TAEM), a public-private partnership of 32 organizations. With funding from the Tennessee Opportunity Act Pilot Initiative, TAEM launched the Our ChanceTN pilot, supporting more than 1,200 families in Middle Tennessee as they navigate the benefits cliff.

The coalition began with 13 organizations and has since grown to include partners from numerous state and local agencies across the country. Each brings unique expertise and a shared commitment to innovation and policy change.

At its core, Beyond the Cliff seeks to inform systems change that support families striving for a better future, practitioners working on the front lines, and communities coming together to advocate for themselves. Learn more at www.beyondthecliffcoalition.org.