Camp Harbor View Guaranteed Income Program
Camp Harbor View (CHV), a Boston youth-development nonprofit best known for its free summer camp and Leadership Academy, runs a Guaranteed Income Program in partnership with distribution platform UpTogether. An original pilot (Aug 2021–Fall 2023) gave 50 lottery-selected CHV families $583/month unconditionally for 24 months, funded by over $750,000 from 107 private donors and evaluated by Blakely Consulting with an independently (UMass Boston) administered lottery and control group. A second, current phase (2024–July 2026) provides 38 families with a child enrolled in CHV's Leadership Academy $652.90/month for 28 months. The program pairs unconditional cash with optional financial-wellness workshops and biannual community convenings to help working Boston families move beyond the public-benefits cliff toward economic mobility. CHV describes it as among the largest privately funded guaranteed income initiatives in the U.S.
Guaranteed Income, Two-Phase Pilot, Summer Camp + Cash Transfer, Leadership Academy Partnership, RCT/Lottery Selection, UpTogether Network, Boston
Headquarters
- Organization Name
- Camp Harbor View
- City
- Boston
- State / Province
- Massachusetts
- Country
- United States
Contact
- Website
- https://campharborview.org/
- Phone
- +1 617 396 7877
- Social media links
Status & Funding
- Organization status
- Active
- Program status
- Active
- Application status
- Timed
- Number of recipients
- 38
- Funding type
- Philanthropic, Research Pilot
Benefits
- Currency Type
- Fiat
- Currency
- USD
- Total Amount
- 18,281.2 USD
- Avg. Per Month
- 652.9 USD
- Payment frequency
- Monthly
- How long the program lasts
- 28 months
- Distribution Type
- Check, Digital/Virtual payment card, Direct deposit to bank account, Paypal, Pre-paid debit card, Venmo
- Benefit details
Pilot phase (Aug 2021–Fall 2023): 50 families selected via an independent UMass Boston lottery received an unconditional $583/month for 24 months (~$14,000 total), alongside an equal-size control group that received a stipend for data-sharing. Current phase (2024–July 2026): 38 families with a child enrolled in CHV's Leadership Academy receive $652.90/month, unrestricted, for 28 months (~$18,281 total), plus optional financial-wellness workshops and biannual community convenings. Payments are distributed through UpTogether via check, direct deposit, PayPal, Venmo, prepaid debit card, or digital payment card. Pilot funding exceeded $750,000 from 107 private donors, and CHV calls it one of the largest privately funded guaranteed income programs in the U.S. Blakely Consulting measured impact throughout both phases, finding reduced psychological distress, higher emergency-savings rates, and increased asset-building among recipients.
Eligibility
Overview
- Eligibility details
Participants must be part of the Camp Harbor View community; the current (2024–2026) cohort additionally requires a child enrolled in CHV's Leadership Academy. During the original pilot, eligible families earned less than $70,500 per adult household member and were chosen by an independently administered (UMass Boston) lottery from CHV-community applicants; the program specifically targeted working families living just above the public-benefits cliff, generally not already receiving public assistance. Both phases used a lottery/cohort model rather than rolling, first-come admission. No specific age, disability, immigration-status, or race/ethnicity eligibility criteria were identified.
Family
- Family Status
- Parent, Single Parent
Financial
- Income limit (annual household)
- $70,500
- Currently receiving government benefits
- Disqualifying
- Employment status
- Employed
Geography
- US states covered
- Massachusetts
- Countries covered
- United States
- Cities covered
- Boston
- Counties covered
- Suffolk
- Residency of Target Geography
- Yes
Participation
- Research / data sharing
- Required
- Complementary program enrollment required
- Camp Harbor View Leadership Academy enrollment (required for the current 2024–2026 cohort, not required during the 2021–2023 pilot, which drew from the broader CHV community).
- Research / participation requirements
Independent research/evaluation partner: Blakely Consulting, which measured program impact continuously through both phases via entry/exit surveys covering psychological distress, savings, bill payment, asset-building, and food security. The pilot's lottery/randomization (treatment vs. control) was administered independently by UMass Boston. Pilot findings are published in CHV's 'Direct Cash for a Better Boston' report (January 2024); per program materials a final evaluation of the current (2024–2026) phase was expected around September 2026, which could not be independently confirmed as published as of this research date.
Application Process
- How to apply
Not a general public application; participation is limited to families already engaged with Camp Harbor View (current cohort requires Leadership Academy enrollment). Eligible families apply/are invited to apply and are then selected by lottery for each cohort. Inquiries about the program are directed to CHV's Director of Family Services.
- Selection process
Random lottery among eligible CHV-community applicants. For the pilot, the lottery was administered independently by UMass Boston, producing an equal-size treatment group (monthly cash) and control group (stipend for data-sharing). CHV's Parent Advisory Board, made up of program participants, helped design the second cohort's structure.
