40x40 Community Fund: Family First Guaranteed Basic Income
The 40x40 Community Fund: Family First Guaranteed Basic Income is a guaranteed income pilot for families with young children in East Oakland, run jointly by UpTogether and Roots Community Health Center as part of the Rise East initiative and with support from Oakland Thrives. Families are placed on one of two payment tracks: higher-need households receive $1,000/month for 12 months then $500/month for 6 months, while other participating families receive a flat $500/month for 18 months. The program serves roughly 140 families and is funded through private philanthropic support. It builds on the earlier Oakland Resilient Families pilot (2021-2023), a 600-household program run by UpTogether, Oakland Thrives, and the City of Oakland.
Guaranteed Income, Black families, East Oakland, Rise East, 40x40 Initiative, Maternal/child health, Tiered payment structure
Headquarters
- Organization Name
- UpTogether and Roots Community Health Center
- City
- Oakland
- State / Province
- California
- Country
- United States
Contact
- Phone
- +1 510-777-1177
- Social media links
Status & Funding
- Organization status
- Active
- Program status
- Active
- Application status
- Timed
- Number of recipients
- 140
- Funding type
- Philanthropic
Benefits
- Currency Type
- Fiat
- Currency
- USD
- Total Amount
- 15,000 USD
- Avg. Per Month
- 833.33 USD
- Payment frequency
- Monthly
- How long the program lasts
- 18 months
- Distribution Type
- Check, Digital/Virtual payment card, Direct deposit to bank account
- Benefit details
Participants receive unconditional monthly cash payments distributed through UpTogether, via check, digital/virtual payment card, or direct deposit. Two payment tiers exist based on assessed need: $1,000/month for 12 months followed by $500/month for 6 months (total $15,000), or a flat $500/month for 18 months (total $9,000). Payments are described by the funders as no-strings-attached cash assistance.
Eligibility
Overview
- Eligibility details
Eligible participants are parents/caregivers of young children (or expecting parents) in East Oakland's 40x40 neighborhood, an area roughly bounded by Seminary Ave, the Oakland-San Leandro border, MacArthur Blvd., and the Bay. Cited eligibility factors include having a dependent child, pregnancy, and Medi-Cal eligibility, indicating a low-income focus, though exact income thresholds were not published in available sources. The program is positioned within Rise East, which centers Black families in East Oakland, though race was not confirmed as a formal screening criterion in available sources.
Family
- Family Status
- Parent, Single Parent, Expecting
- Number of dependents (minimum)
- 1
Geography
- US states covered
- California
- Countries covered
- United States
- Cities covered
- Oakland
- Counties covered
- Alameda
- Residency of Target Geography
- Yes
Participation
- Research / participation requirements
Program evaluation is described in seed data as being handled in-house by UpTogether and Roots Community Health Center, unlike the original Oakland Resilient Families pilot, which was evaluated by the University of Pennsylvania's Center for Guaranteed Income Research (CGIR). No public evaluation report for this specific pilot was located as of research date.
Application Process
- How to apply
Interested families were directed to contact Roots Community Health Center's program staff for enrollment information; no public online application form was identified in available sources.
