April 12, 2026
Check for Us: Micro-Cash Grants
Micro Cash Grants are small, flexible, no-strings-attached cash awards provided to transition-age youth and kinship caregivers in Texas Region 7 (Greater Austin and surrounding communities) through the CheckForUs platform. Participants complete a survey sharing real information about their needs, experiences, and interactions with systems -- and in return, they receive direct funding they can use however they see fit.
Micro Cash Grants are built on a principle of reciprocity — not charity. Young people and kinship caregivers are the experts of their own lives. When they share that expertise with us, we show up in return. What they tell us shapes everything we build.
Honor the time, trust, and vulnerability it takes to share personal experiences — with real, tangible value in return.
Capture data directly from the people navigating systems — revealing where services fail, what is missing, and what is needed most.
Use what participants share to connect them to relevant services, supports, and follow-up — beyond the grant itself.
Aggregate insights from grant applications to identify systemic gaps, barriers, and patterns that drive policy and practice improvements.
Think of Us is currently deploying Micro Cash Grants through CheckForUs to transition-age youth and kinship caregivers in Texas Region 7. Participants complete a survey about their current needs and
circumstances -- a process designed to capture the nuances of their experiences navigating local systems. In return, they receive flexible, no-strings-attached funding and, where desired, tailored
resource recommendations based on what they have shared. The survey has already disbursed $12,000+ in direct cash assistance to young people. Every application generates data that helps
Think of Us understand where systems are falling short -- and what to build next.
+ An exchange, participants share their expertise, and we show up with real value in return
+ No-strings-attached funding -- recipients decide how to use the money based on their own priorities
+ A data and engagement tool -- surfacing real-time signals about where systems fail and what people actually need
+ A gateway to connection -- participants who want additional support are connected to resources
+ Trauma-informed and youth-centered -- designed with dignity, transparency, and respect at every step
x Charity or emergency aid -- they are a reciprocal exchange that values participants' time and knowledge
x The primary intervention -- they are one component within a broader systems change strategy
x Conditional funding -- there are no requirements for how the money is spent
x A one-way data extraction -- insights are used to improve services for the very communities who provided them
x A replacement for systemic support -- they complement, not substitute, the services young people and caregivers need
Think of Us -- Putting young people and kinship caregivers at the center of child welfare innovation.