Springboard to Opportunities

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May Newsletter

READ THE FULL MAY NEWSLETTER HERE

“Springboard to Opportunities is stepping into a literal and figurative new season with the launch of the newest Magnolia Mother’s Trust cohort, marking an exciting new phase for what is the longest-running guaranteed income program in the United States. This year’s cohort brings together our tried and true model of distributing monthly cash support to Black mothers, along with a new addition to the work that I am so excited about: for the first time, we will have former members of the program offer peer-led, paid support that is designed to strengthen connection, community and shared leadership.

As families face continued pressure from cuts to essential services like SNAP and Medicaid, the Magnolia Mother’s Trust remains rooted in trust, dignity and a future where everyone thrives. The program continues to show that direct cash, paired with community support, can help families move forward with confidence and hope — while also offering a powerful example of what it looks like to invest in people directly and without judgment or conditions. We’re proud to launch this next chapter in a program that is not only changing lives, but also helping shape what real support can look like for families nationwide”

This month’s spotlight belongs to the children of Magnolia Mother’s Trust moms, whose stories from Night of Storytelling were featured in a special Mother’s Day Front & Center series in Ms. Magazine. The series offered a moving look at how children understand their mothers’ strength, sacrifice, and love, while also showing the deep impact of guaranteed income on family life.

It was a beautiful reminder that when moms are supported, children feel that support too. The series arrived alongside the launch of the newest Magnolia Mother’s Trust cohort, underscoring how this work continues to grow across generations.

April Newsletter

A note from our founding CEO, Aisha Nyandoro ⬇️

“April is always one of my favorite Springboard months. There is so much going on in these late spring months, but the highlight for me is our annual Night of Storytelling. For the last 6 years, our Night of Storytelling has been a special place where our families get to take center stage and share their stories, passions, and true lived experiences with our partners, our board, and the greater Jackson community. After they share, they are invited to be in conversation with an invited guest to dig more deeply into their stories and expand on their experiences. But this year, we got to do something new. Instead of our moms sharing their stories, we had three of our Springboard youth take the stage to share their stories with the world. Our work has always been grounded in a whole-family approach, and as we have built our guaranteed income work and other programming, we always believed that these investments would not just bear fruit in the lives of mothers but also their children, extended families, and the communities around them.”

READ THE FULL NEWSLETTER HERE

We are working on a full video recap of the Night of Storytelling along with some behind-the-scenes interviews with our youth storytellers that will be featured on our social media and other platforms soon. But for now, watch this teaser from this powerful evening.

CEO Aisha Nyandoro’s latest op-ed for Forbes came out this month. In it, she shares how the recent government shutdown and failure to pay TSA workers should signal a larger warning about how fragile financial life has become for so many working families in America and what we need to do to fix it. 

If you’re looking to hear from us in a different format, Aisha was also just interviewed for Prentiss Hemphill’s podcast, Becoming the People. During the interview, they talk about The Magnolia Mother’s Trust, the true meaning of wealth, and a new vision for what can help communities thrive.

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We know our regular newsletter readers have already met our featured mom this month, Javonica! But she has recently been featured in our latest Front & Center piece reflecting on her time after The Magnolia Mother’s Trust (Her first piece was about a month after she started in our previous cohort.). She also shares more about having had the opportunity to share her story and go grocery shopping with Vice President Kamala Harris back in January. We promise her story and accompanying video are ones you won’t want to miss! 

With love,

Team Springboard

March Newsletter

READ THE FULL NEWSLETTER HERE

THE BIG THREE

  1. 1. Aisha’s recent Forbes contribution regarding the recent not guilty verdict in the TANF welfare scandal. See the video we made to go along with it.

2. One of our fellows, Carleen, was recently featured in this MS Today piece regarding challenges to accessing SNAP.

3. We celebrated Women’s History Month throughout all of March. We know it’s essential to lift up the realities Black women are facing in the current economy and workforce. Don’t miss this article from The 19th explaining Black women’s skyrocketing unemployment.

Reminder: Our Annual Night of Storytelling event is almost here! Wednesday April 22nd, 6PM at the Mississippi Museum of Art. RSVP here!

With love,

Team Springboard

February Newsletter

Our monthly highlights from the team here in Jackson, Mississippi

YOU CAN READ THE FULL NEWSLETTER HERE

“We’re also grateful to be reminded that we are not alone in this fight to bring true, family-supportive policies to Mississippi and work toward a state where everyone is able to thrive. We had friends and partners at our own advocacy day and have been showing up for others who are continuing to push legislators to support childcare, SNAP, and other safety net benefits. Our Big Three section ,below features highlights from some of the state advocacy work our partners are doing, and we hope you’ll take some time to learn about the many ways Mississippians are fighting to build stronger, more equitable communities.”

Yours in Service,
Aisha Nyandoro
CEO

SPRINGBOARD SNAPSHOTS ⬇️💚

Our CEO, Aisha Nyandoro, is a 2026 Elevate Prize recipient!

We’re strengthening out fellowships in 2026 and hosted out first big event with a storytelling and media training half-day workshop with our mothers.

We hosted various Valentine’s Day events in our communities. We relaunched our MISS Program which provides mental health and self-care support to our moms.

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January Newsletter

The First Springboard Newsletter of 2026

✨ OUR JANUARY HIGHLIGHTS ⬇️

1. We’re not going to lie; the highlight of our January was definitely the visit from Vice President Harris. We are so grateful the VP and her team were willing to take time out of a very busy tour schedule to be in conversation with our families. We know it is an experience they will never forget.

2. Early in February, we’ll be headed to the Mississippi State Capitol for our annual legislative advocacy day. This month, we held a training for our fellows who will be there to make sure they were prepared with talking points and strategies for the day. We’ll recap the legislative advocacy day in next month’s newsletter.

3. While the start of the second semester is not technically a new school year, we know that by halfway through the year, many students need a refresh. We held mini back-to-school drives in each of our communities – with uniforms and supplies – to ensure every child in our community was prepared for the rest of the school year.

OUR 2025 FELLOWSHIP EVALUATION & THEORY OF CHANGE IS HERE

Our Resident Spotlight: Nicole 💚

There is no denying that we are living through challenging and chaotic times, but it is our belief that the greatest opportunities we have for change lie in the solutions developed in community. We hope programs like our fellowships will help inspire more community-driven advocacy and policy work around the country that can move us toward policies and systems where everyone’s voice is valued, and everyone is given what they need to succeed and thrive.

With love,

Team Springboard

Our 2025 Recap

The Springboard to Opportunities Year in Review

2025 brought with it a flurry of challenges – like devastating policy decisions and increased financial insecurity for many families. But at Springboard to Opportunities, we knew our most important job this year was to double down on what we do best: centering community needs and voices. We grew our economic security programs, expanded our policy and advocacy fellowships, and ensured our families’ voices and stories were heard by policymakers and leaders at every level.

• 1,603 attendees at our community events

• 440 children received new backpacks and school supplies

• 3,613 meals and food boxes provided to families

READ THE FULL RECAP NEWSLETTER HERE

• Over 100 participants in our 6th cohort of The Magnolia Mother’s Trust

• Disbursed $1,398,250 in cash to families

• Eliminated over $2,300,000 in medical debt for 1,689 individuals

• We published Filling The Gap

• We had 91 fellows + added a new youth fellowship

• Hosted our first Capitol Advocacy Day at the Mississippi state capitol

• We continued out partnership with Ms. with our Front & Center column

• Hosted out 5th Annual Night of Storytelling with Dr. Tressie McMillan Cottom

• Our CEO, Aisha Nyandoro, became a monthly contributor to Forbes

Thank you for your continued support throughout this entire year and to all of our families here in Jackson, Mississippi. We are so thankful for every single person in our communities!

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With love,

Team Springboard