Direct Investment Program in Sacramento - DIPS-II (Cohort 2) / Guaranteed Income Program 2.0, City of Sacramento
Guaranteed Income Program 2.0 (referred to in the seed database as DIPS-II), the second of several guaranteed income cohorts run by United Way California Capital Region, gave 80 low-income City of Sacramento residents $500 a month for 12 months with no strings attached. It was funded with $750,000 in City of Sacramento American Rescue Plan Act dollars and administered by United Way California Capital Region. Participants were selected by lottery from over 17,000 applications after screening for city residency, adult age, and household-income eligibility. Sacramento State University's School of Social Work conducted a baseline/endline evaluation comparing recipients to a control group of unselected applicants.
Guaranteed Income, ARPA-funded, Multi-cohort program (Cohort 2 of DIPS series), Random lottery selection, Sacramento State University evaluation, SAFE Credit Union fee-free accounts
Headquarters
- Organization Name
- United Way California Capital Region
- City
- Sacramento
- State / Province
- California
- Country
- United States
Contact
- Phone
- +1 916 368 3000
- Social media links
Status & Funding
- Organization status
- Active
- Program status
- Inactive
- Application status
- Timed
- Number of recipients
- 80
- Funding type
- Government
Benefits
- Currency Type
- Fiat
- Currency
- USD
- Total Amount
- 6,000 USD
- Avg. Per Month
- 500 USD
- Payment frequency
- Monthly
- How long the program lasts
- 12 months
- Distribution Type
- Direct Deposit, Debit Card (Mastercard)
- Benefit details
Payments of $500 were disbursed on the 1st of each month for 12 months via direct deposit or a prepaid debit Mastercard, with United Way partnering with SAFE Credit Union to offer participants fee-free accounts with no minimum balance requirements or overdraft fees. Under California law (WIC Section 11157), guaranteed income payments are exempt from consideration as income for CalWORKs and CalFresh eligibility, and UWCCR staff conducted phone-based benefits counseling with each selected household to review potential conflicts with other public benefits. Recipients could optionally join monthly financial-literacy webinars hosted with SAFE Credit Union and an Advisory Council to give feedback, though these were not required. Total benefit received was $6,000 per participant over the program period.
Eligibility
Overview
- Eligibility details
To qualify, applicants had to be at least 18 years old, reside in the City of Sacramento, and have household income below tiered thresholds ranging from $28,205 for a single adult up to $133,980 for a household of eight (plus $14,160 per additional member). Of over 17,000 applications, 10,407 met the basic age/residency screen, and 80 recipients were chosen through a random lottery. Selected applicants who could not be reached, did not respond, or withdrew were replaced via repeated random draws (14 rounds total) until 80 verified participants were confirmed. Outreach specifically targeted linguistically and culturally diverse Sacramentans via partner organizations (La Familia Counseling Center, Asian Resources, Inc.), with applications supported in over a dozen languages.
Demographics
- Minimum age
- 18
- Language
- English, Spanish, Cantonese, Dari, Farsi, Hmong, Korean, Mandarin, Mien, Pashto, Russian, Samoan, Tagalog, Ukrainian, Vietnamese
Financial
- Income limit (annual household)
- $133,980
Geography
- US states covered
- California
- Countries covered
- United States
- Cities covered
- Sacramento
- Residency of Target Geography
- Yes
Participation
- Research / data sharing
- Required
- Research / participation requirements
Sacramento State University's School of Social Work (Center for Health Practice, Policy and Research) conducted a baseline (May 2023) and endline (June 2024) survey-based evaluation of GI participants versus a 71-person control group of unselected applicants, covering financial/housing/food security, agency, wellbeing, and civic engagement. Completing the baseline research survey was a required part of the application process. Key findings: participants saw improved financial, housing, and food security and reduced psychological distress versus controls, and were twice as likely to cover a $400 emergency expense with cash at endline; full-time employment rates and income volatility did not improve, and a follow-up white paper found lingering effects six months post-payment, with 41% of participants still feeling financially better off versus 10% of the control group.
Application Process
- How to apply
Applicants completed an online application together with a research survey during the application window (application closed mid-April 2023); the final application screen directed applicants to the accompanying research survey, and only those completing both were entered into the selection pool.
- Selection process
Eligible applicants (18+, City of Sacramento residents, under income limits) were selected through a random lottery from a pool of 10,407 qualifying applications. UWCCR staff verified residency and income eligibility and conducted benefits counseling by phone; non-responsive or withdrawing selectees were replaced by additional random draws (repeated 14 times) until 80 confirmed recipients were enrolled.
