Dignity Fund
Dignity Fund is a program of the San Francisco-based nonprofit Miracle Messages that provides $300 per month in unconditional cash for 12 months to individuals experiencing homelessness who are long-term matches in the organization's Miracle Friends phone-buddy volunteer program. It is funded through private philanthropic support and pairs cash assistance with an existing volunteer relationship rather than formal case management. It is one of two active 'Miracle Money' basic income funds Miracle Messages currently supports (alongside the California-focused Thriving Community Fund) and, while closed to new enrollment as of 2026, continues supporting current recipients through 2026. Program findings are shared publicly through the organization's 'Basic Income and Belonging' Issue Brief series.
Homelessness, Guaranteed Income, Cash Plus, Phone Buddy Program, Relational Poverty, Unconditional Cash Transfer
Headquarters
- Organization Name
- Miracle Messages
- City
- San Francisco
- State / Province
- California
- Country
- United States
Contact
- Phone
- +1 800 647 7968
- Social media links
Status & Funding
- Organization status
- Active
- Program status
- Active
- Application status
- Timed
- Number of recipients
- 165
- Funding type
- Philanthropic
Benefits
- Currency Type
- Fiat
- Currency
- USD
- Total Amount
- 3,600 USD
- Avg. Per Month
- 300 USD
- Payment frequency
- Monthly
- How long the program lasts
- 12 months
- Distribution Type
- Reloadable/prepaid debit card
- Benefit details
Recipients receive $300 per month for 12 months in unconditional cash, disbursed via a reloadable prepaid debit card. Funds are treated as nontaxable gifts with no work or service requirements attached. Recipients continue weekly phone or text contact with their matched Miracle Friend volunteer throughout the benefit period. As of mid-2026 the fund is closed to new enrollment but Miracle Messages states it is supporting existing recipients through 2026.
Eligibility
Overview
- Eligibility details
Eligible individuals are people experiencing homelessness or housing instability who are already established, long-term matches within Miracle Messages' Miracle Friends phone-buddy volunteer program. There is no separate open application process; participants are identified from within the existing Miracle Friends caseload rather than recruited externally. Broadly, Miracle Money programs prioritize unsheltered individuals with minimal access to other safety-net services.
Housing
- Housing status
- Homeless
Geography
- Countries covered
- United States
Participation
- Research / data sharing
- Optional
- Complementary program enrollment required
- Miracle Friends Phone Buddy Program (must be an active, long-term matched participant)
- Research / participation requirements
Program outcomes are documented by Miracle Messages internally, reportedly with evaluation support (per seed data, not independently confirmed by public search) and summarized across Miracle Money initiatives in the organization's 'Basic Income and Belonging' Issue Brief series (Issue Brief No. 1, November 2025; Issue Brief No. 2, April 2026, which focuses on the separate Thriving Community Fund). Reported Miracle Money outcomes broadly include improvements in housing stability, psychological well-being, and social connectedness; Dignity-Fund-specific disaggregated participant data were not found in public sources as of July 2026.
Application Process
- How to apply
There is no general public application. Participants are drawn from individuals already matched as long-term participants in the Miracle Friends phone-buddy program; those interested in Miracle Friends (as a precondition for potential future fund eligibility) can sign up or request a referral via https://www.miraclemessages.org/getinvolved or the organization's client referral line.
- Selection process
Selected internally by Miracle Messages staff based on the length and depth of a participant's engagement as a matched, long-term participant in the Miracle Friends phone-buddy volunteer program.
