Pathway to Income Equity
The Sonoma County Pathway to Income Equity (PIE) is a guaranteed income pilot run by First 5 Sonoma County that gave 305 low-income pregnant individuals and parents of children under six unconditional cash payments of $500/month for 24 months, starting February 22, 2023. Targeted families disproportionately impacted by COVID-19, prioritizing historically under-resourced census tracts. Funded by $5.4M pool of mostly ARPA dollars from Sonoma County Board of Supervisors and the cities of Santa Rosa, Petaluma, and Healdsburg, plus private funding from Corazón Healdsburg. Disbursed via the Fund for Guaranteed Income (F4GI) platform as non-taxable COVID disaster relief. Social Policy Research Associates (SPR) evaluated impact.
Guaranteed Income, ARPA, Early Childhood, Pregnant and Parenting Families, BIPOC, California, COVID-19 Relief
Headquarters
- Organization Name
- First 5 Sonoma County
- City
- Santa Rosa
- State / Province
- California
- Country
- United States
Contact
- Phone
- +1 707 522 2020
- Social media links
Status & Funding
- Organization status
- Active
- Program status
- Inactive
- Application status
- Timed
- Number of recipients
- 305
- Funding type
- Government, Philanthropic
Benefits
- Currency Type
- Fiat
- Currency
- USD
- Total Amount
- 12,000 USD
- Avg. Per Month
- 500 USD
- Payment frequency
- Monthly
- How long the program lasts
- 24 months
- Distribution Type
- Direct deposit (via F4GI payments platform)
- Benefit details
$500/month for 24 months ($12,000 total), disbursed as unrestricted, non-taxable COVID Disaster Relief via F4GI. CA Dept of Social Services granted a waiver excluding payments from CalFresh/CalWORKs income calculations; separate legislation protected CA State Preschool Program eligibility. All participants received benefits counseling. Optional research participation came with additional stipends.
Eligibility
Overview
- Eligibility details
Sonoma County residents, pregnant and/or parenting at least one child under 6, gross household income at/below 185% FPL, experienced an adverse COVID-19 impact (job/income loss, eviction/housing loss). Fall 2022 window drew 6,450 applications, 2,383 met initial screening. At least 75% of 305 slots reserved for Qualified Census Tract residents (concentrated in Santa Rosa, Petaluma, Healdsburg); remaining 25% from countywide pool.
Family
- Family Status
- Parent, Expecting
Financial
- Income limit (annual household)
- $51,338
- Income as % of Federal Poverty Level
- 185 %
Geography
- US states covered
- California
- Countries covered
- United States
- Counties covered
- Sonoma
- Residency of Target Geography
- Yes
Participation
- Research / data sharing
- Optional
- Research / participation requirements
First 5 Sonoma County partnered with Social Policy Research Associates (SPR) for surveys, interviews, focus groups, and Photovoice activities measuring impact on economic stability, child development, and mental health. Optional for enrolled families, with additional cash stipends for participation. Preliminary findings (36 of 305 families) released January 2024; further findings presented March 2025.
Application Process
- How to apply
Applications accepted online through the F4GI portal during a roughly two-month window in fall 2022 (sources vary slightly on exact dates). Application took ~90 seconds. Window now closed, not accepting new applicants.
- Selection process
305 recipients selected at random from eligible applicants; at least 75% reserved for Qualified Census Tract residents identified in the county's Portrait of Sonoma County report. Remaining slots randomly selected countywide. Selected applicants underwent further document verification and mandatory benefits counseling.
