In addition to California’s statewide efforts, several local governments and non-profit organizations have moved forward with their own programs. This list is current as of May 15, 2022.
Abundant Birth Project (San Francisco, CA)
Funding: public/private
Designed to support Black and Pacific Islander pregnant people in San Francisco—two groups that disproportionately experience adverse birth outcomes—the Abundant Birth Project (ABP) is the first pregnancy supplement program in the U.S. ABP provides $1,000 monthly unconditional cash supplements to Black and Pacific Islander birthing people during pregnancy and the postpartum period as a strategy to buffer against racialized economic insecurity and to directly interrupt the pathway from stressful pregnancies to adverse birth outcomes such as preterm birth. Providing unrestricted cash also gives parents the autonomy and dignity to make the best available choices for their families.
BIG:LEAP (Basic Income Guaranteed: Los Angeles Economic Assistance Pilot)
Funding: public
The Basic Income Guaranteed: Los Angeles Economic Assistance Pilot (BIG:LEAP) will provide 3,200 recipients with $1,000 per month for 12 months. The City’s local social services agency, the Community Investment for Family Department, will run the program, and the Center for Guaranteed Income at the University of Pennsylvania is aiding with program implementation and evaluations. People who reside in the City of Los Angeles, are at least 18 years of age or older, have at least one dependent child or are pregnant, and whose income falls at or below the federal poverty level were eligible to apply. Applications for the program have closed.
Funding: public
The County of Los Angeles will select 1,000 eligible recipients to receive $1,000 a month for three years. To be eligible, recipients must be over the age of 18, resident in a neighborhood identified as being at or below LA County’s area median income (AMI), in a single person household that falls at or below AMI, in a household with two or more people that falls at or below 120% AMI, have been financially negatively affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, and not be participating in another guaranteed income program concurrently. The Center for Guaranteed Income at the University of Pennsylvania developed the research plan and is conducting the evaluation.
Funding: private
Community Works, which advocates for and provides services to people coming into contact with justice systems, has received private seed funding to pilot the nation's first guaranteed income program for individuals reentering the community post-incarceration. The program will provide individuals with $500 per month for at least 12 months. The target population will consist primarily of Black and brown adults who are returning home from prison or jail and reside in Alameda and Contra Costa counties. Each participant will have access to a peer advocate who was formerly incarcerated and has deep on-the-ground knowledge of the community and local resources and a financial coach. The advocate can link participants to services based on their needs and can connect participants interested in entrepreneurship to local business incubators and networking events. The financial coach can provide support with money management.
Funding: private
The Compton Pledge is the Fund for Guaranteed Income’s landmark guaranteed income initiative, distributing recurring cash relief to low-income residents for 2 years, marking the largest city-based guaranteed income pilot in the U.S. Launched in December 2020, the Compton Pledge is exploring various cash transfer mechanisms, payment disbursement strategies, and enrollment strategies for marginalized residents.
The Direct Investment Program in Sacramento (DIPS)
Funding: public / private
United Way of California Capital Region's Direct Investment Program in Sacramento (DIPS) began providing $300 of unconditional income every month for 24 months to 100 families in Sacramento County in June 2021. With funding from the City of Sacramento, in fall 2022 United Way of California Capital Region will launch DIPS 2.0 and expand the program to 80 additional participants who will receive $500 a month for 12 months.
Funding: public / private
The Mountain View Elevate MV guaranteed income pilot will serve low-income Mountain View residents who care for at least one child. The program will give $500 a month to 166 randomly selected eligible families, and will partner with the University of Pennsylvania Center for Guaranteed Basic Income to study the impact. Elevate MV is operated through the City’s partner Community Services Agency and supported by YMCA.
Long Beach Guaranteed Income Pilot Program
Funding: public
The City of Long Beach is launching the Long Beach Guaranteed Income Pilot Program, to provide $500 a month for 12 months to a select number of Long Beach families living at or below the poverty line and residing in the 90813 zip code, which has the highest concentration of families living in poverty within the city. The City of Long Beach believes focusing on the area with the highest concentration of poverty will allow for the greatest potential for community impact and will provide documentable results that can be included within the national experiment and research currently underway throughout the United States.
Funding: private
MOMentum is a countywide pilot in Marin County, California that asks the question, “What happens when Moms are given a little more?” Launched May 2021, the program will provide 125 low-income moms with $1,000 a month for 24 months. Designed with input from the intended recipients, MOMentum hopes to give moms an opportunity for greater control over their lives, their finances, and the future for themselves and their children. MOMentum is fully funded by philanthropic donations.
National Council of Jewish Women Los Angeles (NCJW | LA) Guaranteed Income Pilot (Los Angeles, CA)
Funding: private
The National Council of Jewish Women | Los Angeles’s Guararanteed Income Pilot supports low-income women who work in care professions, and aims to expand support to women who do the critical work of caring for and offering dignity to others. The Pilot provides 12 participants $1,000 monthly cash assistance for one year.
Oakland Resilient Families (Oakland, CA)
Funding: private
Oakland Resilient Families provides 600 randomly selected East Oakland families with low incomes and at least one child under 18 a guaranteed income of $500 per month for at least 18 months. The program also has an intentional focus on groups with the greatest wealth disparities per the Oakland Equity Index to address generational wealth inequities rooted in ongoing systemic racism. In alignment with Oakland Mayor Libby Schaff’s pledge to bring a guaranteed income pilot to Oakland, Oakland Resilient Families is funded by philanthropic donations and run by a collaboration of local community-based organizations.
Preserving Our Diversity (Santa Monica, CA)
Funding: public
The City of Santa Monica’s Housing Office’s Preserving Our Diversity (POD) program provides cash-based assistance to low-income, long-term Santa Monica residents in rent-controlled apartments in Santa Monica to help achieve a minimum monthly after-rent income of $747 for a one-person household or $1,306 for a two-person household. POD program participants must be aged 65 or older; have occupied their current Santa Monica rent-controlled apartment since before January 1, 2000; and have an annual household income equal to or less than Very Low Income (50% Area Median Income) for Los Angeles County, as determined by the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Resilient Communities for Every Child (San Diego, CA)
Funding: private
To achieve their commitment to cut child poverty in San Diego in half by 2030, San Diego for Every Child, a county-wide initiative of individuals and organizations, is piloting Resilient Communities for Every Child. Resilient Communities for Every Child is a basic guaranteed income program that serves as an economic justice tool to help address the racial and gender inequities that impact the lives of children experiencing poverty. The program is privately funded and will provide enrolled families $500 monthly for 24 months. The program targets households of color in Encanto, Paradise Hills, National City, and San Ysidro who are low-income and have at least one child under 12.
San Francisco Guaranteed Income Pilot for Artists (San Francisco, CA)
Funding: public/private
The Yerba Buena Center for the Arts (YBCA) champions artist-centered investments that address systemic racism, inequity, and economic insecurity. YBCA centers its work on the principle that artists leave a direct, lasting impact on our collective health and well-being and create the conditions for healthy, cohesive, safe and engaged communities. To support artists and their communities, the SF Guaranteed Income Pilot for Artists (SF-GIPA), powered by YBCA, makes no-strings-attached cash payments to artists who have been disproportionately impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The SF-GIPA will provide 190 artists with $1000 per month for 18 months.
Santa Clara County Basic Income Pilot (Santa Clara, CA)
Funding: public
In 2020, the County of Santa Clara implemented a basic income program for youth aging out of the foster care system. Under the pilot program, 72 young adults aging out of the foster care system began receiving a monthly stipend of $1,000 for 12 months. In 2021, the County extended the payments to participants for an additional six months.
South San Francisco Guaranteed Income Program
Funding: public
The South San Francisco Guaranteed Income Program will provide $500 a month for 12 months to over 135 eligible families. The program is funded by the City of South San Francisco, which will contract with the YMCA to administer the Guaranteed Income Program. The program prioritizes applicants who are Foster Youth transitioning out of care, are single head of households, are families with minor-aged children, or reside in the City’s lowest-income census tracts.
West Hollywood Guaranteed Income Pilot (West Hollywood, CA)
Funding: private
In collaboration with the National Council of Jewish Women/LA and Center for Guaranteed Income Research, the City of West Hollywood is developing the first guaranteed income pilot in the nation aimed at evaluating the impact of cash payments on the financial stability and quality of life of LGBTQIA older adults. Community members must reside in the City of West Hollywood, be 50 years or older, identify as LGBTQIA, and have an individual income of $41,400 or less to be eligible for the program.
Yolo County Basic Income Pilot (Yolo County, CA)
Funding: public/private
Yolo County’s Department of Health and Human Services is launching a basic income supplement program for 54 of the County’s lowest income and most vulnerable families in CalWORKS. The 24 month program will provide families an average of $1,244 per month. The program includes funding from First 5 Yolo, an HHSA grant from the Office of Child Abuse Prevention, and funding approved by the Yolo County Board of Supervisors from the cannabis tax revenue. Learn more about the Yolo County Basic Income Pilot here.
