Our Story
Cease Poverty is a Chicago-based nonprofit organization Founded from lived experience, resilience, and a deep commitment to creating meaningful change in the lives of women who have been overlooked, underserved, and impacted by poverty, trauma, incarceration, and systemic barriers.
Founded by Kashmir Bonner, a justice-impacted woman, entrepreneur, community advocate, and aspiring social worker, Cease Poverty was born from a personal journey of overcoming adversity and discovering purpose. After experiencing firsthand the challenges that many women face—including poverty, limited opportunities, lack of resources, and involvement with the justice system—Kashmir recognized a critical need for support, guidance, empowerment, and community.
Cease Poverty was established with a simple but powerful belief: every woman deserves the opportunity to heal, grow, discover her purpose, and build a better future for herself and her family.
We understand that many women are not defined by their mistakes, circumstances, or environments. Rather, they are often products of systems and conditions that have limited their access to opportunity, mentorship, education, and support. We believe that when women are provided with the right tools, resources, encouragement, and community, they can transform their lives and become powerful contributors to society.
Our mission is to break cycles of poverty by empowering justice-impacted women and women from underserved communities through personal development, mentorship, life skills, community support, and access to critical resources.
At Cease Poverty, we are committed to helping women discover who they are beyond their circumstances. We encourage women to pursue purpose-driven lives, build self-confidence, strengthen their families, develop leadership skills, and create pathways toward economic stability and personal success.
Although we are a new nonprofit organization currently in the building phase, our vision is bold. We are actively working to develop programs that support women through every stage of their journey—from crisis and instability to healing, empowerment, and self-sufficiency.
We envision a future where women are equipped with the support they need to thrive, where communities are strengthened through opportunity and hope, and where cycles of poverty are replaced with cycles of purpose, leadership, and generational success.
At Cease Poverty, we believe that when you empower a woman, you strengthen a family. When you strengthen a family, you strengthen a community. And when communities are strengthened, lives are transformed.
Together, we can create lasting change—one woman, one family, and one community at a time.
Cease Poverty helped me find my purpose and rebuild my life with a new mindset.
Monica B.
★★★★★