Advancing Fresno County Guaranteed Income
The Advancing Fresno County Guaranteed Income (AFCGI) program, administered by the Fresno Economic Opportunities Commission (Fresno EOC) in partnership with the Center for Community Voices at Fresno State, provided $500 per month for 12 months to 150 low-income families with young children in two of Fresno County's highest-poverty zip codes: Southwest Fresno (93706) and rural Huron (93234), the latter home to a large immigrant farmworker community. The program was funded entirely by philanthropic foundations, including The California Wellness Foundation, The California Endowment, and the James Irvine Foundation, and delivered unconditional cash via a reloadable prepaid debit card. Immigration status had no bearing on eligibility, and undocumented residents were explicitly welcomed to apply. The pilot ran from July 2024 through June 2025 and was evaluated through a randomized controlled trial comparing 150 recipients to 150 control households.
Farmworker community, Immigrant-inclusive (undocumented welcomed), Urban/rural zip-code targeting, Randomized controlled trial, Young children/pregnancy focus
Headquarters
- Organization Name
- Fresno Economic Opportunities Commission (Fresno EOC)
- City
- Fresno
- State / Province
- California
- Country
- United States
Contact
- Phone
- +1 559-263-1000
- Social media links
Status & Funding
- Organization status
- Active
- Program status
- Inactive
- Application status
- Timed
- Number of recipients
- 150
- Funding type
- Philanthropic
Benefits
- Currency Type
- Fiat
- Currency
- USD
- Total Amount
- 6,000 USD
- Avg. Per Month
- 500 USD
- Payment frequency
- Monthly
- How long the program lasts
- 12 months
- Distribution Type
- Reloadable prepaid debit card
- Benefit details
Selected households received $500 per month for 12 months (total $6,000) loaded onto an automatically-reloaded prepaid debit card, with no restrictions on how funds were spent and no work requirements. Fresno EOC secured a CalFresh/CalWORKs income exemption waiver from the California Department of Social Services so the stipend would not jeopardize participants' other public benefits. Monthly payments began in July 2024 and the last scheduled monthly payment was issued in June 2025, though the final payment was actually sent in August 2025 due to processing timing. No repayment is required.
Eligibility
Overview
- Eligibility details
Applicants had to reside in the 93706 (Southwest Fresno) or 93234 (Huron) zip code, have household income at or below 80% of that zip code's Area Median Income ($30,615 in Southwest Fresno or $35,103 in Huron), and be pregnant or have at least one child age 0-5. Immigration/citizenship status explicitly did not affect eligibility; program organizers confirmed undocumented residents were welcome to apply and that no information would be shared with government immigration officials. From roughly 9,689 applications received (2,290 found eligible), 150 participants (75 per zip code) were chosen via random lottery as part of an RCT design administered by Fresno State's Center for Community Voices, with 150 additional eligible non-selected applicants serving as a control group.
Demographics
- Minimum age
- 18
- Language
- English, Spanish, Hmong
Family
- Family Status
- Parent, Expecting
Financial
- Income limit (annual household)
- $35,103
Citizenship
- Citizenship / immigration status
- Citizen, Permanent Resident, DACA, Refugee, Asylum Seeker, Undocumented
Geography
- US states covered
- California
- Countries covered
- United States
- Cities covered
- Fresno, Huron
- Counties covered
- Fresno
- ZIP / postal codes covered
- 93706, 93234
- Residency of Target Geography
- Yes
Participation
- Research / data sharing
- Optional
- Research / participation requirements
The Center for Community Voices (CCV) at Fresno State, led by Dr. Amber Crowell, ran a randomized controlled trial (150 treatment vs. 150 control) using a community-based participatory action research model, with quarterly surveys, focus groups, and open-ended questions; both recipients and an equal number of control-group non-recipients were encouraged (not required) to participate in surveys and were compensated with gift cards ($20-$40) for their time. The December 2025 final evaluation found statistically significant reductions in debt reliance (40% to 18% relying on borrowing for regular expenses), food insecurity (49% to 17% reporting not having enough to eat), difficulty making ends meet (37% to 11% reporting 'very difficult'), and worry/stress (36% to 24%), while employment levels remained statistically unchanged. Qualitative findings highlighted that rural Huron farmworker participants used the cash to manage seasonal agricultural income volatility but continued to face barriers to childcare, healthcare, and jobs, and reported that intensified 2025 immigration enforcement created new fears affecting daily life for undocumented participants.
Application Process
- How to apply
Applications were accepted online via the Fresno EOC website and in person at designated sites (the Fresno EOC Local Conservation Corps Neighborhood Youth Center in Southwest Fresno and the Huron Family Learning Center/Senior Center) during a defined window of March 15 to May 15, 2024. Applications were available in English, Spanish, and Hmong, with in-person support and informational sessions offered. The application window is now permanently closed with no rolling enrollment.
- Selection process
Eligible applicants were entered into a random lottery/randomized controlled trial administered by Fresno State's Center for Community Voices, which selected 75 participants from each of the two target zip codes (150 total) and randomly selected an additional 150 eligible, non-selected applicants (75 per zip code) to serve as a control group for comparison.
