San Diego for Every Child Guaranteed Income Pilot
San Diego for Every Child (SDEC), a nonprofit coalition housed under Jewish Family Service of San Diego (JFS), ran a guaranteed income pilot giving $500 unconditional monthly cash payments for 24 months to 150 families with a child age 12 or under, living in four San Diego-area ZIP codes with high child poverty and COVID-19 impact. The pilot ran from March 2022 to February 2024 and was funded by a $1.4 million California state budget appropriation plus institutional and private philanthropic fundraising. It was carried out in partnership with Mayors for Guaranteed Income and studied by the Center for Guaranteed Income Research (CGIR) at the University of Pennsylvania.
COVID-19 relief, Child poverty, Families of color, Mayors for Guaranteed Income, ZIP-code targeted, State budget-funded
Headquarters
- Organization Name
- San Diego for Every Child (a coalition initiative housed under Jewish Family Service of San Diego)
- City
- San Diego
- State / Province
- California
- Country
- United States
Contact
- Phone
- +1 858-637-7350
- Social media links
Status & Funding
- Organization status
- Active
- Program status
- Inactive
- Application status
- Timed
- Number of recipients
- 150
- 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
- Prepaid debit card
- Benefit details
Payments of $500 were loaded monthly onto a prepaid debit card with no restrictions on how funds could be spent. Participation in optional financial coaching/literacy programs and in optional, compensated periodic research surveys and interviews was offered but not required. Total investment was roughly $1.8 million across the pilot ($12,000 per family). Aggregate participant spending was concentrated in food/groceries (~37%), retail/services (~30%), and transportation (~13-14%).
Eligibility
Overview
- Eligibility details
Eligible households needed an adult applicant (18+) with at least one child age 12 or younger, residing in one of four target ZIP codes (92114 Encanto, 92139 Paradise Hills, 91950 National City, 92173 San Ysidro), and a maximum household income of about $53,000 for a family of four. The program specifically prioritized families of color disproportionately affected by COVID-19 and pre-existing poverty. Final participants were chosen by random lottery among eligible applicants; the application period closed in December 2021 and the program is no longer accepting applications.
Demographics
- Minimum age
- 18
- Race / ethnicity targets
- Families of color (program explicitly selected 150 families of color), enrolled cohort was approximately 52% Latino, 29% African American, 12% Asian, 8% White per CGIR data
- Language
- Application/eligibility survey offered in English, Spanish, Somali, Tagalog, Vietnamese, Chinese, and Arabic
Family
- Family Status
- Parent
- Number of dependents (minimum)
- 1
Financial
- Income limit (annual household)
- $53,000
Geography
- US states covered
- California
- Countries covered
- United States
- Cities covered
- San Diego, National City
- Counties covered
- San Diego
- ZIP / postal codes covered
- 92114, 92139, 91950, 92173
- Residency of Target Geography
- Yes
Participation
- Research / data sharing
- Optional
- Complementary program enrollment required
- Optional (not required): financial coaching and financial literacy programming was available to participants who wanted it.
- Research / participation requirements
Research was led by the Center for Guaranteed Income Research (CGIR) at the University of Pennsylvania School of Social Policy and Practice, in partnership with Mayors for Guaranteed Income. The study examined impacts on physical/mental health, income volatility, spending, employment, education, family dynamics/parenting, stress and coping, food security, childcare access, and COVID-19-related variables. Participant involvement in surveys/interviews was optional and compensated. Reported findings include a 75% increase in life satisfaction and a 51% increase in outlook on the future among participants; full report available at https://upenn.box.com/v/CGIR-Report-SanDiego-CA.
Application Process
- How to apply
Families completed a multilingual online eligibility survey during an open application window (through December 6, 2021). Selected participants were notified in January 2022 and enrolled by March 2022. The program is no longer accepting new applications.
- Selection process
Eligible applicants (based on income, ZIP code residency, and having a child 12 or under) were selected via random lottery for the 150 available slots.
