Richmond Resilience Initiative (Cohort 4, 2025–2027)
The Richmond Resilience Initiative (RRI) is a City of Richmond guaranteed income program run by the Office of Community Wealth Building (OCWB) in partnership with UpTogether. This fourth cohort, funded by a $500,000 City appropriation plus a $60,300 philanthropic gift from UpTogether, provides 42 working families with $500 per month for 24 months with no strings attached. The cohort prioritizes single parents and primary caregivers (including guardians with custody, stepparents, and foster parents) who earn too much to qualify for most public benefits but still cannot afford the cost of living in Richmond (the "cliff effect"). Participants may also opt in to three optional research surveys, each carrying a $50 incentive, without affecting continued monthly payments.
Guaranteed Income, Cliff Effect, Single Parents, Fourth Cohort, UpTogether, Multi-Cohort Program
Headquarters
- Organization Name
- City of Richmond Office of Community Wealth Building
- City
- Richmond
- State / Province
- Virginia
- Country
- United States
Contact
- rri@rva.gov
Status & Funding
- Organization status
- Active
- Program status
- Active
- Application status
- Timed
- Number of recipients
- 42
- 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
- Check, Digital/Virtual payment card, Direct deposit, Pre-paid debit card, Re-loadable debit card
- Benefit details
Participants receive $500 per month for 24 months via UpTogether's distribution platform, with recipients able to choose from several payment methods (check, digital/virtual payment card, direct deposit, pre-paid or reloadable debit card). Payments are unconditional and continue regardless of participation in optional research surveys. Participants may also receive a $50 incentive for completing each of up to three optional research surveys during the program period.
Eligibility
Overview
- Eligibility details
Open to City of Richmond residents whose household income is too high to qualify for most public benefits (the "cliff effect") but too low to cover the cost of living in the city. This cohort (the fourth) specifically prioritized single parents and primary caregivers, including guardians with custody, stepparents, and foster parents. Applications were accepted online from May 27, 2025 through June 30, 2025 via go.rva.gov/rri-2025.
Family
- Family Status
- Parent, Single Parent, Foster Parent
- Number of dependents (minimum)
- 1
Financial
- Currently receiving government benefits
- Disqualifying
- Employment status
- Employed
Geography
- US states covered
- Virginia
- Countries covered
- United States
- Cities covered
- Richmond
- Residency of Target Geography
- Yes
Participation
- Research / data sharing
- Optional
- Complementary program enrollment required
- Financial literacy education offered in partnership with the Richmond City Treasurer's Office of Financial Empowerment (participation details not confirmed as mandatory for this cohort)
- Research / participation requirements
Participants may optionally complete up to three research surveys during their 24-month participation period, each earning a $50 incentive. Completing the surveys is optional and does not affect continued receipt of monthly payments. UpTogether gathers data and supports program evaluation for this cohort in lieu of a separate external evaluator.
Application Process
- How to apply
Eligible City of Richmond residents applied online through the official application portal (go.rva.gov/rri-2025 / JotForm) between May 27, 2025 and June 30, 2025.
- Selection process
Applications were screened by the City of Richmond's Office of Community Wealth Building against eligibility criteria (Richmond residency; household income too high for most public benefits but too low to meet cost of living; and, for this cohort, priority given to single parents/primary caregivers). Selected participants are enrolled and administered through UpTogether under a City grant contract (Ord. 2025-139) with FII-National/UpTogether.
