Project Empower
Project Empower was a 2022 guaranteed income pilot that gave $1,000/month, unconditional cash payments for six months to 10 immigrant survivors of domestic/gender-based violence (and their 20 children) who were existing clients of Tahirih Justice Center in the San Francisco Bay Area. It was a three-way nonprofit collaboration: My New Red Shoes (now rebranded mBOLDen Change) funded and designed the guaranteed-income model, Tahirih Justice Center identified participants from its client base and provided case management, and Community Financial Resources handled financial administration, debit cards, and financial education. The pilot specifically targeted immigrant survivors, a population largely excluded from mainstream safety-net and banking systems due to immigration status. Funding came from private/philanthropic donors to My New Red Shoes. A second cohort was announced as a 2023 goal in the pilot report, but no independent source was found confirming it launched.
Immigrant survivors, Gender-based violence, Domestic violence, Undocumented/mixed-status population, Bay Area, Human-centered design, Debit card, Previously unbanked, Trauma-informed
Headquarters
- Organization Name
- My New Red Shoes (now mBOLDen Change), in partnership with Tahirih Justice Center and Community Financial Resources
- City
- Palo Alto
- State / Province
- California
- Country
- United States
Contact
- Phone
- +1 650 241 3911
- Social media links
Status & Funding
- Organization status
- Active
- Program status
- Inactive
- Application status
- Timed
- Number of recipients
- 10
- Funding type
- Nonprofit, Philanthropic
Benefits
- Currency Type
- Fiat
- Currency
- USD
- Total Amount
- 6,000 USD
- Avg. Per Month
- 1,000 USD
- Payment frequency
- Monthly
- How long the program lasts
- 6 months
- Distribution Type
- Debit Card
- Benefit details
Participants received $1,000/month for 6 months ($6,000 total per participant) via debit card, deposited by a partner financial institution through Community Financial Resources, with no restrictions on how funds could be spent. Two debit card options were offered depending on whether the recipient had a Social Security number, so undocumented participants could still receive funds; recipients kept the card and bank account after the pilot ended. Community Financial Resources provided financial education materials, supplemented with Spanish/English how-to videos with voiceovers for low-literacy clients. Participants helped co-design the payment amount/frequency via an initial survey and received a $25 gift card for completing it.
Eligibility
Overview
- Eligibility details
Participants had to be (1) a current client of Tahirih Justice Center's Bay Area office, (2) a survivor of domestic violence, and (3) a parent to a child or children under 18. Roughly 30 Tahirih clients met these criteria; 10 were selected at random from that pool to avoid selection bias. All 10 initial participants were immigrant women pursuing immigration relief (VAWA, U-Visa, asylum, or adjustment of status); 90% were non-native English speakers (80% Spanish, 10% Urdu).
Demographics
- Minimum age
- 18
- Sex
- Female
- Gender
- Female
- Language
- Spanish, English, Urdu
Family
- Family Status
- Parent
- Number of dependents (minimum)
- 1
Financial
- Banked status
- Unbanked, Underbanked, Banked
Citizenship
- Citizenship / immigration status
- Undocumented, Asylum Seeker
Geography
- US states covered
- California
- Countries covered
- United States
- Residency of Target Geography
- Yes
Participation
- Research / data sharing
- Required
- Complementary program enrollment required
- Ongoing case management and legal/social services through Tahirih Justice Center (participants were required to already be Tahirih clients)
- Research / participation requirements
Participants gave informed consent to release de-identified monthly transaction data from their debit cards to Community Financial Resources and the Project Empower team, and were asked to complete surveys (including an initial co-design survey compensated with a $25 gift card) and periodic phone check-ins. The evaluation, published as 'Uplifting Immigrant Survivors: A Report on the Project Empower Guaranteed Income Pilot' (Feb. 2023, Tahirih Justice Center & My New Red Shoes, with editorial input from a Brandeis University Institute for Economic and Racial Equity research scientist), found 50% of participants built savings, 100% remained banked post-pilot (vs. 50% banked beforehand), and 100% reported feeling closer to their long-term financial goals.
Application Process
- How to apply
There was no public/open application process. Participants were drawn exclusively from Tahirih Justice Center's existing Bay Area client base; eligible clients were identified internally by Tahirih staff based on the three eligibility criteria.
- Selection process
Of approximately 30 Tahirih clients who met all three eligibility criteria (current client, DV survivor, parent of a minor child), 10 were chosen through random selection to avoid selection bias.
