Philly Joy Bank
Philly Joy Bank is a city-run guaranteed income pilot administered by the Philadelphia Department of Public Health that provides $1,000 per month for 18 months (a total of $18,000) to 250 pregnant residents of three high-infant-mortality neighborhoods: Cobbs Creek, Strawberry Mansion, and Nicetown-Tioga. It was developed by the Philadelphia Community Action Network (CAN), a multisector coalition addressing racial disparities in infant mortality, with the Philadelphia City Fund serving as fiscal sponsor and the Fund for Guaranteed Income (F4GI) administering payments. Funding combines private philanthropy (William Penn Foundation, Spring Point Partners, Vanguard, Barra Foundation, Pew Charitable Trusts, Philadelphia Health Partnership, and Jewish Healthcare Foundation) with City of Philadelphia public funds covering staffing and evaluation. Enrollment of all 250 participants ran from June 2024 through March 2025 via a rolling lottery, and the program is now fully enrolled and closed to new applicants.
Guaranteed Income, Maternal Health, Pregnancy, Infant Mortality, Birth Outcomes, Racial Health Equity, City Government Pilot
Headquarters
- Organization Name
- Philadelphia Department of Public Health, Division of Reproductive, Adolescent, and Child Health
- City
- Philadelphia
- State / Province
- Pennsylvania
- Country
- United States
Contact
Status & Funding
- Organization status
- Active
- Program status
- Active
- Application status
- Timed
- Number of recipients
- 250
- Funding type
- Government, Philanthropic, Research Pilot
Benefits
- Currency Type
- Fiat
- Currency
- USD
- Total Amount
- 18,000 USD
- Avg. Per Month
- 1,000 USD
- Payment frequency
- Monthly
- How long the program lasts
- 18 months
- Distribution Type
- Direct Deposit, Prepaid Debit Card, Venmo, PayPal
- Benefit details
Participants receive $1,000 per month beginning in their second trimester of pregnancy (12-24 weeks gestation) and continuing through their child's first birthday, for a total of 18 monthly payments ($18,000). Funds are unconditional and can be received via direct deposit, a prepaid debit card, Venmo, or PayPal, with start dates varying by enrollment date. Participants are also offered optional referrals to financial counseling, lactation support, Safe Sleep Philly, Philly Families CAN, and community doula support. Because payments could affect eligibility for other public benefits, selected participants are connected with a Philly Joy Bank Navigator for benefits counseling before enrolling.
Eligibility
Overview
- Eligibility details
Applicants must be at least 18 years old, currently pregnant in their second trimester (between 12 weeks 0 days and 24 weeks 0 days gestation), and have a total annual household income under $100,000. They must live in one of three eligible Philadelphia neighborhoods: Nicetown-Tioga, Strawberry Mansion, or Cobbs Creek (west of 50th Street between Market Street and Baltimore Avenue). U.S. citizenship is not required; applicants are eligible regardless of immigration status. Eligible applicants were entered into a recurring lottery drawn every two weeks, with all 250 slots filled between June 2024 and March 2025; the program is now fully enrolled and closed to new applications.
Demographics
- Minimum age
- 18
- Sex
- Female
Family
- Family Status
- Expecting
Health
- Health conditions
- Pregnancy (must be in second trimester, 12-24 weeks gestation, at time of enrollment)
Financial
- Income limit (annual household)
- $100,000
Citizenship
- Citizenship / immigration status
- Citizen, Permanent Resident, DACA, Refugee, Asylum Seeker, Undocumented
Geography
- US states covered
- Pennsylvania
- Countries covered
- United States
- Cities covered
- Philadelphia
- Counties covered
- Philadelphia
- Residency of Target Geography
- Yes
Participation
- Research / data sharing
- Optional
- Research / participation requirements
The program evaluation is led by Drexel University's Dornsife School of Public Health (co-principal investigators Ali Groves, PhD, MHS and Elizabeth Salerno Valdez, PhD, MPH), co-designed with a community advisory board including 5 Lived Experience Experts and community evaluators (Christina Brown, Rita Nelson, Hyden Terrell). The evaluation uses surveys, testimonials, and participatory arts-based research to assess impacts on birth outcomes and family wellbeing, with methodology published as a protocol paper in Frontiers in Public Health (2026). Participation in the evaluation study is optional and separate from eligibility for the cash benefit itself.
Application Process
- How to apply
Applications (now closed) required applicants to submit proof of eligibility documents through the Philly Joy Bank website. Eligible applicants were entered into a recurring lottery pool, with drawings held approximately every two weeks until the 250-person cohort was fully enrolled between June 2024 and March 2025. The program states it is 'fully enrolled and no longer accepting applications.'
- Selection process
Applications with required documents were reviewed for eligibility. Eligible applicants entered a lottery pool and were randomly drawn every two weeks. Selected applicants received an email notification and a phone call from a Philly Joy Bank Navigator to enroll; applicants not selected received a notification and were re-entered into the lottery pool one additional time if still eligible based on gestational age.
