Thriving Providers Project (Colorado)
The Thriving Providers Project (TPP) is a guaranteed income pilot delivering unconditional monthly cash payments to home-based child care providers to reduce income volatility and stabilize the child care workforce. Colorado was the flagship implementation site, launched in 2022 by Home Grown (a national funders collaborative focused on home-based child care) in partnership with Colorado nonprofit Impact Charitable, which manages local direct cash assistance. About 100 Colorado providers received $500/month for 18 months, funded through philanthropic dollars raised by Home Grown and local partners. Home Grown has since replicated the TPP model with regional partners in Philadelphia, New York City, LA County, King County WA, and other sites.
Child Care Workforce, Family Child Care Providers, FFN Caregivers, Early Childhood Education, Guaranteed Income
Headquarters
- Organization Name
- Impact Charitable, Home Grown
- City
- Denver
- State / Province
- Colorado
- Country
- United States
Contact
- Phone
- +1 720 239 2789
- Social media links
Status & Funding
- Organization status
- Active
- Program status
- Inactive
- Application status
- Timed
- Number of recipients
- 100
- Funding type
- Philanthropic
Benefits
- Currency Type
- Fiat
- Currency
- USD
- Total Amount
- 9,000 USD
- Avg. Per Month
- 500 USD
- Payment frequency
- Monthly
- How long the program lasts
- 18 months
- Distribution Type
- Direct Deposit
- Benefit details
Participants received $250 direct deposits twice per month (totaling $500/month) for 18 months, roughly $9,000 total per participant, with no restrictions on how funds were used. Payments were unconditional and administered via a third-party payment/verification platform to minimize paperwork burden. Participants were also offered an optional peer support group with other home-based child care providers through their local community-based organization, plus a benefits-protection toolkit to help preserve eligibility for other public assistance while receiving TPP cash.
Eligibility
Overview
- Eligibility details
Eligible participants were home-based child care providers in Colorado: Family, Friend and Neighbor (FFN) caregivers (legally license-exempt providers serving four or fewer children) and newly licensed Family Child Care (FCC) home providers. Recruitment and enrollment were coordinated through local Colorado community-based organizations partnering with Impact Charitable, with a provider advisory board informing program design and outreach. No income limit, immigration-status requirement, or formal means test was identified in available sources; the program intentionally minimized documentation requirements to reach caregivers often excluded from other subsidy programs.
Financial
- Employment status
- Self-Employed
- Banked status
- Banked
Geography
- US states covered
- Colorado
- Countries covered
- United States
- Residency of Target Geography
- Yes
Participation
- Research / data sharing
- Optional
- Research / participation requirements
Home Grown served as the national backbone organization coordinating evaluation across TPP sites; a final 18-month evaluation report on the Colorado cohort was published (~August 2024) covering quantitative and qualitative outcomes. Of the 100 cash recipients, 55 consented to participate in the research/study component, which was optional and separate from receipt of payments. Impact Charitable managed local implementation, data collection support, and benefits counseling for participants.
Application Process
- How to apply
Not an open public application; providers were recruited and enrolled through Colorado community-based organizations partnering with Impact Charitable that serve Family, Friend and Neighbor (FFN) and Family Child Care (FCC) home providers.
- Selection process
Local Colorado community-based organizations identified and recruited eligible FFN caregivers and newly licensed FCC home providers; a provider advisory board (including participating providers) informed program design and selection criteria; enrollment used a simplified, low-documentation process to reduce barriers.
