Place to Prosper
Place to Prosper is a two-year guaranteed income pilot providing $700 a month in unrestricted cash to 75 families in San Francisco's HOPE SF public housing communities (Potrero Hill, Sunnydale, Alice Griffith, and Hunters View) who are full-time caregivers of children age five and under. Led by the Partnership for HOPE SF (housed at the San Francisco Foundation) in collaboration with HOPE SF residents, the pilot pairs direct cash transfers with resident-led research and leadership development. UpTogether administers the cash disbursements, while the Jumuiya Research Institute and the Urban Institute support community-based research evaluating the pilot's impact. The program is funded through private philanthropic support raised by the San Francisco Foundation.
HOPE SF public housing residents, racial equity focus, resident-led participatory research, Black women-led research partner (Jumuiya), Urban Institute partner, multi-wallet digital payments (Apple Pay, Google Pay, Samsung Pay)
Headquarters
- Organization Name
- The Partnership for HOPE SF (San Francisco Foundation)
- City
- San Francisco
- State / Province
- California
- Country
- United States
Contact
- Phone
- +1 415-733-8500
- HOPESF@sff.org
- Social media links
Status & Funding
- Organization status
- Active
- Program status
- Active
- Application status
- Timed
- Number of recipients
- 75
- Funding type
- Philanthropic
Benefits
- Currency Type
- Fiat
- Currency
- USD
- Total Amount
- 16,800 USD
- Avg. Per Month
- 700 USD
- Payment frequency
- Monthly
- How long the program lasts
- 24 months
- Distribution Type
- Check, Digital/Virtual payment card, Direct deposit to bank account, Pre-paid debit card, Samsung Pay, Apple Pay, Google Pay
- Benefit details
Participants receive $700 per month in unrestricted, no-strings-attached cash for 24 months (total of $16,800), distributed by UpTogether via check, direct deposit, prepaid debit card, or a virtual payment card compatible with Apple Pay, Google Pay, and Samsung Pay. A Resident Advisory Committee of HOPE SF residents meets quarterly through May 2026 to guide the initiative, and Resident Researchers trained by the Jumuiya Research Institute conduct interviews and focus groups with participants to document the pilot's effects. Applications for this single cohort opened in June 2024, with participants selected and payments beginning around August 2024.
Eligibility
Overview
- Eligibility details
To qualify, applicants must reside in a HOPE SF site (Potrero Hill, Sunnydale, Alice Griffith, or Hunters View) or an approved offsite HOPE SF unit and be the full-time caregiver of a child or children aged five or under. The child must live with the caregiver and be listed on the household's lease with the San Francisco Housing Authority or the relevant HOPE SF property management agency. The pilot's design and outreach intentionally center residents with generational ties to their HOPE SF neighborhoods and its participant, researcher, and advisor groups reflect the racial demographics of the HOPE SF community, which is roughly 45% Black.
Family
- Family Status
- Parent, Single Parent
- Number of dependents (minimum)
- 1
Housing
- Housing status
- Public Housing
Geography
- US states covered
- California
- Countries covered
- United States
- Cities covered
- San Francisco
- Counties covered
- San Francisco
- Residency of Target Geography
- Yes
Participation
- Research / data sharing
- Required
- Research / participation requirements
The pilot includes a resident-led, community-based participatory research component managed by the Jumuiya Research Institute (a Black women-led SF research firm) in partnership with the Urban Institute. HOPE SF residents are trained as 'Resident Researchers' (5 months, 16 workshop sessions) to conduct interviews and focus groups with cash-transfer participants across the four HOPE SF sites, examining effects on parent economic stability, child wellbeing/educational achievement, displacement, and neighborhood safety, with an eye toward long-term policy reform. A separate Resident Advisory Committee of HOPE SF residents meets quarterly (June 2024-May 2026) to advise on program design.
Application Process
- How to apply
Applications for the single cohort opened in June 2024 and were made available to residents of the four HOPE SF sites (Potrero Hill, Sunnydale, Alice Griffith, Hunters View) through the Partnership for HOPE SF; the application window is now closed as the 75 participant slots were filled and payments began around August 2024.
- Selection process
Applicants had to verify residency in a HOPE SF unit and status as full-time caregiver of a child aged five or under listed on the household lease; 75 participants were selected from the applicant pool to reflect the racial demographics and generational ties of the HOPE SF community, with input from a Resident Advisory Committee.
