iFoster Guaranteed Income (GI) Pilot Program
iFoster, a California-based national nonprofit serving youth in foster care, administers the statewide Guaranteed Income (GI) Pilot Program for young people aging out of extended foster care at 21. It is one of seven pilot sites funded through California's Fiscal Year 2021-22 state budget and overseen by the California Department of Social Services (CDSS). Under a randomized controlled trial, eligible applicants were randomly assigned to a Participant group receiving $750/month for 18 months or a Control group receiving a smaller $20/month research stipend. The program is publicly (state) funded and independently evaluated by the Urban Institute.
Foster Youth, Aging Out of Care, Randomized Controlled Trial, Statewide California, CDSS Pilot
Headquarters
- Organization Name
- iFoster
- City
- Truckee
- State / Province
- California
- Country
- United States
Contact
- Website
- https://ifoster.org/
- Phone
- +1 530-550-8001
- support@ifoster.org
- Social media links
Status & Funding
- Organization status
- Active
- Program status
- Inactive
- Application status
- Timed
- Number of recipients
- 354
- Funding type
- Government, Research Pilot
Benefits
- Currency Type
- Fiat
- Currency
- USD
- Total Amount
- 13,500 USD
- Avg. Per Month
- 750 USD
- Payment frequency
- Monthly
- How long the program lasts
- 18 months
- Distribution Type
- Direct Deposit, Debit Card
- Benefit details
Youth randomly assigned to the Participant group receive $750/month, unconditional and state-tax-free (treated as a gift by the CA Franchise Tax Board), for 18 months via direct deposit or a virtual debit card. Youth not selected for the payment group could join a Control group receiving $20/month for 18 months plus survey incentives ($25 baseline, $10 per text survey, $50 final survey). Enrollment ran November 2023 through July 2024, with the final cohort's 18-month payment period concluding around early 2026. Some other public benefits (e.g., SSI, housing benefits) could be affected by participation, though CalWORKs, CalFresh, General Assistance, and Medi-Cal are not.
Eligibility
Overview
- Eligibility details
Applicants must be California residents aging out of extended foster care (supervised by child welfare or probation) at 21, applying within 90 days before to 30 days after their 21st birthday, and their county of jurisdiction at exit must be one of 51 eligible CA counties (excludes San Francisco, Ventura, Riverside, San Bernardino, Napa, San Mateo, and Alameda, which run their own GI pilot projects). Annual earned income must fall below the county-specific Family Needs Calculator (FNC) threshold for a 2-adult/2-infant household. Applicants cannot be enrolled in another Guaranteed Income pilot project.
Demographics
- Minimum age
- 20
- Maximum age
- 21
Family
- Family Status
- Foster Youth
Geography
- US states covered
- California
- Countries covered
- United States
- Counties covered
- Alpine, Amador, Butte, Calaveras, Colusa, Contra Costa, Del Norte, El Dorado, Fresno, Glenn, Humboldt, Imperial, Inyo, Kern, Kings, Lake, Lassen, Los Angeles, Madera, Marin, Mariposa, Mendocino, Merced, Modoc, Mono, Monterey, Nevada, Orange, Placer, Plumas, Sacramento, San Benito, San Diego, San Joaquin, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Shasta, Sierra, Siskiyou, Solano, Sonoma, Stanislaus, Sutter, Tehama, Trinity, Tulare, Tuolumne, Yolo, Yuba
- Residency of Target Geography
- Yes
Participation
- Research / data sharing
- Optional
- Research / participation requirements
The program is evaluated statewide by the Urban Institute (contracted by CDSS) as part of an impact and implementation study covering all seven CA GI Pilot sites, assessing effects on health, well-being, housing/food security, education, and child welfare involvement. Both Participant and Control group members may opt into up to four surveys (baseline, 6-month, 12-month, 18-month) for cash incentives ($25-$50); survey participation is optional and does not affect GI payment eligibility. Only aggregate, de-identified data is shared publicly.
Application Process
- How to apply
A Transition Age Youth (TAY) or a county worker submits an iFoster GI Pilot Referral Form. An iFoster peer navigator (a former CA foster youth) then contacts the applicant within 1-2 business days for a needs assessment, connects them to resources, and helps them complete the GI-specific application if eligible.
- Selection process
CDSS reviews the completed GI application for eligibility. Eligible applications are then sent to the Urban Institute research team, which randomly assigns (lottery) each youth to either the Participant group ($750/month for 18 months) or the Control group ($20/month for 18 months plus survey incentives). Youth are notified of their group assignment via automated email/text within about 2-3 weeks of applying.
