Our Active Empathy Pledge:
The $1000/mo Humie Childcare Grant
Quick Facts
- Launching in 2026, the Humie childcare grant will provide $1000/month per household for up to 10 years (for a total of up to $120,000 per household)
- To be considered, download & sign up for the Humie app (no purchase necessary)
- Families can increase their odds of selection with 1) regular app use and 2) by sharing how they use Humie on social media and tagging us
- Grant award date(s) and grantee(s) will be announced on our Instagram and Facebook pages
- Grants are funded by paid Humie subscriptions; by subscribing you make the grants possible!
- Open to US citizens and permanent residents
- Read full FAQ below
Why the AEP?
ThinkHumanTV and Humie were created to help kids and adults develop emotional literacy skills like emotion management and empathy, which support resilience and mental health throughout a person’s life.
To ensure that all families have access to these tools, we’ve committed to making them free to those unable to pay.
However, mental health is not just a product of our own emotional skills. Systemic factors play a major role in health outcomes. In particular, poverty is one of the primary causes of poor mental and physical health.
As a company focused on cultivating empathy and emotional wellbeing, we can’t ignore this fundamental problem.
One of the core functions of empathy is to move us to action when others need help. We aim to model this with our Active Empathy Pledge: when we reach 5k paid Humie subscriptions, we will provide a low income or middle class family with a childcare grant of $1000/month, which will be paid out over up to 10 years (depending on the age of the child beneficiary; see the grant FAQ below for more details).
The pledge reflects our goal of making a truly meaningful difference in families’ overall wellbeing, which to us means providing both emotional and financial support.
Any lower income or middle class US family with kids aged 2-10 using Humie (free or paid subscription) will be eligible for the grant (read the full grant FAQ below).
We believe this moment calls for collective action to help address poverty and income inequality. With the Active Empathy Pledge, we’re putting our money where our mouth is. And as the childcare grant will be funded by Humie subscriptions, it will be an act of collective empathy, achieved by the larger Humie community.
At the same time, we will support and advocate for legislation and policies that enable local, state and national universal basic income (UBI) initiatives.
Ilya & Mel, Founders
Humie Grant FAQ
How much is the grant for and how is it paid out?
The grant will provide a family $1000/month over the course of up to 10 years (based on the Universal Basic Income model) for a total of up to $120,000. The exact total of the grant will vary depending on the age of the child who is the beneficiary of the grant. The grant will be provided for a maximum of 10 years or until the child beneficiary turns 13. Thus if the child is 3 years old at the time the grant is awarded, the family will be eligible to receive a total of $120,000 over 10 years.
How do I apply for the grant?
All you need to do is download the Humie app and start using it with your kids! This will automatically add you to the grant candidate pool. No other action is required.
Do I need to pay anything to be eligible for the grant?
No! Both free and paid subscription Humie users are eligible and have an equal base chance of being selected.
Who is eligible for the grant?
Any Humie user (free or paid subscription) is eligible so long as:
1) they are a parent or caretaker of one or more kids between the ages of 2 and 10
2) they are US citizens or permanent residents
3) they may be considered lower income or middle class (for 2026 that means their annual household income does not exceed $155K or about 2x the national median income)
4) they are not affiliated with Humie/ThinkHumanTV or Affectifi Inc.
How do I find out if I got selected?
What are my odds of being selected?
The odds of being selected will depend on the number of users on the platform. You can increase your chances of being selected by regularly using the app and by sharing about how your family uses the app on social media. Find out more below.
I’ve already signed up, can I do anything to increase my chances of being selected?
Yes! You can increase your chances of being selected in two ways:
1)Through regular use of the app. Building emotional skills requires practice, so we want to encourage consistency in using Humie. Each week that the app is used at least once will translate to an additional entry of your account in the drawing pool, increasing your odds of selection.
2) By sharing how your family uses Humie on social media and tagging us. By doing so you’ll be helping other families find out about Humie and supporting kids’ emotional wellbeing. When you share and tag us, we will add your name to the drawing pool (up to two extra entries per user per week), further increasing your chances of being selected.
When do grants get awarded?
For the inaugural grant, launching in 2026, an award will be made when the number of paid Humie subscribers reaches 5k. The award terms of future grants, if any, will be based on the learnings from the initial grant experience, and the feedback from the Humie community.
By becoming a paid subscriber, you bring the initial grant award closer! We will announce on social media when the grant award drawing will be held, so make sure to follow us on Instagram and Facebook!
How are grant recipients selected?
A group of finalists will be selected RANDOMLY from a pool of eligible Humie users. Subsequently, the Humie team will vet the finalists to ensure they are eligible to receive the grant, and identify the winner through a combination of need-based and random selection.
Can I use the money for something other than childcare?
Yes! The money is yours and you can spend it how you see fit. We don’t ask you to account for it. Based on universal basic income (UBI) research, we believe that simply providing families with more financial resources will benefit both parents and kids.
I don't own an Apple device, can I still take part?
We will be launching the Humie app on the Google Play Store very soon (targeting January 2026), allowing virtually anyone with a smartphone to sign up. We will announce the launch on our Instagram and Facebook pages, so make sure to follow us! We will also be releasing a web-based version of Humie in the near future, which will be universally accessible via a web browser.
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