Black Women's Resilience Project (BWRP)
The Black Women's Resilience Project (BWRP) is a Black-woman-led guaranteed income initiative developed by Café X: By Any Beans Necessary in partnership with Jewish Family Service of San Diego, Motherful, and other regional funders to test how direct cash paired with culturally relevant support services affects the economic mobility and well-being of Black women caregivers in San Diego County. Since 2020 the project has proposed several cohort designs, including an original plan for 35 women receiving $1,000/month for 18 months and a later plan for cohorts of 25-60 women receiving roughly $1,000/month over three years, though as of mid-2026 the broader caregiver cash cohort remains in active fundraising with no confirmed disbursement date. The one guaranteed income track that is currently operational under the BWRP/resilience-projects.com website is the Born Well Guaranteed Income Program, which provides $750/month for 12 months to pregnant participants of the county's Black Infant Health Program. Born Well is funded through a public-private partnership among the County of San Diego, San Diego Foundation ($1 million commitment), Alliance Healthcare Foundation, and Jewish Family Service. Payments are loaded onto a debit card and recipients face no restrictions on how funds are spent.
Guaranteed Income, Black Women, Caregivers, Maternal & Infant Health, Black Infant Health Program, San Diego County, Multi-cohort, Community-led
Headquarters
- Organization Name
- Jewish Family Service of San Diego
- City
- San Diego
- State / Province
- California
- Country
- United States
Contact
- Phone
- (858) 637-7350
Status & Funding
- Organization status
- Active
- Program status
- Active
- Application status
- Timed
- Number of recipients
- 25
- Funding type
- Government, Nonprofit, Philanthropic
Benefits
- Currency Type
- Fiat
- Currency
- USD
- Total Amount
- 9,000 USD
- Avg. Per Month
- 750 USD
- Payment frequency
- Monthly
- How long the program lasts
- 12 months
- Distribution Type
- Debit Card
- Benefit details
Participants selected through the program's random 'Opportunity Drawing' receive $750 per month for 12 months, loaded onto a debit card on the 1st of each month, with no restrictions on how the money is spent. Funds are treated as a tax-exempt charitable gift and are exempted from CalFresh, CalWORKs, and Medi-Cal benefit calculations for up to 12 months, though they may reduce SSI or housing voucher benefits. Participants keep their program slot even if household income rises during the 12 months. Participants must remain San Diego County residents and stay enrolled in the Black Infant Health Program for the full duration to continue receiving payments. A broader, currently unfunded/unlaunched version of BWRP is intended to serve Black women caregivers more generally with similar unconditional monthly cash.
Eligibility
Overview
- Eligibility details
Applicants must be 1-39 weeks pregnant, at least 18 years old, current participants in San Diego County's Black Infant Health Program (BIH), residents of any San Diego County zip code, and have household income between 0-300% of the Federal Poverty Level. Eligible applicants are entered into a random lottery ('Opportunity Drawing') rather than selected first-come, first-served. The broader BWRP concept (targeting Black women caregivers generally, not yet funded/launched as a distinct cash cohort) uses different, less-defined eligibility criteria centered on caregiving status and low income.
Demographics
- Minimum age
- 18
- Sex
- Female
- Gender
- Female
- Race / ethnicity targets
- Black/African American women (Born Well track requires enrollment in the county's Black Infant Health Program, broader BWRP concept targets Black women caregivers generally)
Family
- Family Status
- Expecting
- Household size (minimum)
- 1
Health
- Health conditions
- Pregnancy (1-39 weeks gestation)
Financial
- Income limit (annual household)
- $167,160
- Currently receiving government benefits
- Required
Geography
- US states covered
- California
- Countries covered
- United States
- Counties covered
- San Diego
- Residency of Target Geography
- Yes
Participation
- Research / data sharing
- Optional
- Complementary program enrollment required
- Black Infant Health Program (BIH)
- Research / participation requirements
The County of San Diego's Office of Evaluation, Performance and Analytics is evaluating County-linked guaranteed income programs (including this initiative) for impact on wellbeing; San Diego State University's SAGE Project (Sustainable Marketing course) has also provided pro-bono consulting on outreach/narrative strategy. BWRP describes using 'participatory action and mixed methods research' with participants to assess outcomes, but this is not described as a mandatory condition of receiving payments.
Application Process
- How to apply
Apply online via the program's application form (form.jotform.com link on resilience-projects.com); the online application opened February 15, 2026, and applicants must upload documents to verify identity, household income, and San Diego County residency. Applicants unable to submit documents can note this and receive staff assistance.
- Selection process
After eligibility is verified, applicants are entered into a random lottery called the 'Opportunity Drawing' (held around February 24, 2026); all applicants are notified of results within approximately 2-3 weeks of applying, and selected households receive an enrollment invitation.
