How Income To Support All Foundation Advances Economic Security

In a world where millions face economic instability, where a single setback can mean disaster for a family, a new organization is quietly but powerfully rewriting the rules of philanthropy and social support. Income to Support All (ITSA) Foundation has emerged not merely as another charity, but as a movement, a community, and a blueprint for how we can share our collective prosperity in a truly transformative way.

Holdings is proud to recognize and celebrate the inspiring and mission-driven work of ITSA Foundation. In telling their story, we’re not only sharing the journey of a singular nonprofit, but inviting others to join a growing movement dedicated to building economic security for all.

A Mission Born of Personal Struggles

ITSA Foundation was established out of the realization that traditional charity, no matter how well-intentioned, too often misses the mark for those it hopes to help. The leadership, particularly founder Scott Santens, has seen firsthand the limits of sporadic aid and paternalistic programs. Santens recognized that what struggling individuals and families need isn’t just handouts or conditional help—it’s real agency, real dignity, and above all, real security in the form of unconditional support.

At ITSA, the mission is simple but radical: provide a “floor” of direct, unconditional cash income to everyone, for life. This is more than an economic proposal—it’s a profoundly human one, grounded in the belief that everyone deserves a chance to build their lives without the constant threat of financial ruin.

Why Universal Basic Income? Seeing the Pain Points Others Ignore

In the U.S. and worldwide, the need for Universal Basic Income (UBI) is frequently debated but rarely enacted. The pain points ITSA addresses are not just about accounting, but about raw human survival.

• Precarity: Most Americans, even those working full time, are one medical bill or job loss away from crisis.

• Inefficiency: Traditional aid programs are plagued by bureaucracy, distrust, and restrictions that often prevent recipients from making choices that fit their real needs.

• Stigma: Social assistance is often tied to shame, reinforcing a divide between “givers” and “takers.”

The result? Millions drift in and out of poverty, and philanthropy becomes a never-ending cycle of temporary solutions. ITSA Foundation asks: What if we stopped patching the system and started creating real, lasting security?

The Storyteller’s Approach: “Just Do It”—and Show the World

ITSA distinguishes itself by refusing to wait for perfect policy or top-down government action. Instead, it acts now—funding projects that place cash directly in people’s hands and then documenting, in rich, human terms, what that means for their lives.

Bootstraps Docuseries: Real Lives, Real Change

One of ITSA’s hallmark projects is the Bootstraps docuseries. This ambitious, multi-year effort followed 11 diverse households across America as they received an unconditional basic income—$1,000 per adult and $333 per child, every month, for 2.5 years. The series, led by Emmy-award-winning director Deia Schlosberg, provides an unfiltered, intimate look at what happens when people gain genuine economic security:

• Families facing housing insecurity could plan for the future.

• Health crises were met with confidence, not fear.

• Creativity, entrepreneurship, and community engagement flourished, freed from the constant anxiety of making ends meet.

The stories are moving not because they’re extraordinary, but precisely because they’re universal.

“It’s very, very hard to teach financial planning to someone who has no money… As soon as someone actually experiences a reliable foundation of basic income, though, they often proactively explore that kind of education on their own.”
— Conrad Shaw, co-founder of ITSA

These narratives expose how UBI changes lives—not by replacing work, but by making survival less of a full-time job.

Comingle: A Community Tool for Mutual Security

Another key ITSA project is Comingle, a software platform and movement in itself. Comingle enables people to pledge a small portion of their income—up to 7% weekly—into a shared pool. Those with lower-than-average weekly incomes receive a boost; those earning more contribute more. The goal: a sustainable “floor” of security for everyone who participates.

• It’s mutual aid, supercharged: Instead of one-off and top-down donations, it’s ongoing, automated, and rooted in solidarity.

• It’s flexible: Whether a person loses work one week or faces a crisis, Comingle ensures support is there—in real time.

• It’s for everyone: There’s dignity in both giving and receiving, and over a lifetime, anyone can play both roles.

As the founders put it, “UBI is ultimately about solidarity. Sometimes we will be the ones above the average, sometimes below, but together we’ll all know that there is a level below which we won’t allow any of us to fall.”

Tools Built for Mission-Driven Realities

The impact of ITSA’s work goes beyond just cash. The foundation is fiercely committed to creating tools—like Comingle—that are:

• Purpose-built, not repurposed: Designed from the ground up for mutual aid and sustainability.

• Non-paternalistic: Trust is at the core—participants receive cash, not restrictions.

• Transparent and participatory: Open to input and evolution from the very people it’s meant to help.

This approach directly answers the everyday realities (and frustrations) of running mission-driven organizations, where chasing grants and managing red tape often saps energy that could go toward real impact.

Scaling Solutions: From Project to Movement

What sets ITSA apart is its vision for scale—not just in numbers, but in changing what’s possible for all nonprofits and communities. After raising an initial $53,000 in its first year, ITSA has grown dramatically, securing over $1.5 million in 2024. This has unlocked the ability to fully fund both Bootstraps and Comingle, and sustain monthly operations with recurring, diversified donations.

Former presidential candidate Andrew Yang, himself a vocal UBI advocate, has praised ITSA as “very small, scrappy, and pure, and they’re genuine”—an endorsement that underscores the trust ITSA has built as both an innovator and an honest steward of resources.

Facing the Stakes—And Naming What Must Change

The stakes in ITSA’s work are more than anecdotal; they are measurable and urgent.

• Child poverty in the U.S. was cut nearly in half with the expanded Child Tax Credit—then returned to previous levels when the policy was allowed to expire, showing both the effectiveness of direct cash and the need to grow its support.

• Millions lack a safety net and are at the mercy of disaster or downturn, just one crisis away from slipping through the cracks.

• Charitable giving often props up the status quo, reinforcing dependence instead of building true capability and choice.

ITSA is forthright: “Philanthropy’s mission should be to put itself out of a job. True philanthropic work ends when the problems that inspired it cease to exist.” This clear-eyed perspective is rare in the charity sector and is, perhaps, ITSA’s greatest strength. It makes their call to action even more compelling.

Overlooked Pain Points: Sustainability and Survival

For too long, the dialogue around nonprofits has centered on bookkeeping, compliance, and temporary relief. ITSA’s model addresses the root causes:

• Sustainability: By pooling resources and dispersing risk across a community, economic shocks become manageable, not devastating.

• Survival: With a guaranteed baseline, people can make better decisions, invest in their futures, and weather crises without falling off a financial cliff.

• Empowerment: Direct, unconditional support restores agency and the ability to dream, plan, and participate fully in society.

Transparency and Honesty: No Fairy Tales

ITSA doesn’t promise easy fixes. The path to universal economic security is long and fraught with challenges. Major hurdles include raising sustainable funding, shifting skeptical public attitudes, and overcoming policy inertia.

Yet, ITSA Foundation is rigorously open about what’s needed:

• For Bootstraps to be watched at public screening events across the country, additional funds are being sought—every dollar gets them closer to bringing these powerful stories to viewers everywhere.

• Comingle still needs grassroots organizers, technologists, and just ordinary members to sign up, spread the word, and participate in its pilot phase.

• True mass adoption of basic income requires a culture shift—a shared recognition that financial safety for all is both possible and necessary.

By openly confronting these challenges, ITSA invites donors, volunteers, and advocates to not just watch, but join.

Join the Movement: How You Can Help

The Income to Support All Foundation is more than a nonprofit: it’s a movement—a growing alliance of people, organizations, and communities who believe dignity and security should be universal.

Here’s how everyone can help advance this mission:

• Donate: Every contribution multiplies the impact—not just by funding cash payments, but by accelerating research, storytelling, and technology.

• Volunteer: Whether you have skills in tech, communications, organizing, or just a willingness to listen and share, ITSA needs your help.

• Spread the Word: Share stories from Bootstraps when it's available, invite friends and family to join Comingle, and help challenge misconceptions around UBI.

• Advocate: Encourage your community, local officials, and businesses to learn about—and support—unconditional basic income experiments.

Visit the ITSA Foundation’s website to sign up for newsletters, watch previews of their docuseries, and see how you can get involved.

Moving Forward Together

At Holdings, we are humbled and energized to be a financial partner to organizations like the Income to Support All Foundation. Their story speaks to the power of dreaming big and acting boldly, of replacing passive charity with active, empathetic solidarity. In working with such organizations, we see ourselves as contributors to a greater cause—helping to build the tools, stories, and infrastructure that advance the mission of universal security.

We encourage everyone who reads this to consider what role you might play. The pain points ITSA tackles aren’t abstract—they’re the real, everyday struggles of families, workers, and neighbors. The solutions are no less real—and achievable—if we are willing to act.

The movement for income security and dignity is underway. Join us. Help accelerate it. Together, we can build a world where economic security is not a privilege for the few, but a foundation for all.

Get Involved

• Donate: Support the Foundation at itsafoundation.org.

• Sign up for updates: Subscribe to the ITSA Newsletter.

• Reach out: Contact ITSA Foundation for volunteering opportunities.

• Share the mission: Use your platform—however big or small—to explain why security for all benefits everyone.

Together, the work of ITSA and its supporters is turning a bold vision into reality—step by step, story by story, and dollar by dollar.