Direct Investment Program in Sacramento - DIPS-I (Cohort 1)
Direct Investment Program in Sacramento (DIPS) Cohort 1 was a guaranteed income pilot launched in June 2021 by United Way California Capital Region (UWCCR), the first of three sequential UWCCR guaranteed income cohorts in the Sacramento region. It provided 100 low-income Sacramento County households with $300 per month, unconditional and with no strings attached, for 24 months, concluding in May 2023. The pilot was primarily funded through a philanthropic gift from MacKenzie Scott rather than government funds. Eligible households had incomes up to roughly 150% of the Federal Poverty Level for their household size. UWCCR partnered with Sacramento State University's Division of Social Work to help design and evaluate the broader guaranteed income initiative.
Guaranteed Income Pilot, MacKenzie Scott Donation, First of Three Sequential UWCCR Sacramento Cohorts, UpTogether Partner, Sacramento County
Headquarters
- Organization Name
- United Way California Capital Region
- City
- Sacramento
- State / Province
- California
- Country
- United States
Contact
- Phone
- +1 916-368-3013
- UWGI@uwccr.org
- Social media links
Status & Funding
- Organization status
- Active
- Program status
- Inactive
- Application status
- Timed
- Number of recipients
- 100
- Funding type
- Nonprofit, Philanthropic
Benefits
- Currency Type
- Fiat
- Currency
- USD
- Total Amount
- 7,200 USD
- Avg. Per Month
- 300 USD
- Payment frequency
- Monthly
- How long the program lasts
- 24 months
- Benefit details
Recipients received $300 per month for 24 consecutive months (total of $7,200 per household), with no restrictions on how funds could be spent and no work or program-participation requirements attached. UpTogether, a national direct-cash-transfer nonprofit platform, is listed as a program affiliate/partner, though the specific disbursement mechanism (e.g., debit card vs. direct deposit) for this cohort was not confirmed in available sources. This was the first of UWCCR's three sequential Sacramento-area guaranteed income cohorts, funded initially by a MacKenzie Scott gift rather than public dollars. Sacramento City Council and Mayors for a Guaranteed Income (MGI) are cited as affiliated supporters of the broader initiative.
Eligibility
Overview
- Eligibility details
Eligible participants were households residing in Sacramento County with income at or below approximately 150% of the Federal Poverty Level for their household size (e.g., up to $19,320 annually for a single-person household in 2021). The program used individual/household means-testing rather than a broad lottery. Specific requirements around family composition, employment, or housing status for this particular cohort were not detailed in the sources reviewed. A third-party pilot tracker categorized the program under "Women, Families, and Kids under 18," though this was not confirmed as a formal eligibility criterion.
Financial
- Income limit (annual household)
- $19,320
- Income as % of Federal Poverty Level
- 150 %
Geography
- US states covered
- California
- Countries covered
- United States
- Counties covered
- Sacramento
- Residency of Target Geography
- Yes
Participation
- Research / participation requirements
Sacramento State University's Division of Social Work (Dr. Ethan Evans and research team, College of Health & Human Services) began partnering with UWCCR in Fall 2021, around this cohort's launch, to help design evaluation of the guaranteed income initiative. Detailed, publicly available evaluation reports (e.g., 13,000-applicant survey, 1-year and 18-month evaluation reports) found during research specifically cover UWCCR's second (City of Sacramento) and third (Sacramento County) cohorts; no cohort-1-specific published evaluation report was located.
Application Process
- How to apply
Applications were accepted during a defined enrollment window around the program's June 2021 launch for Sacramento County residents meeting income eligibility; the specific step-by-step application process for this original cohort was not detailed in sources reviewed. The cohort is now closed (concluded May 2023) and does not have a rolling or reopened application.
- Selection process
Selection used individual/household means-testing based on income relative to the Federal Poverty Level; exact selection methodology (e.g., first-come vs. random drawing) for this specific cohort was not detailed in sources reviewed. Later UWCCR cohorts (2 and 3) used randomized selection among eligible applicants.
