Oakland Resilient Families
Oakland Resilient Families was a guaranteed income pilot launched in July 2021 by then-Mayor Libby Schaaf in partnership with UpTogether (formerly Family Independence Initiative) and Oakland Thrives, providing $500 per month for 18 months to 600 randomly selected low-income Oakland families with at least one child under 18. The program explicitly targeted racial wealth disparities, initially stating eligibility was limited to Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) families before revising its public messaging in 2021 to say it was open to all income-qualifying residents, while selection remained weighted toward communities with the greatest disparities per Oakland's Equity Index. It was funded entirely through private philanthropy, chiefly Blue Meridian Partners, with no taxpayer dollars involved. The pilot was evaluated by the University of Pennsylvania's Center for Guaranteed Income Research (CGIR) using a randomized controlled trial, finding improvements in employment, housing stability, mental well-being, and children's school performance. The program concluded in 2023.
BIPOC-targeted eligibility, race-based eligibility controversy, city-level pilot, Mayors for a Guaranteed Income, randomized controlled trial, one of the largest GI pilots at launch
Headquarters
- Organization Name
- UpTogether (formerly Family Independence Initiative), in partnership with the City of Oakland Mayor's Office and Oakland Thrives
- City
- Oakland
- State / Province
- California
- Country
- United States
Contact
- Phone
- +1 878 444 2932
- help@uptogether.org
- Social media links
Status & Funding
- Organization status
- Active
- Program status
- Inactive
- Application status
- Timed
- Number of recipients
- 600
- Funding type
- Philanthropic
Benefits
- Currency Type
- Fiat
- Currency
- USD
- Total Amount
- 9,000 USD
- Avg. Per Month
- 500 USD
- Payment frequency
- Monthly
- How long the program lasts
- 18 months
- Distribution Type
- Direct Deposit, Prepaid Debit Card (UpTogether Card)
- Benefit details
Recipients received $500 per month for 18 months (total of $9,000 per family), delivered via direct deposit or a prepaid UpTogether debit card at the recipient's choice, with no restrictions on how funds were spent and no work requirements or clawbacks. The pilot ran in two cohorts: Phase 1 enrolled 300 families in a roughly one-square-mile area of East Oakland organized into peer support groups; Phase 2 was a randomized controlled trial comparing 300 treatment families to a control group of 360 non-recipient families from the same applicant pool. Half of slots were reserved for households below 50% of Area Median Income, and half for households below 138% of the Federal Poverty Level.
Eligibility
Overview
- Eligibility details
Eligible applicants were low-income Oakland households with at least one child under 18. Initial program messaging stated eligibility was limited to Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) families; this was publicly revised in April 2021 to say the program was open to all income-qualifying Oakland residents regardless of race or immigration/documentation status, though random selection remained intentionally weighted toward neighborhoods and groups with the greatest wealth disparities per the city's Equity Index. Applicants submitted proof of Oakland residency (ID, utility bill, or pay stub) and self-reported household income and family composition.
Demographics
- Minimum age
- 18
- Race / ethnicity targets
- Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) — explicitly named at launch as the program's target population, language was later revised to remove exclusive BIPOC framing, but random selection remained intentionally weighted toward racial/ethnic groups with the greatest wealth disparities per Oakland's Equity Index.
Family
- Family Status
- Parent
- Number of dependents (minimum)
- 1
- Household size (minimum)
- 2
Financial
- Income limit (annual household)
- $60,650
- Income as % of Federal Poverty Level
- 13,850 %
- Income as % of Area Median Income
- 50,138 %
Geography
- US states covered
- California
- Countries covered
- United States
- Cities covered
- Oakland
- Counties covered
- Alameda
- Residency of Target Geography
- Yes
Participation
- Research / data sharing
- Required
- Research / participation requirements
The University of Pennsylvania's Center for Guaranteed Income Research (CGIR) conducted a mixed-methods randomized controlled trial evaluation of Phase 2 (300 treatment families vs. 360 control families) covering employment, housing stability, mental health, and children's educational outcomes. Key findings included recipients being 73% more likely to hold full-time employment, reduced housing cost burden and homelessness risk, a statistically significant decline in housing cost burden at 6/12/18 months, improved mental well-being, and children 41% more likely to earn A grades.
Application Process
- How to apply
Applications were accepted online through the program website during a defined open enrollment window (spring/summer 2021). Applicants uploaded proof of Oakland residency (driver's license/state ID, utility bill, or pay stub) and reported household income and family composition (at least one child under 18 required). The application period has since closed and the pilot has concluded.
- Selection process
Eligible applicants were entered into a random lottery, split across two geographic/income cohorts (East Oakland peer-group cohort and citywide RCT cohort), with selection intentionally weighted toward families and neighborhoods identified as having the greatest racial wealth disparities per Oakland's Equity Index. A control group of 360 non-selected applicants was retained for comparison in the research evaluation.
