Catapult's Guaranteed Basic Income Program
Catapult's Guaranteed Basic Income Program provided $500 per month for 11 months (June 2023-April 2024) to 25 single mothers in Pittsburgh who had at least one child under age 5, aiming to reduce economic disparities for families living in poverty. It was run by Catapult Greater Pittsburgh in partnership with Pittsburgh Scholar House and Point Park University, with funds loaded onto MoCaFi prepaid debit cards with no restrictions on use. The pilot was funded by a $250,000 grant from the Early Childhood Funders Alliance at Grantmakers of Western Pennsylvania as part of a broader Prenatal to Three initiative in Allegheny County.
Single Mothers, Guaranteed Income, Early Childhood, Pittsburgh, MoCaFi Debit Card, Pilot Program
Headquarters
- Organization Name
- Catapult Greater Pittsburgh
- City
- Pittsburgh
- State / Province
- Pennsylvania
- Country
- United States
Contact
- Phone
- +1 412 623 9596
- Social media links
Status & Funding
- Organization status
- Active
- Program status
- Inactive
- Application status
- Timed
- Number of recipients
- 25
- Funding type
- Philanthropic
Benefits
- Currency Type
- Fiat
- Currency
- USD
- Total Amount
- 5,500 USD
- Avg. Per Month
- 500 USD
- Payment frequency
- Monthly
- How long the program lasts
- 11 months
- Distribution Type
- Debit Card
- Benefit details
Each month, $500 was loaded onto a prepaid debit card issued by MoCaFi, a fintech company focused on closing the wealth gap for marginalized communities. Participants faced no restrictions on how funds could be used and completed a brief monthly assessment on financial practices, satisfaction, confidence, control, and stress. At the end of the 11-month pilot, participants were offered follow-up support with a financial counselor to help ease the transition back to life without the extra funds.
Eligibility
Overview
- Eligibility details
Open only to women who were previous participants in a Catapult Greater Pittsburgh or Pittsburgh Scholar House program, were single mothers, and had at least one child under age 5. Many participants were low-income parenting students or program alumnae in the Pittsburgh/Allegheny County area.
Demographics
- Sex
- Female
- Gender
- Female
Family
- Family Status
- Single Parent, Parent
- Number of dependents (minimum)
- 1
Geography
- US states covered
- Pennsylvania
- Countries covered
- United States
- Cities covered
- Pittsburgh
- Counties covered
- Allegheny County
Participation
- Research / data sharing
- Required
- Complementary program enrollment required
- Prior participation in a Catapult Greater Pittsburgh or Pittsburgh Scholar House program was a prerequisite for pilot enrollment, post-pilot financial counseling was offered to participants.
- Research / participation requirements
Point Park University served as a research/evaluation partner for the pilot. Participants completed 11 monthly surveys covering financial practices, satisfaction with their financial situation, financial confidence, sense of control, and stress levels, plus a voluntary exit interview in the final month. Findings were published by Catapult in 'Insights from Catapult's Guaranteed Basic Income Pilot' (April 2025) and in a full GBI Report (dated September 2024), covering income sources, savings, debt, credit scores, and financial outlook over the course of the pilot.
Application Process
- How to apply
There was no open public application process; the 25-person cohort was recruited directly from existing participants of Catapult Greater Pittsburgh and Pittsburgh Scholar House programs who met the eligibility criteria (single mother with a child under age 5).
- Selection process
Eligible candidates already engaged with Catapult or Pittsburgh Scholar House who were single mothers with at least one child under 5 were selected to fill 25 pilot slots. The specific selection methodology beyond eligibility screening was not publicly detailed.
