CoCo Go BIG
CoCo Go BIG was a six-month guaranteed income pilot (early-to-mid 2024) launched by RCF Connects (Richmond Community Foundation) in the Sycamore Drive neighborhood of Antioch, in Contra Costa County, California. The pilot provided unconditional monthly cash payments to a cohort of 30 residents, with foster youth participants receiving $200/month and adult participants receiving $400/month, distributed via reloadable prepaid debit cards. It was funded through private philanthropic partnerships, including the Robin Hood Foundation, as part of a broader $1.5 million community investment in the neighborhood that also funded park renovations and career-pathway programs. RCF Connects later cited the pilot's results in testimony to the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors that helped shape the county's subsequent, larger countywide guaranteed income program.
Guaranteed Income, Foster Youth, Contra Costa County, Community-Led Pilot, Two-Tiered Payment Design, Prepaid Debit Card
Headquarters
- Organization Name
- RCF Connects (Richmond Community Foundation)
- City
- Richmond
- State / Province
- California
- Country
- United States
Contact
- Website
- https://rcfconnects.org/
- Phone
- +1 510 234 1200
- info@richmondcf.org
- Social media links
Status & Funding
- Organization status
- Active
- Program status
- Inactive
- Application status
- Timed
- Number of recipients
- 30
- Funding type
- Philanthropic
Benefits
- Currency Type
- Fiat
- Currency
- USD
- Total Amount
- 1,200 USD
- Avg. Per Month
- 200 USD
- Payment frequency
- Monthly
- How long the program lasts
- 6 months
- Distribution Type
- Re-loadable/prepaid debit card
- Benefit details
Participants received unconditional cash with no spending restrictions, loaded onto a reloadable prepaid debit card (seed data names Community Financial Resources/CFR as the distribution partner, which is a real organization known for administering guaranteed-income debit-card disbursements, though its specific role in this pilot was not independently confirmed). Foster youth participants received $200/month while adult participants in the same 30-person cohort received $400/month — a two-tiered payment structure. Total disbursement to a foster-youth participant over the 6-month pilot was approximately $1,200. RCF Connects' CEO publicly cited anecdotal impact, such as a participant using funds to take a day off work to interview for a higher-paying job.
Eligibility
Overview
- Eligibility details
Eligibility centered on residency in the targeted Antioch neighborhood (Sycamore Drive area) of Contra Costa County and status as a current or former foster youth for the $200/month track (a separate, higher-paid track existed for adult residents). Specific minimum/maximum age cut-offs for the foster-youth cohort could not be independently confirmed, though such pilots typically target transition-age youth. No income, asset, or other demographic screening criteria were confirmed in available sources.
Family
- Family Status
- Foster Youth
Geography
- US states covered
- California
- Countries covered
- United States
- Cities covered
- Antioch
- Counties covered
- Contra Costa County
- Residency of Target Geography
- Yes
Participation
- Research / participation requirements
Seed data indicates an independent evaluation by 'Allison Lowery' with a final report referenced as of August 2024, but this evaluator and report could not be independently verified through web search; left unconfirmed rather than assumed accurate.
Application Process
- How to apply
Pilot has concluded; no active application process was found. Original enrollment appears to have been managed directly by RCF Connects and community partners within the targeted Antioch neighborhood, but specific application steps could not be confirmed.
- Selection process
Not independently confirmed. Given the program's description as a 'community-led' pilot targeting a specific neighborhood and foster-youth population, selection likely involved outreach through RCF Connects and local partner organizations, but exact criteria/process details were not found in available sources.
